A Complete Review of Kevin Smith's work

Cast : Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Amy Sedaris, Justin Long, Rosario Dawson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Melissa Benoist, Danny Trejo, Ben Affleck, Freddie Prinze Jr., Anthony Michael Hall

What was it about?
Dante, Elias, and Jay and Silent Bob are enlisted by Randal after a heart attack to make a movie about the convenience store that started it all.

My two cents:
To be honest, for a while, I was actually really worried. Indeed, there were just so many things that really didn’t work. There were some details like the fact that Jay And Silent Bob looked really weird with Jay and his fake teeth and Silent Bob with his fake tan but it went much further than that, I'm afraid. Indeed, it seems that Kevin Smith’s writing and directing became actually weaker with each new instalment and, compared to how awesome ‘Clerks’ was, it was just rather disheartening that this sequel coming up almost 30 years later was so weak. Fortunately, even though the first act was indeed lame and really disappointing, the damned thing finally started to work from the moment that Randal decided to shoot his movie. Indeed, it was pretty meta but it made sense considering how this franchise started. On top of that, it was pretty awesome how they reproduced the same shots with the same actors almost 30 years later. If you are a die-hard ‘Clerks’ fan like me, you will definitely appreciate these scenes as well. Of course, if you’re familiar with Kevin Smith, you will be aware that he himself survived a massive heart attack back in 2018 so it’s not surprising that his beloved characters would have to face a similar fate, even if I’m not sure if it was such a great idea to have both of them having a heart attack. Still, it was a really solid approach because it displayed that these guys were getting older, it made them more vulnerable, more human, and as fascinating as they were 30 years ago. The ending was also quite unexpected, rather heartbreaking and a great way to finish up this franchise.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Harley Quinn Smith, Brian O'Halloran, Justin Long, Rosario Dawson, Melissa Benoist, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Biggs, Adam Brody, Tommy Chong, David Dastmalchian, Shannon Elizabeth, Val Kilmer, Jason Lee, Redman, Method Man, Craig Robinson, Molly Shannon, James Van Der Beek, Matt Damon

What was it about?
Jay and Silent Bob inadvertently sign away their names and rights to the new Bluntman and Chronic movie. Now they head to Hollywood to stop the film from being made. Along the way Jay discovers that he is a father.

My two cents:
Before watching this movie, I first re-watched ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’ since it was ages ago that I saw the damned thing and, fortunately, I have to admit that it was slightly better than I remembered. However, even though I have always gave Kevin Smith some slack ever since I saw ‘Clerks’ almost 30 years ago when it was released, this movie was just too weak though. I mean, making another Jay and Silent Bob movie, why not? But why delivering a movie which was so similar to the previous installment? Sure, Smith argued that this movie was supposed to make fun of reboots, remakes, and sequels while simultaneously being all three at the same time but I think the damned thing was just lazy, way too random and barely entertaining at all. At least, the idea that Jay discovered he actually had a kid with Justice was pretty neat and if the movie had focused more or only on this, I think it could have actually worked. Unfortunately, pretty much nothing else did work though. The most annoying running joke was probably to see Silent Bob furiously tapping on his smartphone to show what he feels with some emoji’s. Furthermore, even if it was mildly amusing to see Chris Hemsworth welcoming people at Chronic-Con, it was just weird and random to see Matt Damon showing up out of nowhere as Loki who was/became, apparently, Jason Bourne following the events in Dogma. Anyway, after the abysmal ‘Yoga Hosers’, I’m afraid it must be the weakest movie delivered by Kevin Smith so far.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Harley Quinn Smith

What was it about?
It is an anthology feature film that puts a uniquely dark and original spin on some of the most iconic and beloved holidays of all time by challenging our folklore, traditions and assumptions.

My two cents:
Well, except for Kevin Smith, I had never heard of the other directors involved in this project but, to be honest, I don't think I will do my best to look up what they have done before or afterwards as I wasn't really impressed with what they displayed here. Indeed, even though the first and last stories were watchable ('Valentine's Day' and 'New Year's Eve'), everything else was just too weak and/or too weird. The weirdest parts were 'St Patrick's Day' and especially 'Easter' which gave us a really creepy and misguided mix of the Easter Bunny and Jesus. Concerning the segment delivered by Kevin, it was not bad but it was the only story which had really nothing to do with this specific holiday and the only link was that it was taking place during Halloween which was rather disappointing.

