The best stories are the ones that stem from the author's personal experience. When Kevin Smith first exploded into the world of independent film with Clerks, audiences felt they were getting a glimpse of the director's soul on the screen. At the time, Clerks perfectly reflected the zeitgeist of the mid-90s while simultaneously detailing Smith's personal feelings of inadequacy through the character of Dante. By bearing his soul on celluloid, Smith garnered a successful film career, despite his admittedly meager talents as a director.
When Smith first announced Clerks 3, the very idea of the film's existence seemed uninspired to even the most die-hard Smith loyalists. However, Smith found a way to replicate the personal touch of the first film by using Clerks 3 to discuss his near-fatal heart attack. And while Clerks 3 may not be everyone's cup of tea, it's hard to deny that Smith still knows his way around a joke. In the video linked above, you can check out some great deleted scenes from Clerks 3.