Wow your obsession with Kevin Smith has turned from sort of bizarre and sad to creepy and fixated within a very short period of time Devin. You would think that one of your own….i.e. fat, nerdy, bearded, unkempt and tubby would get somewhat of a free pass from you but obviously you have some self loathing issues you may want to work on! Anyways keep on stalking!

To be fair, the 70s also was the decade the nominated "Airport" for 10 Oscars including Best Picture.

I kinda think if Kevin Smith closed his Twitter account, his movies would get better.

I love "singing retart"! Devin you had it right when you said he should do a talking tour. You have given him plenty of praise for what he does well and rightly lambasted him for what he is terrible at!

I like "Its called CopOut, what do you expect?" as a defense for a bad film.

Having a silly title or a "dumb" plot doesn't mean your movie gets a pass to be terrible. "Wacky" movies can and should still strive to be good: see Dumb & Dumber, Beverly Hills Cop, So I Married an Axe Murderer…hell even Ghostbusters sounds like a "dumb" film but thank god some people working in movies have ambitions beyond being mediocre.

Okay, so you've set your stakes on misinterpreting every self deprecating word that he says. Congrats. Now can you please just stop addressing him with article after article. Surely, every reader on this site has made up their mind on how they feel about Kevin Smith. It's like bagging the prequels… yes, we get it! Move on!

in re: to Comment # 2 about the 70s' nominating airport.
True, but that was the Old Guard holding on to dear life to something that resembled a good ol' fashioned blockbuster. It may have been a hit but it was the Jennifer Aniston rom-com of its day: immediately disposable.

Reading K.S. talking about his own movies in this way makes me feel deeply sad.

´nuf zed

If Kevin Smith directs the Avatar sequel, I think Devin's head will explode.

I loved him in Fanboys….

Devin is entirely right. I used to love Smith's movies. Now I like hearing him talk about shit.

But with this, I'll never watch another of his movies. Just an entirely immature reaction to making a shitty film and having people call you on it. A practice that makes him a ton of money on Q&A tours.

I agree with you Devin. I was in high school when Clerks came out on video, and it inspired me to check out other indy films, and eventually go to film school. He has quickly fallen from grace since then. If I saw one of his later films instead of Clerks, I'm sure that I wouldn't have been as inspired. He had a very promissing career ahead of him, but he has chosen to squander it, by only appealing to a small, and in his words, retart fanbase. In the words of every reignation email, I wish him well in all his future endeavors.

Devin, I'm a long time reader who has always enjoyed your opinions. So I hope you can sort out all of this pain you seem to be going through. If this is helping you on some level, then I suppose that's a good thing. If this is one step on your path towards working through your own shit, then I can't judge you too harshly for it. I'll be pulling for you, Dev. The same way I'm pulling for Kevin Smith to get out of his own little mid-life crisis. Good luck.

kevin smith fans who refuse to let go are so goddamn pathetic

To be fair to Smith, who comes off as a completely pathetic whining pussy… modern film criticism (I'm talking about real reviewers, not guys on Blogger) has strayed significantly from discussing only the film. So much focus on the financials, issues during production, and filmaker personalities. Shit that has nothing to do with the final product as a film experience. And you fucking guys have gotten vicious on a personal level to the point of coming across as pathetic (and not a little bit insane) as well. This last point is why I miss Russ so much; he could analyze film like few others and still somehow magically refrain from all the bizarre vendettas. So in summary, Kevin Smith is a douche but so are a vast number of critics.

Devin –

You have never, ever been more spot on. It's sad to see Smith self destruct like this, especially when I credit the man with introducing me to independent cinema at a very young age (Clerks came out when I was 14). Although I became less and less a fan of his films, I always kind of looked up to the man. Now he's just pathetic.

I think what KS is missing with his entire "film critics and film goers are the same" line of reasoning is that film critics can tell you if a film is good or bad, whereas film goers can only tell you if they liked a film or not.

This often gets treated as the same thing, but it isn't. We all have bad movies that we love and good movies that we hate, but if you think about film as an art form, you can tell the difference between something well made that you dont personally enjoy and something shoddy that you do enjoy.

You guys can say what you want, but there will always be a place on my shelf for Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma – 3 genuinely well-written comedies that DID have something to say. Hell, I'll even defend Mallrats, although that one is harder to make a case for. Haven't seen Cop Out, as it has yet to be released in the UK, but I think I'll skip it at the cinema. Have been a Smith fan for years, so I hope his next project is at least a return to the simple, personal ground of his early work. I ain't gonna write the man off yet.

"You wanna enjoy movies again? Stop reading about them & just go to the movies. It's improved film/movie appreciation immensely for me." – Truer words never spoken. The Internet is bitter, hateful place for film fans. I manage to block it out and still enjoy movies for what they are, and still dislike movies regardless of what people think. I seem to have no influence from the Internet "hive mind." But I can't say the same for the rest of the web, lord knows.

If this hack can't take criticism than he is in the wrong line of work. This is one of most pathetic, childish displays I have ever witnessed. He made like, one good movie, never a great one. This the same fucker, i.e. millionaire, who had the nerve to ask his fans to help fund his next movie in the middle of the worst economic collapse since the Depression. Fuck You! In fact, this bothers me so much that if I am ever feeling masochistic, which you have to be to watch his shitfests, I will download one of his movies illegally, which I am very against in normal circumstances. Then I will blog about how shitty it is and gloat about how I didn't pay a cent for it. Kevin Smith, fuck you and don't fuck around with the horror community, we already have enough hacks and we don't want you. Oh man, wow. Sorry for the rant. Just, please chud, stop covering this guy on principle alone.