My rating: 05/10 (for Kevin Smith's segment and for the whole movie)

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Cast : Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, Adam Brody, Justin Long, Natasha Lyonne, Genesis Rodriguez Vanessa Paradis, Haley Joel Osment, Johnny Depp, Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Jason Mewes

What was it about?
Two teenage yoga enthusiasts team up with a legendary man-hunter to battle with an ancient evil presence that is threatening their major party plans.

My two cents:
Well, it turned out to be pretty terrible and I'm not surprised that it is, according to the IMDB ratings, his worst movie so far. I mean, I already had a hard time to care for 'Tusk' but this was even weaker. It's too bad because the beginning with these 2 bored teenage girls working in a convenient store, pretty much like in 'Clerks', was actually quite promising. Indeed, real life BFFs Harley Quinn Smith and Lily-Rose Depp had some nice chemistry together. Above all, Johnny Depp's daughter was seriously charismatic and I'm really curious to see what she will do in the future. Unfortunately, pretty much everything else was just some garbage though. Seriously, it is rather difficult to understand what Kevin Smith is getting at with his Canadian horror trilogy. Indeed, it seems that it was conceived mostly to please the fans of his podcast but I'm not sure that the rest of the world really cares. Anyway, the concept in ‘Tusk’ was rather difficult to swallow but, here, this whole idea of these Nazi sausages was just so stupid.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Michael Park, Justin Long, Halen Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Johnny Depp, Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith

What was it about?
When podcaster Wallace Bryton goes missing in the backwoods of Manitoba while interviewing a mysterious seafarer named Howard Howe, his best friend Teddy and girlfriend Allison team with an ex-cop to look for him.

My two cents:
Even though 'Red State' was pretty realistic and straightforward, this movie was a complete different kind of ball game, that’s for sure. Indeed, it is actually rather difficult to describe it, it was basically some kind of horror-comedy with a totally grotesque and preposterous concept resulting in something really weird. Unfortunately, even though it might have sound awesome on paper (in fact, Kevin Smith's fans actually voted to get this movie made), it didn’t completely work out fine as a movie. The main issue, in my opinion, is that, ok, the guy is transformed into some man-walrus but then where are you supposed to go from there? Indeed, so far, Justin Long was pretty good playing some arrogant podcaster and Michael Parks was basically born to play such articulate psychos but, from the moment the transformation was done, the only thing they could do was to provide some supposedly funny but in fact rather cringe-inducing scenes.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Michael Park, Melissa Leo, John Goodman, Kevin Pollack

What was it about?
Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.

My two cents:
I was quite impressed how Smith managed to make a feature so completely different in tone than his previous movies. Indeed, even Kevin Smith has admitted it, even though he might be a decent writer, he remains a rather limited director. So, I did like this flick, especially the first half was really intriguing with setting up these teenagers and this Christian cult. Unfortunately, I wasn't so sure about the 2nd half. Indeed, at some point, seemingly out of nowhere, some Federal agents got involved and within minutes the whole thing turned into a huge shoot-out which lasted forever. The wrap-up at the end with a briefing involving John Goodman was also rather underwhelming. Still, I enjoyed most of it and, in my opinion, in spite of its poor construction, it is a rather tense and realistic horror feature, 10 times better than most of the slasher flicks I have seen.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Bruce Will, Tracey Morgan, Kevin Pollak, Adam Bordy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jason Lee, Rashida Jones, Seann William Scott, Michael Pitt

What was it about?
A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster.

My two cents:
Since I have been faithfully watching every single movie directed by Kevin Smith, I had to watch this one at some point. So, even though the critics were very negative, I still wanted to check this one out. Unfortunately, the end result was rather underwhelming. I mean, there were a few hilarious scenes here and there but most of the movie was just routine and filled with stupid and unfunny jokes. It's too bad since I really liked the material and I really liked the idea of Kevin Smith directing a 'big' budget production starring Bruce Willis. To conclude, it was a really disappointing feature and a waste of time for all the people involved.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Elizabeth Banks, Seth Rogen, Brandon Routh, Justin Long, Katie Morgan, Jason Mewes, Traci Lords

What was it about?
Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.

