Kevin Smith: An Indie Legend or Overrated

[GI Cake]

Kevin Smith, many words can describe the director and actor. (Most of them being fat and overweight) Kevin Smith has director a ton of underground hits. Mallrats, Clerks, and the birth of Jay and Silent Bob. His movies always base around the average man and woman in a small town in New Jersey. And each movie have their ties into each other. The most common case is with Jay and Silent Bob having their misadventures in each movie.

What is your opinion of Kevin Smith?

What is your favorite Kevin Smith movie? (If any)

 

[Davi323]

What is your opinion of Kevin Smith?

I enjoy most of his work. He has had some stinkers like Jersey Girl, but overall, I find that his sense of humor is a lot more realistic than most directors. By that, I mean he makes the same kind of jokes that we all make when hanging out with our friends. He seems like he is just a normal guy who just happens to make movies for a living. I think it's refreshing. Some of it I may not agree with, (like the pot usage) but overall, I see his movies, I hear him give interviews, I see him on the Evening Harder specials where he talks to college students, and I think, this is a guy I could totally hang out with. He doesn't strike me as being a particularly pretentious guy. Plus, any guy that fits that many Star Wars references into his work gets a thumbs up from me.

What is your favorite Kevin Smith movie? (If any)

If I had to pick one, it would be Clerks, if only for the Death Star construction debate. That one scene has spurred numerous conversations between my youngest brother and myself about the morality of the Rebel Alliance/Empire fight in general, whether it's acceptable to attempt to assassinate heads of state, etc. It's just a classic scene.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

What is your opinion of Kevin Smith?

I've been a big of Kevin Smith fan for years, and I enjoy the majority of his films. Smith is an exceptional writer, his humor is enjoyable, and he can always create a nice set of likeable characters. Smith's characters are real people. Their just Average Joes, who are trying to making a living, and you really can relate to these people most of the time. Smith's comedies feel unique, and I never have that "Ugh, I've seen this before" feeling, when I watch his movies. I've seen a handful of his Q&A specials, I've seen plenty of interviews with Smith, and he really does seem like this down to earth guy, who loves making movies.

Also, I never get tired of the Star Wars material in his films. I've always been a big Star Wars fan, and Smith's fanboyism for the series does show in some of his films, you can clearly see it. The Lord Of The Rings VS Star Wars argument in Clerks II was just great, and that scene actually sparked a real life argument with a few of my friends.

Smith is not trying to become the next Scorsese or Spielberg, and he doesn't chase fat paychecks. He's an easy-going guy and a family man, who enjoys his craft.

I enjoy the majority Of Smith's work, but I don't love every Kevin Smith film. Of course, I HATED Jersey Girl, and Cop Out was mediocre at best, but Smith doesn't deserve all the blame for that film, because he was only the director and editor for that one. And according to Smith, Bruce Willis was a real dick on set, and he was very difficult to work with during the filming for Cop Out.

Also, unlike a lot of people, I actually enjoyed Red State, and you really won't have any sort of middle ground with this film. It's something you're going to enjoy, or you're going to hate it with a burning passion. But I'll give Smith a lot of credit for these films, because he did step outside of his comfort zone (dialogue filled comedies) with Red State and Cop Out.

What is your favorite Kevin Smith movie? (If any)

Well, I'm in the small minority of people, who actually liked Zack and Miri, and I really enjoyed Clerks II. It's not a bad film, but Clerks II will always suffer the "it wasn't better than the original" criticism. It's a tough choice, but I have to go with Clerks. Clerks provides consistent laughs, it was well written, and Clerks is one of those films that I can always watch over and again without getting tired of it. Clerks has provided some lasting memories for me, and I always laugh as hard as I did, when I first watched this film years ago. Also, the grainy black and white made everything feel more authentic.

 

[justinsayne]

What is your opinion of Kevin Smith?

I don't think it's an secret that I am a huge Kevin Smith fanboy. I try to check out everything he's done whether it's movies, cartoons, comics, podcasts, Q&A's, books, TV shows, & what ever other entertaining shit he's manged to dip his fingers in. Kevin Smith isn't really just an indie filmmaker, the man is pretty much an indie entertainer. Kevin Smith is also a guy who has never forgotten where's come from, or forgotten about the friends who helped him reach the success he's gotten to. He opened up a comic shop back in his hometown & handed the keys over to his friends Walt, Mike, & Ming. He's built a podcast network which features great podcasts from all his friends, Tell'em Steve-Dave is always a highlight of my week, plus you also have I Sell Comics, & the Smorning Show with Mike & Ming. He even gave a podcast to his big gay bear of a friend Malcolm Ingram (though I wouldn't listen to this one unless you want to listen to a fat gay guy go into graphic detail about bear on cub sex, & have a strong stomach). He even helped get his friends back in NJ there own TV show on AMC after The Walking Dead, called Comicbook Men, I found it to be very entertaining.