While my gf and I really enjoy his weekly Smodcasts, it seems each new film Smith makes not only sucks on its own increasing level of awful but also diminishes my appreciation of his earlier better films. I didn't need critics' reviews for Cop Out. The trailers informed me rather well that it was a steaming pile of shit. In fact if that's how you're going to cut a trailer for your film then the opinions of critics can only help your movie in my estimation. But being a bad director isn't even all that bad a trait to have. Smith's often displayed an unabashed love of shitty popular entertainment. Somtimes this love is used to humorous effect and sometimes I just cringe a little. Kevin, you make shitty movies Kevin (lately). Own that or try harder. Don't be a whiny dipshit when someone calls you on it. I'll be waiting for the critical response to Red State. If somebody says Dogma + Fox News and not that bad then I'm there. Otherwise see you on the Smodcasts (which everyone should def check out).

I don't get the fact that Smith is so seemingly mad about critics seeing the movie for "free." Look, its a job and like any other. Critics are assigned the job to line up for films they aren't completely psyched about and they must do it in advance, thus the free screenings. Does Smith really think critics having to pony up $12 for his films will improve his film's reception? Is that really a sticking point in his thinking? Man, if anything critics being asked to out of pocket pay for his films will probably get them worse reviews. Hell, you think if critics are required to pay for films they review will mean indies and unknowns (like Smith & Clerks) will get more exposure? Not likely. Weird rant by Smith.

Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino were my gateway drugs to the world of cinema. Their early works are easily accessible but thought provoking enough to make me start to want to see meatier stuff. Its a shame to see that he's come down on the side of the stupid. Its true that the internet is full of morons who think they know better, but Smith is railing against all critics. I'm tired of the "shut off your brain" movement. I get that from people around me enough, I don't want to hear that from a favorite filmmaker.

it funny how all of you miserable fucks spend all of your time talking shit about film makers and what they produce. get off of your fat, nerdy asses and go make a fucking film. a film blogger? get a real fucking job you stupid fucking prick. hate on a guy that has been in the industry for over 20 years?? how many fucking movies have you made you miserable fat piece of shit? have you ever written a script? i think that it's funny that all you film blogger/critics use your little shitty websites to talk shit about people who are actually MAKING MOVIES. that's more than you pathetic fucks can say about yourselves.

"Fifteen years ago I thought Kevin Smith was the voice of a generation. It turns out he is – the generation just happens to be lazy, stupid people who are perfectly content going through life without an original, interesting thought in their heads."

who the fuck do you think you are? who the fuck are you to call someone a voice of a generation? you are nothing. you are fucking BLOGGER for a living. get off your fat, smelly ass and go make a fucking film.

lazy, stupid people? you fucking sit behind a laptop in your fucking underwear with one hand on your cock and the other typing some lame as review for some movie that you think you know something about.

go fuck yourself. do something with your life.

Basically I read this piece as Devin defending his job after Smith patronized it while defending his own job which is constantly being patronized itself by guys like Devin. Personally, I think Smith is entitled to have as much of a negative view on modern film criticism as film critics are entitled to have a negative view on his movies. I'd love to see Devin and Smith sit down and have an actual discussion on the topic in a real way, because it would be a more challenging way of defending their opinions.

Kevin Smith is fat and makes stupid movies.

Somewhere along the way, people put too much stock into what critics had to say and this gave them an overinflated sense of importance. While film is art, what is most important is how I feel about it and if i enjoy it, not if it offended a critic's educated sensibilities or if they think it is genius. Much like literature, it is all a personal experience and who cares what the next person thinks, even if the next person wasted their money on a degree to tell me why a movie is good or bad.

#24 – What kind of argument is that? "get off of your fat, nerdy asses and go make a fucking film."? What, no one can criticize anything unless they do that job. Am I forbidden from saying a Chrysler Lebaron sucks unless I go and build one?

Devin's "problem" isn't that he dislikes Smith's movies or his take on this bizarre rant (which reads almost like a career-suicide note). It's that he gets too personal sometimes. But that is how he writes and it obviously works since even semi-literate individuals like yourself read his pieces.

Wow. I'm not the biggest Kevin Smith fan in the world, but "Chudfan" nailed it with the first sentence of his comment. If Smith comes across as pathetic and whiny, Devin, your pitiful rant reads like a letter from a scorned lover. Seriously, this is just sad.

As with his entertaining Smodcasts, he hits on a few interesting ideas/concepts, but his weed use prevents him from following through to any sort of useful conclusion. Web Movie sites are in terrible shape at the moment – the online movie culture is in terrible shape. Every poster thinks they're an undiscovered film-making genius and the reviewers all too often fall prey to "Next Big Thing"/"Calling time of Death" game that's consumed music journalism. Devin: you need to define the meaning/usage of "turn off your brain" better before you use it as the basis of an argument. I'd say GI Joe is the definition of a "turn off your brain" movie from most people's perspective, so I'm interested to see how you'd define the difference between the popular meaning and your own meaning – even to the point of having an article or essay to link to whenever you use it in a review.

Well said. Couldn't agree more.

At this point, Kevin Smith has become the enemy of true film lovers. The things he's said on twitter in the last 24 hours are truly disgusting.

Kevin Smith is the George W. Bush of film makers — champion of the stupid and can never admit when he's wrong.

All the debate aside it was a bad movie. At least a critic will devote the time to say why they disliked this movie. The paying movie going public will simply sum it out as they exit the theatre with "Dude, that sucked. Don't go see it."

The thing I've found to be true regarding Smith is that, in both his films and his rants, he shows very little restraint. There's not a single Smith movie I've seen (and this is coming from a fan) that couldn't have been better served with another director. He can create, but he can't self-edit. I'll point to the "Poopytrim" debacle in Dogma, it serves no greater purpose to the film then to entertain friends of his who were in on a joke. It's childish and more importantly it's incredibly irresponsible. I doubt Smith understands what made his initial films so promising and his current career so depressing. Nice writeup Devin, even though I wish you would leave your vitriol for your own detractors at home, it's limits your viewpoint sir, and interestingly, mirrors Smith's.