My two cents:
To be honest, even though the title and the concept were pretty awesome, eventually, the movie didn't really fulfill my expectations. I remember it very well, before this flick was released, there was a big buzz about it and some major controversy, mostly about the title. Indeed, many found it inappropriate to have the ‘P’ word in the title but I thought it was genius and a rather impressive marketing stunt. However, as usual with Kevin Smith, the whole thing turned out to be quite harmless. I mean, I have to admit that it was funny, entertaining and all but I wish it had been edgier. Above all, up until they start to shoot their porn flick, the damned thing was actually pitch-perfect and very often quite hilarious. Unfortunaly, it seems that Kevin Smith pretty much chickened out concerning the shooting of the porn flick as it turned out to be terribly tame and, above all, not really entertaining. Anyway, apparently, Smith was really disappointed that this movie did underperform at the box-office and he thought, especially with Seth Rogen involved, that he would have had some commercial success but it wasn’t meant to be. Personally, I thought it was quite understandable. I mean, on one hand, many people would obviously avoid a movie with such a title and subject, whereas the audience who might be interested didn’t care much for it since it was so tame. Still, in spite of its flaws, I thought it was a nice ride.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Rosario Dawson, Jason Lee

What was it about?
A calamity at Dante and Randall's shops sends them looking for new horizons - but they ultimately settle at Mooby's, a fictional Disney-McDonald's-style fast-food empire.

My two cents:
Since I'm a huge fan of 'Clerks', of course, I really had to see this flick when it came out. Well, eventually, this sequel was unfortunately not as good as its predecessor but it was to be expected and I stil enjoyed the damned thing. First of all, even though some might argue that this movie had a more polished professional look, I actually missed the raw look and the whole thing didn't feel as authentic as the first time. Indeed, whereas the Quick Stop felt genuine because, well, it was actually a genuine convenience store, this time around, the fast-food restaurant felt fake and it figures because it was made up for this movie. Seriously, it would have been so awesome if they could have used a real fast-food chain but it was mere wishfull thinking since there is no way that a real fast-food chain would have given their approval. Furthermore, Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson have never been some great actors but the dialogues were so great with the first installment so you didn’t notice or care for this lack of skills. However, 12 years later, they didn’t improve as actors but, at least, Kevin Smith’s dialogues are still pretty funny and he managed to bring here and there some hilarious scenes. Eventually, as I mentioned before, in spite all these flaws, I still really enjoyed the damned thing though. Indeed, it was just awesome to see again those characters I loved so much 12 years later.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Biggs, Jason Lee, Matt Damon

What was it about?
Ollie Trinke is a guy who seemingly has it made -- he has a great job as a music publicist and he's madly in love with his wife, Gertrude. Ollie is very much excited about the fact he and Gertrude are soon to become parents, but Ollie's joy turns to despair when Gertrude dies in childbirth.

My two cents:
Back then it was the most expensive movie directed by Kevin Smith but, eventually it was a critical and commercial failure and it is usually regarded as one of the weakest movies made by Smith. Personally, I tend to disagree and I don’t think it was that bad. First of all, it was not Smith’s fault that Affleck was going through a very bad period in his career and, just before this movie was released, he had a much publicized split up with Jennifer Lopez. As a result, Lopez’ role was reduced as much as possible and we never actually saw the version meant by Smith. Still, I thought it was a rather sweet romantic comedy and I enjoyed most of it, even though it was obviously a minor effort.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Shannon Elizabeth, Will Ferrell Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Mark Hamill, Seann William Scott, Carrie Fisher, Shannen Doherty, Tracy Morgan, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek

What was it about?
Jay and Silent Bob are a pair of pot smoking homophobic losers whose life was the inspiration for the comic book "Bluntman and Chronic". When Internet geeks start smearing their name after the inevitable announcement of a Bluntman and Chronic movie, Jay and Silent Bob head for Hollywood to shut production down.

My two cents:
I already saw this movie but since it was ages ago, I was quite eager to give it a second chance. The first time around, I had some rather high expectations but, to be honest, I thought the damned thing was seriously underwhelming after all. I mean, to make a movie centering on these 2 characters was such a great idea and the whole thing definitely had some potential and it could have been a blast if it would have been developed properly. However, the end-result was eventually a big mess. Well, after all these years, I was finally able to appreciate the damned thing more. I mean, it is still a big mess and at least half of it didn't work at all but I still love these characters and some bits were actually quite brilliant. For example, the light saber fight with Jay AKA Chronic against Mark Hamill AKA Cocknocker AKA Luke Skywalker was just epic. I also loved all these little scenes involving Randal and Dante. I wish Kevin Smith could come up with a better story though because the whole concept of this group of hot girls being some international diamond thieves was just so lame. It's too bad because the idea of Jay falling in love was actually pretty cool as you could see how it would impact his usual appalling behavior with women. That an orangutan had to tag along for the rest of the movie afterwards was hardly surprising but it was also barely entertaining either. Eventually, it could have been great but it's definitely not, I think I'm being slightly too generous with this movie but, if you are fan of Kevin Smith's work, it is definitely worth a look.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, Janeane Garofalo, Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson

What was it about?
An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole and re-enter Heaven.

