Kevin Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American screenwriter, film director, and the founder of View Askew Productions. He is also known as a comic book writer and actor, although he has criticized his own acting ability on more than one occasion. Smith's films are often set in his home state of New Jersey and are filled with pop culture references, particularly to comic books and the Star Wars movies. Many of Kevin's films take place in the "View Askewniverse" and feature appearances from small-time play-marijuana-dealers Jay and Silent Bob, the latter portrayed by Smith himself.
Although sometimes criticized for crude humor and technical amateurishness (which Smith himself frequently makes fun of at Q&As), his films are also known for their distinctive vision, dialogue, and characters.
He is often commended (and criticised) for blatant candor. As exemplified on his college tour DVD, An Evening with Kevin Smith, he is not above taking swipes at his contemporaries (such as his much-publicised negative review of Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia) nor is he shy about revealing very intimate moments about himself, his friends, and/or family members (he goes into graphic detail about his first sexual encounter with the woman he would eventually marry, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith). However, his detailed stories are much acclaimed as they can detail the crumbling of a would-be Hollywood blockbuster (such as his story of his tenure on Superman Lives and his failed documentary for Prince) and why he and his friends are so loyal to one another (on his official blog-site, Silent Bob Speaks.com, he detailed friend Jason Mewes' long battle with--and victory over--drug addiction).
Clerks II (2006)