Man, reading all these venomous comments makes me sad. I understand (even though I do not agree with) Devin's point because, in a way, Smith was attacking him directly. I think Smith isn't addressing the bad reviews as much as the reviewers who are attacking him personally… which despite his wafer-thin compliments, Devin does. But agree or disagree, I'm all for federal government regulation when it comes to correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling on internet message boards. This goes double when bitching about something or someone. For fucks sake, it's okay to touch the SHIFT button. It doesn't bite.

Damn solid article Devin.

I agree with almost everything, until Devin goes off on professional vs. amateur film critics. As a writer on an Web start up site like this, the blending of amateur and professional is something that Devin has directly benefited from. Before the Internet, Devin could not have gotten the film critic gig.

I'm standing and clapping right now.

Still great to know that the worst of Smith's accomplishments are still better than anything Devin's ever contributed. heh.

I'm a kevin smith fan, didn't like Cop Out for the record, and I definitely think his comments on film criticism are a bit ridiculous.

P.S. Why the first showing jab? Yes, we get it, you hate that site and Alex. Great article with one annoyingly unneeded jab. Even Roger Ebert has gone off that it's bad to write like that- throwing in a jab at someone when you're talking about something else.

Well doen Devin, I agree, Kevin has unfortunately become a self parody, what he needs to do is shut up for a few minutes, figure out what had him deliver works like Clerks and Chasing Amy and get THAT spirit back, he seems bitter and can't let it go. Until he lets it go, his filmwork will likely suffer. Just strip it down and get back to basics.

@#30 – "Devin: you need to define the meaning/usage of "turn off your brain" better before you use it as the basis of an argument. I'd say GI Joe is the definition of a "turn off your brain" movie from most people's perspective, so I'm interested to see how you'd define the difference between the popular meaning and your own meaning – even to the point of having an article or essay to link to whenever you use it in a review." – Exactly. I'm glad someone raised this point in a non-assholish way that can't be easily dismissed. Devin's 8/10 and higher reviews of movies like GI Joe, Punisher War Zone and 2012 skirt very close to recommending them on the basis that they're "turn your brain off" movies. Certainly, none of them offer anything worth turning your brain on for. I guess that's why Devin included the weak disclaimer about how "Movies can be dumb and still be great" but that seems like splitting hairs. Those are all shitty films, they just happen to be shitty films that Devin likes. I doubt he could mount an intellectually honest defense of how they're actually good movies, which makes the whole argument more than a little hypocritical.

Sorry but I don't see how apologists can try to justify this. Look at the shit levelled towards George Lucas. Instead of wailing about it he just continues to do what makes him happy. If I were given the privelige of making movies I would do it for the joy of storytelling and screw what people said but Smith berates his own film and then attacks people for expecting something more. Sometimes a turd is a turd. My friend recently tried to justify Smith after seeing one of his shows. During it Smith said he was screwed on the marketing for Zack and Miri – the same excuse he levelled at Mallrats. He should just LEARN from his mistakes and move on. Devin's post is justified and in no way targeted at a hate for Smith. If any film-maker did this he would be called out on it also.

The cancer that is killing movie fandom is looking at things with such hyper critical eyes that nothing creeps up and surprises you anymore. Be critical when watching movies but can't critics try watching something with fresh eyes instead of cynical, jaded, ready to hate eyes. Devin, you get so insulting to people who like things different than you but you can't take someone dishing it back? You just called everyone who likes something you don't idiots. I thought you hated elitest prick's. It's your opinion, not fact. Stop acting like it is. I'm sorry that you think a filmmaker should quit after making a few bad movies, but I liked his shit up till Clerks 2 so I don't understand why a decade plus of classics somehow gets erased by a few bad movies. It's like when McWeeny said the Coens shouldn't make movies anymore because of Ladykillers and Cruelty. New movies don't erase old movies…you can still go back and watch those. As a critic you get very personal in your attacks of filmmakers. You said Kevin Smith should quit directing and he said you should stop being a critic. And he's the asshole? Sounds like tit for tat to me.

Here's the thing: Kevin Smith has no leg to stand on when it comes to people attacking him "personally" for his films. Why? Because he's spent well over a decade working tirelessly to tie his personality, his public fan-friendly persona, to his film output. He released a four-hour DVD set that was just him up on stage talking, for crying out loud. Why did he do all this? To make himself more famous, to make himself more money? I think it would be disingenuous to deny that. And for a guy who's been not just careless, but *intentional*, about spilling all the most personal details of his life to readers and viewers, to complain that people are attacking him "personally," is beyond ridiculous. If we only knew him by his films, we could only attack his films. But these days we barely know his films compared to how much we know him. There's one way to overcome that, and it's by sitting down and writing some screenplays that are good enough to make people forget about his juvenile fat-stoner persona.

Has Devin ever made a movie? I once had a musican friend say "Critics, and usually the most vocal, are just failures in the art they claim to love. Learn the art of ctitque, before you become a critic." Devin… Something to think about…

#24 – Maybe if you structured your argument better you wouldn't come off as such a fuckwad, and sounding like the exact person Devin is talking about.

#25 You hit it right on the nose, that would be a great discussion.

Great article Devin btw

Smith is obsessed with his haters, always has been. He takes stuff WAY to personally to be in the business, he does need to find a new job.

Great read. Kevin Smith seems to have lost it over the years. "It" being ambition, talent and sanity in that order. His fans are annoying Lucasfilm geeks. Clerks II is one of the worst pieces of shit I've ever seen. Those are all the things I know about Kevin Smith.

I want to know why you felt the need to take a jab at First Showing.

It was completely unnecessary.

You come off as just an angry person both here and in real life. The one conversation I had with you left me with a horrible aftertaste of bitterness and hate.

Oh and that was a friendly "hey what's up" kind of conversation.

I really hope you get a grip soon and stop giving this guy so much attention. Smith does what he likes of a living and if you don't want to see it, that's fine, but to ramble on about it for over 10 paragraphs is a little silly.

