20 Most WTF Movie Moments Of 2022
13. Dante Dies - Clerks III
Clerks III might well be the big surprise bummer movie of the year. Though many expected Smith's threequel, based on his own experience surviving a near-fatal heart attack, to be a life-affirming romp, it's actually a surprisingly depressing, bleak piece of work.
For starters, Dante's (Brian O'Halloran) partner Becky (Rosario Dawson) is revealed to have died in a car accident at the start of the film, in turn robbing Dante of both his partner and their unborn child.
15 years later, Dante is continuing to stew in his misery, and even though he and Randall (Jeff Anderson) agree to make a film based on their lives following Randall's own almost fatal heart attack, Dante drops dead of his own heart attack near the end of the film following an argument with his friend.
Though it seems like Dante might pull through, ultimately he passes away in hospital with Randall by his side, while Smith envisions him being reunited with Becky as he dies.
It was a genuinely shocking outcome for a series that built itself on dick and fart jokes, and while Smith's own life experiences have clearly had a profound impact on his worldview, this is perhaps one franchise that didn't need to get quite so real at the finish line.
Fans remain divided on it, anyway.