The story of Clerks 3 features a movie-within-a-movie structure, which means director Kevin Smith can copy some of the best moments from one of his most underrated films: Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Clerks 3 has been in the works for quite some time, even being mentioned by Smith during press tours for Clerks 2. The newest addition to the View Askewniverse will follow the original Clerks franchise cast. After Randal survives a heart attack, he enlists the help of Dante in creating a movie about their time at the Quick Stop convenience store.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno was made canon to the View Askewniverse and also hosts a movie-within-a-movie. Long-time friends Zack and Miri, played by Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, respectively, find themselves in debt. After a video is leaked by some teenagers of Miri changing clothes and wearing “granny panties,” Miri is recognized by adult film star Brandon at a high school reunion. Zack and Miri decide that the only way to get out of debt is to make an adult film. The movie's appeal lies in the characters’ attempt to create an adult film. There is the Star Wars-themed movie they planned to shoot, “Star Whores," in which the characters are given hysterical spoof names. Then, the movie they actually shoot during closed hours at the coffee shop where Zack works.
Clerks 3 can’t copy Jay and Silent Bob’s reboot tricks by including a laundry list of cameos to move the story forward. That said, it can still stand out with the vulnerability shown through the crass humor. Not only is Clerks 3 doing a movie-within-a-movie, but it also has a similar focus to Zack and Miri: the relationships between the characters. The success of the low-budget Clerks franchise is the relatability of the characters and the realness of the comedic interactions. Having Dante and Randal make a movie of their own means that audiences will get to see some of the best parts of Zack and Miri played out with the much-loved protagonists of the Clerks films. Audiences will get the unique opportunity to witness the Clerks characters watch each other and dissect their own friendships and experiences through the lens of their own cameras.
Zack and Miri is critically unsuccessful, leading actor Jason Mewes to blame the movie poster. However, it is arguably one of Smith's most underrated films. Sure, Zack and Miri has Smith's brand of humor: everyone in the adult film is a purposefully terrible actor, the boom mic is a microphone taped to a hockey stick, the windows have painting tarps hung over them, an inebriated customer enters the store in the middle of shooting, and the entire crew must leave the store in the early morning to avoid detection. Nevertheless, it is ultimately a love story about two friends coming together and realizing what they mean to one another. There is no doubt that Smith will employ the same amusing tactics used in Zack and Miri as Dante and Randal attempt to make the movie while addressing their own vulnerability and friendship.
Kevin Smith does some of the best work when including personal experiences and focusing on the interpersonal relationships between the characters. Clerks 3 is inspired by Kevin Smith’s own heart attack. Clerks, Smith’s first break-out film, is based on his experiences as a store clerk and was even filmed in the convenience and video store Smith worked in. Hopefully, audiences will get to enjoy the same shabby movie-making strategies with the new spin of Dante’s and Randal’s sense of humor and a deeper exploration of their friendship.