It's especially silly when your rant is longer than his twitter posts.

I think that there is a misconception that a film critic is making a film recommendation. Splitting hairs, but follow me a bit here. A film critic is a professional, trained, learned in the art and science of filmmaking. They can judge the writing, directing, cinematography, lighting, editing, acting, etc., and say "this is a good piece of cinematic art/this is not a a good piece of cinematic art." Where that job stops short is making a recommendation. Recommendations are if/then situations. If you like goofy, low-cognitive-load comedies, I recommend Cop Out. If you like good cinema as defined by most film theorists, then I do not recommend Cop Out. One of the things I've always wanted from movie reviewers/critics/etc. is a context of where they are coming from.

I agree. People who love film should just gobble them all up wordlessly and NEVER EVER discuss the medium in a discerning way with like-minded individuals.

Even though I've looked to Kevin Smith as an inspiration in filmmaking, the man tends to falls apart whenever he has a perceived public "bomb" of a movie. He apologized for Mallrats? Why apologize? Never apologize for something you've made. After Jersey Girl, he continues to rag on it to this day harder than anyone else. After 'Zack and Miri…', he got depressed until he fell into a weed habit which made him feel better about himself. Now with Cop-Out, he makes it sound like it wasn't even a big deal to him (but only after it was panned). Kevin, pick yourself up and snap out of it!

terrific read. and now I like Smith even less

Kevin Smith is the biggest crybaby on the internet.

So how did this shit start? Did Kevin do something to Devin or is Devin just being an asshole?

I'm a fan but it's been kind of depressing to see Smith devolve as a film-maker before our very eyes.

COP OUT is unquestionably the nadir of his career. In fact since DOGMA it has been a steady decline in quality.

Hopefully RED STATE kicks all kinds of ass and re-establishes him.

Wow, the loser haters are out in full force. Devin, have fun in your little pathetic life, without an ounce of imagination and risk taking.

Your arguments sound like they come from a 20 year old living at momma's. Is this true?

The 70's, what the fuck do you know about the 70's cinema, and comparing it to now? Did you just get accepted into film school?

Fake internet critics and lame 20 year old filmmakers who will never create anything worthwhile can eat a dick.

No one… I repeat, no one… should have been the least bit surprised that this film was going to be lightweight at best. That goes for critics, casual movie goers and especially anyone who calls himself a Kevin Smith fan. Smith said it himself on his podcast that he was looking forward to directing something that he hadn't written and that doing so took some of the pressure off. That's as good as a neon sign advertising his commitment to it was strictly for commercial reasons, so I have to agree with him when he says he doesn't understand why a critic would even bother reviewing the film, knowing ahead of time what it was.

Of course it was going to suck. It's called Cop Out for fuck's sake. To critique it and compare it to the rest of his movies shouldn't even have been an option. It's like having your favorite indie band cut a song for a Pepsi commercial and then having Spin or Rolling Stone critique it.

I didn't bother seeing this film because just the previews were enough to tip me off. That said, I'm not going to swear off every Kevin Smith movie that comes along in the next ten years. Plenty of artists take a commercial route for a while and then come back to what made them important. It happens in music, fashion, art, and yes, it even happens in film.

I think that's what made Smith post all this to begin with. He practically telegraphed that he was doing it for the money and after the thrashing he took on Zack and Miri, who can blame him?

So Devin, while I love your columns, I have to say that if you went to Cop Out expecting to see a movie that was going to be anything but a paint by numbers film that was designed to hit the broadest possible demographic, you are beyond naive.

Cary, really it's ok that the movie sucked because it's supposed to suck? What? It didn't HAVE to suck. He could have done a better job. He shouldn't get a pass because he's too lazy to try and make it funny. And the song/jingle comparison doesn't work because Smith didn't make "Cop Out" as an advertisement. A more apt comparison would have been if Smith filmed a Pepsi commercial. If that was the case, then you're right, we wouldn't have shit to say. But he didn't make a commercial, he made a movie. And last time I checked, movies (even the dumb ones) are still an art form. And like all art forms, it's going to be critiqued as such. It's like comparing Picasso to Ansel Adams. Both art: one good, one shitty. Same standard applies to movies.

Doesn't Smith have his own web site? Why not post something there and just use Twitter to direct people to it? Anyway, if he didn't feel like he was being taken seriously before, writing an essay via glorified text messaging can't help his case any. I too was an early Smith fan, as "Clerks" came out when I was in high school, and while the View Askewniverse films were fun, they started to get a bit tired, so I was happy when he decided to move on in another direction. However, I lost a lot of respect for the guy when at the first sign of trouble, when "Jersey Girl" bombed (which wasn't all on him necessarily, as he was also a victim of horrible timing with the Affleck/Lopez media circus), he just ran right back to what he'd done before. Not only did he go back to doing a Jay & Silent Bob flick, but he did a sequel to
one (now with Prequel and Lord of the Rings humor!). Who knows, maybe he could have rebounded after the "Jersey Girl" debacle and at the worst become a total gun-for-hire behind the camera, but we may never know. As others have said, it's because he's so vocal about all of this that he's under the microscope, but if he'd just shut his fucking mouth, he could at least have the career of a Shawn Levy or Adam Shankman, both guys who are remarkably bland filmmakers, but filmmakers that continue to get work on high profile projects. While Smith's Twitter rant did seem a bit childish, I do have to applaud him for not dropping a single Star Wars reference during that tirade, which must truly be a career first for him. By the way, I wrote this comment like a half hour ago, but I'm still trying to get the verification to work. Sure, you think I'm joking…

Kevin Smith sucks. His fans suck more.

"and that disappear completely from your mind the moment the credits roll."

Does that mean that Transformers 2 isnt turn off your brain entertainment and is actually good? Because NO ONE forgot about that movie for a while after the credits rolled and still haven't.

Can't we all just hope that Kevin Smith gets better? He's done good in the past, he's fallen off badly in the present, and at least his artistic failures don't cost as much as Burton's or Bay's. When I have to pick an artistic failure, I always pick the one that was less wasteful!

