Following Kevin Smith’s Clerks, a vernacular of the part-time worker became so intoxicating that many filmmakers flocked to it. Concessions fits into that camp, but finds more drama than the ennui of an unfulfilling job. It’s the end of an era for a movie theater, and the day-to-day duties of its staff take on a different allure when the final showings grace the big screen. The film explores so many odd feelings, and it mostly finds time for relatable moments before the doors shut forever.

The owner, Luke Plimpton (Steven Ogg), isn’t taking the final day all that well. His thoughts drift to his late father, trying to drown out the failure of his scrutinizing photo with booze. His bitterness spills into how he manages the rest of the staff and customers, as Luke barks at his apathetic employees taking longer breaks and snatches bootleggers from the theater seats (leading to a fairly raunchy revelation in the footage). The duo working concessions are friends Hunter and Lorenzo, who spend their days debating the merits of pop culture, from the racism of Star Wars to the state of movie theaters. But more than the theater’s closure threatens to tear them apart, Lorenzo’s college acceptance has him thinking harder about where to go next in life. To other employees, like the low-key charming ticket-booth employee Deana, having another path lined up seems nice. But it might not be the path Lorenzo wants, as it may just lead him right back to the doldrums of retail.

Beyond personal problems, the film also offers a somber recognition of losing a cultural institution. Hunter has a melodramatic but sweet conversation with a kid about the power of movies that rings surprisingly genuine for how starry-eyed it gets about film. The medium of movies is celebrated more meaningfully by the quiet arrival of stuntman Rex Fuel, which feels far more genuine when played by the weathered warmth of Michael Madsen. He doesn’t arrive to make much of a big scene, but doesn’t waste a chance to mention his credentials. After all, his stunt work is being shown in one of the final movies. His presence has a haunting quality as he watches himself one last time at this venue. His viewing shifts between mentioning his stunt work to nearby viewers and sneaking a drink while watching quietly. His departure, where only one fan notices him exiting the theater and politely asks for a picture, is such a heartfelt finale for his character, recognizing the value of being revered by just one patron.

The film tries a bit too hard here and there to make this last day at the theater comical and memorable. There are some gags involving a protesting priest and a customer who dies in the bathroom, but they feel more like Clerks-style additions to prevent the film from getting too lost in its monologues about movies and moving on. The loitering Dingo Dan (Josh Hamilton) at least has some of his own charm that doesn’t make him feel like a carbon copy of Jay & Silent Bob, given that he’s more musically talented and mildly thoughtful about culture in his stoner mind, though his boycott gag has a limited range of amusement. These peppered jokes have a Goldilocks quality: they never feel too uproarious, but they also never match the more genuine feelings about the end of a movie theater. Given that the theater was called the Alamo, I almost expected a shootout to go full bonkers, but that’s not in the cards for a film that still wants to show some love for the movies, albeit with murder and talk of having sex with farm animals.

Concessions works best when it finds bittersweet amusement in the movie theater setting and the conversations that grace the counter. The best scenes are easily the back-and-forths between Hunter and Lorenzo, as they hold some charm in their movie debates and philosophical approach to getting older. But there’s also plenty of intrigue with the many patrons, as none are more compelling than a moseying Michael Madsen, dominating a crowd of mostly cartoon characters who devour junk food or lodge complaints. There’s a handful of great moments in a film that needs to realize there’s more amusing stuff to do at the theater than bawdy asides.