When asked to write a Batman mini-series for DC, Kev said he'd do it but only if his friend Walt could draw it, fulfilling Walt's dream of drawing a Batman comic book. When they started on the project he asked Walt which characters he wanted to draw, Walt gave him a list & Kev may sure to find a way to work everyone on the list into the story. He's also helped produce several films for his friends including Vulgar, Drawing Flies, Small Town Gay Bar, Bear Nation, & probably the most famous of the films he's helped produce, Good Will Hunting. Yup, most people don't know just how much of a role Kev played in helping to get two of Hollywood's current heavyweights, Matt Damon, & Ben Affleck out there. Sure they probably would have eventually made it without the help of Mr. Smith but being in Dogma & having Kevin help them out as a producer when making Good Will Hunting certainly didn't hurt & made things much easier.

He also has his Wayne Foundation, which helps out victims of Domestic Childhood Sexual Trafficking, & I beleive he's also done so stuff with/for RAINN as well.

So in short as you can see my opinion of Kevin Smith is pretty high. I like th dude, he's provided me with hours of free funny every week through his podcasts, & his movies never fail to entertain me (even Copout & Jersey Girl had a few good moments that made me laugh).

What is your favorite Kevin Smith movie? (If any)

This is tough, but I think I'll have to stick with Clerks, that movie is ALWAYS entertaining, & I can pretty much watch it anytime & still enjoy it know matter how I'm feeling at the time, which is rare for me, especially with comedies. Red State would be a close second though, that movie man, damn. Red State was easily my favorite movie of last year, which was a pretty good year for movie overall. I've manged to find some enjoyment out of pretty much all of Kevin's movies but if I were to list Kevin Smith's movies in order of favorite to least favorite this is how they'd rank

1-Clerks
2-Red State
3-Clerks 2
4-Chasing Amy
5-Dogma
6-Mallrats
7-Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
8-Zack & Miri Make a Porno
9-Jersey Girl

I only count movies where Smith as both writer & director, since that's his bread & butter.

As for whether I consider Kevin Smith an indie legend or overrated I would say he's neither, Kevin Smith is simply just Kevin Smith, he's an entertainer who seems to be just fine with everything he's gotten in life, & is just going to enjoy the ride & share it with all his friends, family & fans. I think any title the has the word "legend" in it leads us to perceive that what ever is being attached to that word to be viewed as in a god-like way, I really don't & never have envisioned Kevin Smith as a god, just a really awesome dude that is good at creating shit that makes me laugh & keeps me entertained.

Overrated is a term I think is used too much, & the meaning of it is lost on most people. The definition of overrated is to rate to highly, but if you're a fan of something you're more prone to rate something higher than someone who is not a fan would. I'm a huge fan of Kevin Smith so naturally I would rate him much higher than someone who is not a fan.

I would like to beleive Kevin Smith is just simply an entertaining motherfucker.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

What is your opinion of Kevin Smith?

I think he's good at what he does. He's easy to relate to and isn't one of those intimidating directors or celebrities with a condescending attitude. Actually, I might even go as far as saying that he's probably the best at the slacker comedy sub-genre. His movies make me want to hang out in front of a convenience store eating a burger, sipping on soda and debating about comic books.

What is your favorite Kevin Smith movie? (If any)

I gotta say 'Clerks' and 'Clerks II' are my two favourite Kevin Smith movies. They capture the essence of the slacker. Dante's character in particular speaks volumes about how I felt for a long time, especially in the 'Lamentation' chapter. Both were very fun movies about aging, slacking, delving into pop culture and working dead-end jobs.

I also have to say that 'Dogma' was another favourite. There was a time when I was obsessed with that movie. It's crazy looking back at it now considering how different Matt Damon looks. "Who's house? RUN's house!" Haha. Never thought I'd see Matt Damon recite hooks from a Run-DMC song.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

What is your opinion of Kevin Smith?