Just give Devin a set visit or cast Seth Rogen again. Instant good review. I'm sure the fact Smith is a good father is something that makes Devin jealous as well.

Adrift in a sea of comments. It seems that Smith has admitted that he thinks no expertise is needed in making or appreciating films.

Thank you, Devin! I was a fan and defender of Smith's since Clerks, but how can I give a shit about someone who is being handed millions of dollars and stars like Bruce Willis, yet doesn't seem to give a shit about the final result? It's one thing to be honest about not hitting the mark you aim for, but how do you root for a guy who doesn't give a shit if he hits the dart board any more?

With all due respect, fuck you Devin. The guy was frustrated and was blowing off some steam. Why crucify him for it? You will go and see bastardiized American versions of Anime and rave about it but then claim Kevin Smith is such a bad filmmaker he should stop making movies? C'mon quit being such an asshole critic yourself. Lighten up. You bitch on here every single day about shit you have no emotional investment in, let Smith bitch about a movie he spent a year making getting raped by fake ass critics who probably thought Marley & Me was gripping drama.

Personally, I think you are taking Kevin Smith's taking criticism too personally too personally.

yea, writing your tirade out 140 characters at a time is hilariously pathetic.. how can he have any fans left after Crapout? will he dress up like a homeless Silent Bob and drag a hooker around in a Jay wig and fly around the country on Crapout money, attempting to beat up haters now? not his worst idea..

Actually Kevin Smith has stated that he took a huge paycut to make CopOut (not sure what that means) but at least it seems to say he didn't do it for the money, at least not more than just to provide for his family.

Kevin Smith has affected my 16 year old life almost as much as my family. His films inspired me, and many others to become filmmakers. His work has had more influence on my writing than any others. Though they may not be his most liked films Jersey Girl and Clerks II are both in my top 10. Dogma inspired me to be a writer, Clerks inspired me to be a director. Kevin Smith, dare I say it, is my favourite filmmaker. But more than that I am a huge fan of the man himself. I have listened to each episode of SModcast at least 4 times, and own all of his books, comic books, Evening With DVDs, and Catch & Release. It is because of this that it made it very difficult to unfollow him from twitter. I agree with every thing you said Devin. I'm going to still listen to SMod every week, but not for the S but the M. Scott Mosier remains the fucking man, and all I can say about Kevin Smith is: fuck off.

"These people are hardcore fans of stuff that even the guy who makes it says isn't very good." literally a nail on the head. There's a reason we're all here, whether we love or hate Devin, he knows his shit.

All further comments became irrelevant after comment #25. Nail on the fucking head. The irony of Smith and Devin each criticizing about the other criticizing is masterful.

The fact that Smith is almost 40 years old and spends a good amount of time each day smoking pot and tweeting to sycophants about how much he likes to fuck his wife speaks volumes about where his head is at. I used to LOVE him, but I grew up and it seems he has not. Sad one trick pony. You think he's so big because he's happy? He's HUGE because he sees HIMSELF as a failure. He probably COULD do something great again but instead he'll get high and write about hockey. I am PASSIONATE about Kevin Smith. He feels like family and to see him just flounder infuriates me. I asked him to block me from his twitter feed because it was depressing. You know what was more depressing ? He did it within 5 minutes of me asking. So he's just sitting on his ass, refreshing his @thatkevinsmith feed over and over and over and over and over and over . . . and …. OVER. I wish him well. Nice article Devin. Sad – but well done.

Seems to come down to this: critics want him to make the movies they would've been making had their lives turned out differently, the kind of small thoughtful comedies that established him as a filmmaker. Whereas he seems driven to be mainstream famous and if that takes doing entirely different things to get there, then so be it. They wanted an avatar for their point of view in the magic world of Hollywood, to oversimplify for comic effect, whereas he seems to want to go native. Leaving no one happy.

Neither position is entirely defensible but both are entirely emotionally understandable. It just so happens that they're mutally-incompatable goals. The films they wanted to make, to wanted to live through his making, can't give you that kind of magnitude of success. And vice versa, of course. It isn't that complicated a disconnect, really, but it isn't so black and white. Both sides of the expectations are emotionally understandable and practically unreasonable.

Thanks Devin, i'll be going to AICN and IGN for my movie news now. You sound like a bitter, pathetic asshole.

Smith reminds me of many Hollywood types: surrounded by sychophants who think EVERYTHING he says is hilarious while the real world passes him by and outgrows his puerile comedies. He has no bearing on his own development as a filmmaker and no tools to evolve out of his crapulance. Perhaps he should be making comic book movies? But as he said about Green Hornet, the large scale movies scare him off because he doesn't have the directing chops. He has nowhere to go but "Jay and Silent Bob Make a Porno"

Devin writes this shit because it gets read and commented on. Nothing to see here, just a carnival barker troll masquerading as a film critic who couldn't possibly be on the wrong side of anything, film or otherwise.

Even leaving this comment is counter-productive. All these comments are. Devin lives for this shit.

Devin, I find myself split 50/50 most of the time with your opinions regarding movies. Sometimes I think you're right on, sometimes I couldn't disagree with you more. There are plenty of people who read CHUD and are more than willing to be outraged at everything you say or equally eager to praise you when you're at your worst. However, I stopped reading this article after the sentence: "I'm sure there are lots of very stupid people who will agree with what he says". You make a living off criticizing Smith and people like him, the makers of movies. When he lays out an opinion which consists of a critique of your profession (and he seems to have special venom for your portion of it, the internet critic), you immediately dismiss any disagreement of your opinion as "stupid". If I'm misconstruing this, sorry, but it seems beneath someone capable of making a lucid subjective point. Smith is whining, just as I'm sure you have whined about Variety poaching a story or some aspect of your business you find unfair or annoying. It's your job to critique, so it would be silly to blast you for it, but don't lower yourself to accusing those who agree with the object of your criticism as "stupid". You only give fuel to those who accuse you of being a "troll" who is more interested in provoking readers than making thoughtful critiques. I know from reading this site for a very long time that you're capable of the latter.

