An Askew View: The Films Of Kevin Smith

• 29th Mar 2011

Author: John Kenneth Muir

It is worth noting that this edition of the book covers Smith’s career up to the pre-release of Jersey Girl. But don’t let that dated fact put you off the contact of what is in the book.

Muir describes Smith as “the Woody Allen for Generation X.” And while that may have been true up to the release of Chasing Amy, it’s an argument that is harder and harder to relish considering the films that Smith has released since then, and since this books release. But that aside, Muir looks at the pre-film goals and career aspirations of Smith before talking each film – providing a synopsis, a story of the movie being made, and then a dissection of the material. There are also quirky little tid-bits including the words from silent bob’s mouth as well as recurring motifs in Smith’s films.

It’s all fairly in depth, so for a collector who needs to know all there is – it is worth a look. I have spent time on all of Smith’s films, commentaries and even his Podcasts and this book still managed to provide further incite for me. I hope Muir returns to this book to give it an update for completion-sake as it is highly informative – and nice to have words on a man who never shuts up coming from someone else. And that is the key to the selling of this book is that Smith did not write it. If he had we would probably have heard it all before.

Steven Hurst