Directed by J.M. Kenny
Starring Kevin Smith
194 mins. /Colombia Tristar Home Video/ Unrated
Retail $27.95 / Street: ~$20.00

The Cover

It's hard to write about the two disc, An Evening with Kevin Smith, because your enjoyment of it is directly proportional to how much you like writer/director Kevin Smith.

Smith's resume includes mostly raunchy comedies: Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy (ok, a little romantic too), Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Personally, I'm a big fan, and not necessarily because of his movies. Although I do love the films, it's Smith's openness with his fans and easy accessibility that really make me a ViewAskew aficionado. He doesn't sit upon a high tower, shouting to his minions below. He knows that his films are just films and he doesn't take himself too seriously.


This DVD set is essentially just Kevin Smith answering an audience's questions. Taken from several different Q and A sessions, the film is as simple as you can get. Kevin stands on stage and tells his stories, sometimes in graphic detail, about his movies and life experiences.

He's an engaging speaker, one of the better movie-involved personalities I'm aware of. I'd just like to see Spike Lee keep a crowd this attentive for any amount of time. Most importantly, he's funny. He leaves no humor source unturned - his personal life, his weight and even his buddy, Ben Affleck. A talented storyteller, he makes even the most mundane subject (the first sexual encounter with his wife) into a wildly funny tale.

It's no wonder that college crowds adore him so much. It seems that he basks in the audience, and invites criticism. He let's people argue with him and dismisses only the idiots outright. The whole three plus hours are all great, but you can't miss his stories about working on the Superman script and his bizarre experiences filming a documentary for Prince.

I just can't imagine any other director, or celebrity for that matter, giving their fans as much access to themselves as Smith. This probably accounts for his continued success, despite lacking a huge blockbuster under his belt. His loyal fans continue to support him...as long as the dick and fart jokes keep coming.

Movie Grade: A+

Video: 3 out of 5The whole thing is Kevin standing on stage being shot by what appears to be Digital Betacam. Nice and crisp. Nothing amazing
Technical Video: 2.78:1 Aspect Ratio

He looks surprised to hear that.

Audio: 4 out of 5
It's like being at the auditorium... it's well setup and we can hear everything that's going on.
Technical Audio: English (Dolby 2.0)

Extras and Misc: 1 out of 5
There's some trailers and a few easter eggs. Normally I would count the low bonus features against the disc, but since this film is in essensce, one big extra, I'm not going to take the lack of other materials into consideration. It comes as 2 discs in a cardboard slipcase.

Overall: 5 out of 5
For fans of Smith's work, it's a given that you'll pick up this disc. For those not familiar with his flicks, I'd recommend renting them and giving it a once over. You'll probably like Clerks and Chasing Amy the best. A worthy buy

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