I, for one, enjoyed CopOut. And I haven't read a movie review seriously in more than 10 years. I'll decide for myself whether a movie is good or sucks, thank you very much.

Listen to your friends, not critics.

I'm with #77! was this dude crying while he wrote this?

I think that you are misinterpreting why Kevin Smith said what he said. I listen to his podcast, I've seen his live shows, and the way he talks about his movies doesn't imply the self-disdain that you've imputed to him here.

I think this article is built on a fundamentally mistaken premise.

Excellent post. You've articulated everything I've been thinking (but haven't bothered to write down anywhere) perfectly.

I don't get this whole "you aren't 'x', therefore you have no right criticize 'x'" bullshit. If some one shits on a plate, then makes you eat it, are you somehow not allowed to complain about it because you're not a chef? We're the customers. We have every right to complain when a movie is terrible. No one is saying that Cop Out should be high art; we just want it to be a decent buddy cop movie- which it fails miserably at.

I hate agreeing with you but I agree with you.

Usually I'd slam on Devin, but he's spot on here. Those posts by Smith are whiny and degrading. He's angry that critics took a dump on his film, that they laughed at the retarded kid. Yet he self admits that he made a retarded child, so that people could laugh at it.

He doesn't make movies for the populace at large (which is why they are ignore his films) and he doesn't make movies for critics. He makes amateur backyard home movies for him and his friends. Which is cool, but why then cry and moan when you try and sell, again self described, retarded products to the public, and then they shit on them?

"The cancer that is killing movie fandom is looking at things with such hyper critical eyes that nothing creeps up and surprises you anymore. "

Actually that IS fandom. People treating the audience like pieces of shit and expecting them to shut up and enjoy what is shovelled at them is the cancer. People like Kevin Smith or Michael Bay.

The value of criticism as analysis of art is still a greatly debated topic in all art forms (especially Joseph Kerman as regards musicology); Kevin and Devin represent opposing sides of the argument, and neither side should be ignored.

Kevin Smith was one of the people who inspired me to want to try screenwriting. I'd watch a Tyler Perry movie before I'd see another Smith flick.

Spot on, Devin. Spot on.

While his movies have sucked as of late, I kind of agree. Devin, what makes you worthy of criticing a movie? You may know some details about making film, so what, so do I. You may know film history….as do I. I read your reviews, but I see what I want and often times I disagree with you often biased assessment. Yet you undoubtedly get paid to watch films and state your opinions. And opinions are exactly what they are. It's like any critic, be it a book critic, film critic, or art critic. You may know the history and what the symbolism is. You may know they reason certain scenes are shot the way they were or what the director was trying to convey. But it almost always boils down to your opinion in the end. But what do I know? I love Rockwell's paintings. He's a sight more tallented than Jackson Polleck. Yet Jackson is viewed as the better artist and Rockwell was just popular. Some schollars love Mellville, and think that Poe should not be studied. It's snobbish and stupid and usually coming from someone who has never wrote a book, made a painting or a film that anyone would want to see in the first fucking place.

As a Kevin Smith fan, Devin, I can sum up my thoughts on your post in two words: I AGREE!!! Outside of the SWA incident, maybe he has some personal drama with friends and/or family right now and he's just wrongfully lashing out. If so, then what you wrote, Dev, is some good, tough love. Btw, I just couldn't get past the fact that I didn't laugh one during the red-band trailer of Cop Out (a.k.a. A Couple of Dicks) to bother seeing that obvious train wreck of a movie.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

Devin you can't handle anyones criticism of you at all. And if someone gets the better of you on the message boards you'll start stalking them.

Seriously do you have any self awareness?

dude, I thought Cop Out was so funny I paid to see it twice.

Film critics are no better at telling us how good a film is than anyone else. I rarely agree with their pompous, irrelevant comments. The important thing is how much you enjoy a film.

While I think Smith has been saying some very foolish things lately I think Devin needs to get off his high horse on this issue. This article just seems steeped in unwarranted self importance, aimed less at making a solid argument than it is at validating his own standing as a critic. This makes him come across as insecure, using one self-congratulatory hand to hoist himself up whilst using the other to bat down the "morons with Blogspot accounts" with whom he must never be confused, even if Chud is a very simple, very blog-like website (albeit with a forum and a glossy finish).

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Devin as a writer and I tend to truly respect his reviews at the very least but this artice is little more than a well informed man's hissy fit, even loaded with a thinly veiled defensive passage claiming that, yes, some people will attack him for this, but those criticisms are not valid anyway.

Does KS ever praise his movies as art?
Does he 'big-up' his skills as a filmmaker?

Does he fucking hell. He makes 'trash' that he thinks some people will enjoy. I don't always enjoy them, and whilst Clerks, Chasing Amy and, to a lesser extent, Dogma, will be remembered as 'GOOD' films, none of them are The Godfather, or even The godfather III. He's an honest dude who makes films that have NEVER LOST A STUDIO MONEY!!!! And by the way Devin, were you a film critic 35 years ago? How the fuck can you pass comment on how people viewed the movies in the 70's? We live in a different time, it's like wishes all women had bushes like a muslim's beard again. Grow up and fucking smile!!

@Comment98
"It's like wishing all women had bushes like a muslim's beard again."
I knew I got up this morning for some reason, and now I know what that reason was.