My two cents:
Could you imagine if they released today a movie starring both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck? It would be a major event. Eventually, the release of this movie was also an event but above all because of its controversial subject. In my opinion, it is easily the most ambitious movie directed so far by Kevin Smith and it was definitely an interesting feature. Indeed, in spite of the whole controversy, Smith is actually a born and bred catholic so, even though he was poking fun at the Catholicism, he definitely knew what he was talking about (probably more than I did). Unfortunately, pretty much like most of Smith’s efforts, the whole thing was rather unfocused and there were just too many characters in my opinion so most of them were rather half-baked. I thought it was also rather lame to have the two angels switching roles just at the end. Still, it remains a pretty cool flick and I will definitely re-watch it when I get the opportunity.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Casey Affleck, Matt Damon, Brian O'Halloran

What was it about?
Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's gay.

My two cents:
After the massive misfire which was ‘Mallrats’, Kevin Smith greatly recovered with this flick and even Quentin Tarantino called it "a quantum leap forward" for Smith. I have to admit, it is another one of his movies I have seen only once and I really need to check it out again at some point. Personally, I have some rather mixed feelings about this flick. On one hand, it is indeed pretty good and probably, the most focused and ‘adult’ feature directed by Kevin Smith, absolutely, but on the other hand, is it really that great? I’m not so sure and, in my opinion, ‘Clerks’ is miles better than this and way more original. Still, it remains one of the better movies directed by Smith, no doubt about it.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Brian O'Halloran

What was it about?
Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.

My two cents:
To be honest, the first time I watched this movie, I really despised the whole thing. Actually, I remember it very well the first time I watched it. Indeed, I was with my sister at the video shop to rent some VHS and, suddenly, I saw this flick there. To be honest, it really looked lame but it was directed by Kevin Smith, the guy responsible for ‘Clerks’, one of our all-time favorite movies, and even though it was odd that neither of us had heard about this sophomore effort, there was no doubt we had to watch it though (To be honest, I was in fact really passionate about it but I have to admit that my sister was actually not convinced). Well, eventually, it was easily one of the most embarrassing movie experiences I ever had… Indeed, eventually, we both thought it was actually awful and I even think that my sis didn’t even watch the damned thing until the end. I mean, it was so bad that even Kevin Smith at the time apologized for it. Still, somehow, it became a cult-classic, almost as big as ‘Clerks’ and, after all these years, I thought it was time to check it out again. Well, eventually, even though it wasn’t such a total disaster after all, I still think it was a terrible failure though. I mean, the concept was great, to make a movie in a mall, about the youth wasting their time there was awesome and a natural step after ‘Clerks’. Unfortunately, the execution was really terrible. Indeed, this time, Smith had a decent budget so he developed a whole bunch of underwhelming and half-baked scenes. This time, he hired some ‘stars’ but while some of them were fine like Jason Lee, Ben Affleck or Joey Lauren Adams, the rest (Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty , Claire Forlani) looked nice on the eye but they were actually rather pathetic on the acting department. Finally, and that was the saddest thing, half of the dialogues worked very well but the rest was just really weak.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith

What was it about?
A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.

My two cents:
Unfortunately, the DVD I have is so old and the quality is just so awful so maybe I should check if I could find a Blu-Ray version. Anyway, after all these years, I still think it is one of the greatest movies ever made. By now, I must have seen it at least 30 times which is more than any other movie and, in fact, I was even one of the happy few who managed to watch it in the theater when it was released. Back then, I must have been around 14-15 years old and I was just blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, I thought that the dialogues, the characters, the situations were just really genuine, very often so hilarious and I never saw anything like that before. A year later, I would buy the VHS for my sister (with whom I saw the movie the 1st time around) and she really screamed of happiness. After that, it is one movie I would show every time I would meet someone really cool and 99% of the time, they would just love it (one notable exception was my wife though… Well, nobody is perfect, I guess). Perhaps, I’m too generous and, maybe, it is not that great but this flick had just a huge impact on me and, therefore, I still believe it is one of the best movies ever made. The other thing I loved about this flick is that it displayed that, if you want to, you can simply grab a cheap camera, invite a couple of friends and shoot your own movie and this process looked fascinating

My rating: 10/10

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