‘Clerks’

Rude, boisterous, obscene and irreverently funny, this 1994 comedy takes a crude energy and delight in life’s profane chaos. Made in grainy black and white on a skimpy budget of $27,575, “Clerks” is the inspiration of 23-year-old Kevin Smith, who wrote, directed, co-edited, co-produced and even found time to play a cameo as the laconic Silent Bob. Simply structured as a day in the life of clerk Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran, left, pictured with Jeff Anderson), Dante’s saga begins unexpectedly with an early morning call from his boss (Cinemax Wednesday at 11 p.m.).