Devin gets flack for giving 8/10 scores to “dumb” movies (2012, Punisher War Zone, GI Joe), but you have to remember that they set out to be silly popcorn fun with extravagant action scenes, and for that they succeeded. Cop Out set out to be a dumb comedy, ie make us laugh, and for that it has failed. Dumb Comedies can work (recent example, The Hangover) – it’s simple people, if a comedy makes nobody laugh it has failed. I spend just as much time hating Devin as agreeing with him, but he has written an article that has spawned triple figures worth of comments. Dark Knight in 2008, Avatar in 2009, Kevin Smith in 2010, Devin knows how to get the hits. Kevin Smith is a fucking crybaby for his diatribes. Man Up, and make your next film better – show those damn critics. I see a lot of comments about critics needing to make their own films, but you know what I’d love to see? Devin review a film Nick Nunziata was involved with. The one with the CGI bear or the giant shark, or whatever the fuck it was. That would be awesome.

Wow. I don't know that I've ever read a more spot-on assessment of a filmmaker's career than this. This isn't a rant, it's lucid and perceptive film theory. Thanks for the morning pick-me-up. It's nice to know that there are other intelligent people out there who think most of Kevin Smith's movies are crap. Though, I admit, I liked DOGMA.

Every (non name) film maker in the world would give an arm and a leg to have the ability to direct a studio picture and make money. And Smith want you to NOT judge Copout on the basis of 'it's supposed to be retarded'?

No, Kevin. You gave up you're right to be free from criticism the moment your "Clerks" film became popular and you were asked… and PAID to direct more films. You owe it to every film maker, who can't get sought for, to make good films. You owe it to yourself. Stop the bitching and moaning and improve your skills, other wise, you don't deserve the attention you receive.

Jesus, there's enough people that give a shit about Smith that there's over a hundred comments here? Half the time, an article barely gets 10. In the immortal paraphrased words of Obi Wan, who's more of a fool, the fool or the fool who follows him?

I think too many people read this as Devin lashing out against Smith. I read it as a calm, rational assessment from someone who wants to see Smith succeed, but has watched him fall far enough down that now he lashes out at the people who used to praise him. It might be time for Smith to stand up, look in the mirror, and realize what he has become. Another commenter mentioned Tarantino and Smith shaping them in the early 90s. Quentin used his assets (the same assets everyone praised Smith for – dialogue) and built on that to make better films. Smith took the worst parts of his early films, dick and poop jokes, and turned them into his career, losing much of the strong dialogue that made him in the first place. As to Devin not having made a movie and being bitter about it, he's admitted his dream has always been to be a film critic. He has no desires to write a film or direct or anything. He is doing what he has always wanted to do, his dream job. How many people posting here in the comments can say the same thing?

Kevin smith is Jonathan Frakes fat mong lovechild

"Wow. I don't know that I've ever read a more spot-on assessment of a filmmaker's career than this. This isn't a rant, it's lucid and perceptive film theory"…. God you are gay

Muzak?!!! How dare you dismiss Muzak?!!! I LOVE MUZAK!!! I am also an elevator.

Kevin Smith clearly doesn't understand how Twitter is supposed to work. The 140-character limit is there for a reason, you know.

film critics are as equally pointless as smith's latest films, they're both pretty terrible.

Sounded fine until the last couple paragraphs.

Then you moved into the same territory you where just giving kevin smith crap with. Painting with a broad brush.

Rereading those last two paragraphs again. Actually you sound like a complete asshole. And probably are. Seems like someone was told the where "special' a few too many times when they where a kid.

I'm a little confused. I've seen a lot of people posting things that say we shouldn't criticize Smith because he was trying to make a stupid movie, so that's how we should review it. Essentially, what this means is, if I was a college student, and it was my goal to write an F paper, I should get an A for it, because that was my goal. That has to be literally one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. It shocks me that people actually thought some of their comments through before posting them, because they obviously have some huge gaps in the logic center of their brains. If you make a stupid movie, you get a bad review, because stupid movies are STUPID. How hard is that for people to understand? Films aren't graded on a curve, people. And as for people saying that critics should make their own movies before they can criticize films? Are you insane? How does that EVEN make sense to anyone? That's like saying the only people who can criticize the President of the United States are other presidents. So please, if you want to defend Smith, fine, just don't defend him while you sit in a corner drooling all over yourself and mumbling like a retard.

111, you clearly are confused. A lot of the heat people are giving Devin here aren't about reviews, but his need to get seemingly personal with his feelings for smith. If you hate Cop Out thats fine, or Zack and Miri or Clerks 2. Whatever. But when you tell someone who makes money making movies (there is a market for Kevin Smith movies, they don't lose money so there are people who enjoy them) that he should quit directing because you don't like his films, then go into "asshole" territory. Also you seem to be confused about how most grading systems work. They are more often than not set on a "right/wrong" basis. Movie reviews are "opinions". Because you and Devin and whoever else don't like Kevins films does not make them failures. Films are not made for critics. They are made to make money and entertain. They are entertaining someone, they make money. (not James Cameron money, but thats not Kevins style, he came from indy film roots) So to him and his fans they are successful. Why this pisses people like you and Devin off is beyond me. People like you think your opinion means more than others and it does not. It makes you pretentious pricks.

@ 112 You seem a little confused yourself, you see Mr. Kevin was given a large amount of other peoples money to make a movie which will make money and entertain. He then says he doesn't care, pissing away money people in the Indie film industry (as you put it "his roots") could only dream of for projects they pour their heart and soul into. A waste like that, makes a pretentious dick.

I'm a Kev fan. I'm a Dev fan. But you are both fucking wrong. Kevin shouldn't shit on "ALL" critics. Chevy Chase did the same critic naysaying back in the day, and he nearly lost his career. "Cop Out" got taken to task for many good reasons. Critics are not all after him, so lumping them all together is unfair. Some internet critics on the other hand love to give Smith shit and Dev belongs in that category (Is "Cop Out" as bad as he says? No. Is "Clerks 2" even bad? Not even close.). It is obvious Devin has some sort of personal vendetta against Smith, so much so that he attacks Smith's fanbase. It's ridiculous; As ridiculous as Smith attacking "film theory & film students", since we are the ones that sought out your movies in the first and made you. So I hope Devin sticks to his guns and refrains from reviewing anymore of Smith's movies. And I hope Kevin does not discount the geniune critiques of "Cop Out" and learns from his mistakes.

