Friday, March 29, 2024

Smith directs famous duos last hurrah

April 26, 2001

Kevin Smith has always been a fanboy.

In the writer/director’s 1994 “Clerks,” he wore it like a badge while Dante and Randal argued over which “Star Wars” sequel is better.

Now, the man known as Silent Bob on the other side of the camera, will end the debate. The fourth and final installment in the director’s New Jersey series, “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” will open Aug. 10.

“It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek, a reference to a small movie in the ’80s,” Smith said during a conference call from Los Angeles on Tuesday, where he was wrapping up production. “I believe it’s called flat-out theft.”

The drug-dealing Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob - the glue who held the “Clerks,” “Mallrats,” “Chasing Amy” and “Dogma” joints together - will be making their final appearance.

Smith said it’s about time, as the duo has worn out its welcome almost to the point of Pauly Shore.

“This is it - this is the last hurrah for Jay and Silent Bob, thank God,” he said. “I don’t want them to become the Weasel.”

Since making the cult hit “Clerks” for a paltry budget, Smith has been considered one of the most notable independent filmmakers, even though his later films have been financed by major studios.

“I’m always getting labeled the independent guy,” he said. “That so hasn’t been me since ’93.

“When you see the movie, I think we take more shots at ourselves. There’s definitely some knowing self-satire.”

Smith’s own conflicts with the industry are legendary. He never had complete editorial say in “Mallrats” or the “Clerks” animated series; his script for a Superman movie was nixed early on; and the Catholicism in “Dogma” gave Disney problems.

So “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” is primarily a jab at Hollywood, as the duo makes its way to Tinseltown to get paid after a major studio makes a movie adaptation of the characters’ “Bluntman and Chronic” comic.

Citing Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and Oliver Stone as the few filmmakers he still watches, Smith still maintains a sense of independence.

“I haven’t looked to another filmmaker for inspiration since ‘Mallrats’ - very John Hughesian,” he said. “There’s not that many people that I have much inspiration for anymore - once you’ve seen beyond the curtain, it’s not that exciting.”

And even though comic books and junk culture have permeated his films, Smith said he probably will never make his own comic adaptation, save for the forthcoming “Fletch Won.”

“They tend to be visual extravaganzas, and I’m not really that kind of guy,” he said of the lengthy shooting schedule. “Comics are great to read, and great to write, but I couldn’t see myself shooting a comic book.”

However, Smith can see himself writing them.

After his first films made it big, Smith opened a comic book store in his home state of New Jersey, released his own View Askew imprint and then began taking on some of his favorite characters.

His run on Marvel’s Daredevil proved a hit, and his current stint on DC’s Green Arrow has forced the issues into third printings.

“It’s our most popular book at this point,” said Dave Comfort, manager of 21st Century Comics and Games, 515 E. Grand River Ave. “People who don’t read comics are coming to pick it up.”

Comfort said Smith’s take on Green Arrow is more sophisticated, going into the hero’s character and psychology. And he treats the material as only a fan would.

“Comic book fans identify with him because, first of all, his movies are good,” he said. “It’s very clear he has a grasp of what goes on in comics.

“He caters to a more mature audience.”

Discussion

Share and discuss “Smith directs famous duos last hurrah” on social media.