An Evening With Kevin Smith review by The Grim Ringler

An Evening with Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith is the sort of filmmaker you either love or hate, there is very little middle ground involved. And you either ‘get’ his stuff or you don’t. I would imagine in the same way that you get or don’t get the Farrelly brothers, which I don’t get. Me, I get him, but maybe that says something about him. Mixing an uncanny gift for dialogue and a strange, almost evil way of making pure bastards that live to worship themselves into sweet and lovable anti-heroes that you can’t help but want to hang out with. At least for an hour. So what you have here is essentially the results of a tour Kevin Smith made of college campuses and the ensuing question and answer sessions that made up the tour.

Essentially, if you don’t like Kevin Smith then this won’t change your opinion. Not really. What you will get is a really good insight on a really smart guy that has a lot to say. In fact, what I really took from the discs was more of an appreciation for Smith the person than Smith the director. He is a better storyteller than a director, let’s be honest, but he’s good enough to get by and the stories he tells, juvenile though they are at surface level, are done so well that you don’t really need the direction to be too dramatic to get you involved. Frankly, some people over-direct a film, Smith under-directs, and heck, as long as his writing is as strong as it has been, I think his is the better path to take. The funny thing is that this documentary is shot better than a lot of Smith’s films. Oops!

This is really great stuff though. You get to hear a lot of behind closed doors information about Smith’s failed attempt at breathing new life into Superman, get to hear of the documentary he shot for Prince that will never see the light of day, get to hear more about his films and the people behind them, and get to find out what sexual scar he has. Oh my. The funny thing is that this stuff comes off the same way as Henry Rollins’ spoken word performances do – you are hearing a really insightful and interesting guy tell you stories. And for an almost four hours worth of content, I tell you what, I was riveted for the entire time. Very few people can make you feel like you are not wasting your time if you were to invest four hours into hearing them talk. The real highlights of the discs are the crowds that are asking him questions, because if nothing else, it shows you how diverse his audience is. And how scary!

There aren’t any extras to speak of but then I am not sure what they’d be if they were on there. But the discs are so packed with the main even that that’s all you’ll really care about.

If you have any interest in Kevin Smith then you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find more info about his movies from the commentaries on said movies but if you want to hear about how he sees the world and about the crazy things he’s been a part of since he entered Hollywood’s onyx gates then you have come to the right place. A perfect rental and a decent buy, this is truly for the fans, by the fans, and all about the fans. And I loved every minute of it.

c


8 out of 10 Jackasses

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