He seems like a good guy, but I've never quite understood the big furore around him at times. If we draw comparison with another director who started out with a couple of slacker comedies (Slacker and Dazed & Confused) that earned cult status, Richard Linklater, Smith hasn't really developed that much despite having some talent. Linklater broadened his horizons to family comedies (School of Rock and Bad News Bears), drama (Before Sunset, Me and Orson Welles), sci-fi (Scanner Darkly) and adaptations (Fast-Food Nation.) Smith was able to create a universe that tied his films together, either with recurring characters or reusing actors. Smith's characters, though quite crude, do have some charm to them at times so I get their appeal but I think it is a somewhat limited appeal.
His stand-up stuff is great as he can tell a great story, like the one about a producer who was obsessed with spiders and went on to make Wild Wild West. He has come some way since Clerks which is an impressive film due to the financial constraints he worked around, but looking back on it the writing and acting are quite inconsistent. The frustration of serving certain types of customers is put across well, but at other times the back and forths of Dante and Randal are almost cringe-worthy to listen to.

What is your favorite Kevin Smith movie? (If any)
It's probably Clerks 2 with Dogma a close second. Dogma would be first if either there were a different female lead, or Linda Fiorentino wasn't as annoying as she is. Rosario Dawson showed her how it's done by balancing the charm and crudeness of the other characters in the universe.
Plus Jason Lee's character was called Dowds. Instant win.

 

[Australia's Finest]

What is your opinion of Kevin Smith?
I find him very funny. Seems like a really chilled guy who enjoys what he does and doesn't really give a fuck what people think. I reckon it would be really cool to meet him.

What is your favorite Kevin Smith movie? (If any)

I love Dogma, Clerks 2 and Jay and Silent Bob. Very funny movies that i can watch over and over again. Still haven't seen Clerks and i'm hoping i will be able to soon.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

What is my opinion on KS?

I used to be a huge fan. I own the first three Evening With...s and all of his films from Clerks - Zack and Miri. But he has become the biggest whine-baby douchebag in film in the past few years. His marijuana use has grown exponentially, and his work has gone to utter shit since. His twitter "rants" against critics are pathetic. I like some of his films VERY much, but it is sad to see how far he has fallen. Cop Out and Red State were utter trash.

Favorite Film?

Chasing Amy, easily. One of the best films of the 90's, and the best to deal with the true complexities of gay and lesbian people, and gay and lesbian relationships.

 

[TBK]

I haven't seen Red State, so I can't comment on that, but here are just my overall opinions.

What is your opinion of Kevin Smith?

I think Kevin Smith is a very funny guy. If you've seen his Q&As he can be funny. I also think he knows how to tell a story. His comic runs, from what I've seen, were all really good. He seems like a guy I would hate to meet in real life from all I've heard of him, but I can at least say he is more than qualified to make funny movies.

But, I think over time he's just gotten a bit stubborn trying to reclaim the magic. It seems like ever since Jersey Girl tanked, he's tried so very hard to get what got people to like him in the first place, but it just seems so unnatural. It feels like he's trying to evolve with his movies, but he's the only one that really liked where he was evolving, so he tries still doing it but wrapping it up and pretending like it's the same thing. This is what Clerks II was, this is what Zack and Miri was and this is what Cop Out was. He really just needs to take a break, then come back and try to gain attention.

What is your favorite Kevin Smith movie? (If any)

I remember really liking Dogma. Moments like the poop monster I thought weren't exactly the peak of Smith's best moments, I liked how it seemed like it was very aware of the source material and wasn't too cruel to it that Christians can't enjoy it, but it still dealt into some of the more "silly" aspects of Religion.

That said, I prefer Clerks: the Animated Series over all of the movies, because it was just something that captured the funny style of the movie, clerks, but a bit more faster and a lot more outgoing. I appreciate how they tried to emulate it a bit with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but it seemed like it didn't fit as well as the cartoon, if only because the cartoon allowed you to not take it serious, because it was a cartoon, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back just felt a tad unrealistic, though I will admit I found it funny.

 

[Shotaro]

Kevin Smith's career has more peaks and troughs in it that almost anyone else I can think of, some of his films (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, Cop Out) are filled with witty but silly humour and take place in a just off from reality type world. He's legitimately funny but sometimes it feels he just tries too damn hard. (For me Jay and Silent bob strike back is the best example.) I think his early successes have gone to his head and he has forgotten what made his films good in the first place.

It's a shame really but Clerks 2 was when I knew he was pretty much done as a great film-maker.

 

[ry4]

I always enjoyed his work, but he said it best in his stand-up comedy special. He use to be in touch with people, that's what made his movies so great. But now he's lost touch, he's rich, he's so far removed from "normal people" that he can't create those some kinds of movies any more.