Ben Bailey plays Zack, one of two CLERKS working the night shift at a Brooklyn pharmacy. He dreams of moving to Las Vegas to become a roulette dealer. Among his fellow CLERKS is Ty (Edwin Matos Jr.), whose main hobby is being abrasive the customers.
Their pals Kevin (Godfrey), a crazy hip-hopper, and the obsessive-compulsive Phil (Jayson Simba) show up and hassle the CLERKS while they are at work. These CLERKS have a variety of mishaps as they deal with their various crazy customers coming to and going from the run-down old drugstore they work in. Between these adventures (and multiple homages to Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First” routine) the CLERKS wax philosophic on various topics of import to them as Zack deals with girlfriend issues.
It all reminds me of another indie feature, but I can’t quite put my finger on which one.
I get the distinct impression that this movie is hilarious if you have worked in a pharmacy at some point in your life, and for the rest of us, it provides a few good laughs here and there. It isn’t as funny as “Dogma”, or “Chasing Amy”, or, um, what is that other Kevin Smith movie? The one with the clerks from New Jersey in it? I can’t remember. Well, it isn’t a funny as that one either, but “Don’t Shoot the Pharmacist” is a bit of fun.
