I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan of Kevin Smith’s movies. I love the man, love his take on this crazy industry, loved “An Evening with Kevin Smith,” etc. But most of the time, when he gets behind a camera, it doesn’t work for me on some level.
Of course, there are those who love to hate on Smith’s cinematic output because vitriol is sometimes easier to come by than measured consideration, but I try not to go there with him for some reason. Maybe it’s the comic book thing. (Speaking of which, “Batman Cacophony” is a pretty good three-issue arc if you didn’t catch it over the last few months).
I found some things to admire in “Clerks,” which has some qualities perhaps more endearing in 1994 than in 2009, but I really hated “Mallrats.” I thought “Chasing Amy” showed his promise and felt “Dogma” to be rather daring in some ways.
“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” did exactly what it was supposed to do, while “Jersey Girl” and “Clerks II” were extensions of “Chasing Amy”‘s promise with various limitations. But “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” which I missed last fall and finally caught on DVD over the weekend, might be Smith’s best work to date.
Of course, I’d say The Weinstein Company mishandled the release on this thing and didn’t drum up the publicity necessary to land it the kind of box office it probably deserved, but beyond the business of it all, there’s a touching piece of work in there. Smith was smart to associate himself with folks like Seth Rogen and Craig Robinson, quickly becoming figments of the new comedy breed in Hollywood. He also got a pretty good performance out of Jason Mewes that didn’t have to depend on the usual toilet humor (though you could certainly find that elsewhere in the film).
Anyway, kind of a rambling post, but I was impressed. Even with a disgusting poop gag (I laughed), this is a film with heart that resonated more than I thought it would. Nicely done. No surprise the stuffy top-tier critical fraternity wasn’t on board, though.
What did you guys think?