Waaaaaaah! Critics slammed the shitty movie I directed! Waaaaah! Sheesh!

I guess for a guy who's previous work has been heralded as "genius" by many, the onslaught of bad reviews was too much for him. I can understand why he was upset, but he just kind of comes off as a spoiled child throwing a tantrum with his Twitter feed.

This was the first film he directed that he didn't write, so ideally a lot of blame for "Cop Out's" lack of success has to be put on the screenwriter… and the casting director who thought it was a good idea to put Tracy Morgan in a film with Bruce Willis.

This is all just a learning experience for Kevin; he will probably be more careful in choosing the next film he's going to direct, and I'm sure he'll do better on his next run. Maybe he should just stick with doing films that he himself has written. It's worked really well for him so far.

Kevin Smith and his "films" are not worth this much attention, thought or discussion. Devin, get a grip and then turn the fucking page.

Devin hates Kevin Smith yet he follows him on twitter, why?

I might as well comment as every other chud reader has. As much as I think Smith was showing a huge amount of contempt for his audience, his investors and critics alike, I think the fundamental flaw with film critics in general is films are critisized as art. There are a few (and I mean very few) films that transcend into the realm of good art. Films are unique as they are collaborative efforts of often hundreds of people. It's more "craft" than "art". The definition of art is used much too liberally in the realm of film in my opinion. Should a kids drawing be judged art? A wedding video? Most films are NOT art. So the question could be when does bad art become non-art?

If a critic treats every film as art, then they're wrong. But I honestly can't think of many critics that actually do that, Devin included. When they pan something like Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, it's not because it's bad art. It's because it's a bad action movie. Cop Out isn't bad art, it's bad entertainment. And if Kevin Smith is willing to say "this is a piece of shit, but watch it anyway," then he deserves to be criticized for making a piece of shit.

I can't believe people would actually dissect every word the man wrote on twitter like he was a f*cking congressman talking about his plan for social medicine?! Kevin Smith's films are C-O-M-E-D-I-E-S…plain and simple.
"Did you think it was funny?", would pretty much be the most important question. The man was pissed at the reviews that crapped over a movie simply created to make people laugh. I can understand that. For "professionals" who are paid to critique films, to complain about themselves being criticized is hypocrisy. Its like a thief crying about getting robbed. Just my thoughts…

"Fifteen years ago I thought Kevin Smith was the voice of a generation. It turns out he is – the generation just happens to be lazy, stupid people who are perfectly content going through life without an original, interesting thought in their heads." God, Devin, I know you've made your career on being a douchebag, but you could you possibly make more of a gross generalization that does absolutely nothing to advance your premise? I mean, come on – better writing, please.

Smith did a good job of hanging himself with his childish ramblings. Devin, you would have been better served by following it with "wow, that's sad" and move on, but instead you went with the over-blown, gas-bag dissertation ("movies could be at the center of our culture…" really?) that Smith's rant didn't deserve. It certainly didn't deserve some inflated observations on film in the 70s (give it a rest… there was way more shit that came out of that decade than greatness) and neither did we.

Wow. Normally I can't stand you Devin, but this is all just dead-on. I haven't been in this much agreement with you since that Devin's Advocate years and years ago lamenting slutty Halloween outfits. Good job, fatso. xoxo.

I happen to be a fan of Kevin Smith's work. I haven't seen 'Cop Out.' But I do truely enjoy his other movies and the 'Evening With' dvds. I think it's unfair for all of his fans to be catagorizes as stupid and lazy (as written in this article). Not all of us are. I also feel that not all movies have to have a message behind them. There is nothing wrong with entertainment for entertainments sake.

Am I missing something here? This article is coming from the guy that gave a fucking 8.5 to GI Joe?? Really? You rant on about 'turn your brain off' movies then write something like this: "If I was 10 years old, GI Joe would be one of the best movies I had ever seen. As a grown up it's one of the better summer movies; a delightfully light, fun and action-packed kick in the ass." KS is a lazy film maker who let past successes get to his head. His recent films have all sucked. But you're just as lazy and egotistical. You consistently criticize people who disagree with you. Let people enjoy what they want to enjoy. This article is just one loser criticizing another one. Oh, and here's another gem from you GI Joe review… "Perhaps his smartest move was hiring fairly good actors for roles that don't really require so much acting. Channing Tatum…" Yes, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the class of Hollywood is Channing Tatum. Wow.

I agree wholeheartedly.

Smith also falls back on the "well, what movies have YOU made lately?" argument as if that makes someone's opinion any less valid.

Nearly every well-respected film critic doesn't have a writing or directing credit to their name (Ebert aside, Beyond RULES!) but yet we're supposed to believe that because they've never been on the other side of a camera, they have no ground to stand on?

Oh, and nevermind the other comment on the old Toy Story 3 article. Just being my usual, asshole self. =)

Oh well.

You make some interesting points, but are ultimately too hurt by Smith's comments to not devolve into name-calling yourself. For someone who supposedly loves film, you don't seem to have much respect for the process. Do you really believe that Smith expended more effort writing those Tweets than making his film? That is just plain insulting to anyone who has dedicated their life to the craft of filmmaking. BTW, the 70s were over-rated. The 90s were just as an important time in cinema. The filmmakers and watchers were every bit as impressive as those in the 70s. It was just the film critics who started to get shitty.

not that this will even make a dent, and yes it may be childish, but good lord Devin, you are such a fucking movie snob. Absolutely ridiculous. You did an entire article on the quality of "Cop Out". Just cause you know what a "Best Boy" does on a movie set, does not give you the right to tell a PAID FILMMAKER that he should stop making movies.
What the hell is wrong with you, that you would think you even have the right to tell anyone what they should do for a living. He has fans, and he has critics. No one is going to like everything he does, but to think that gives you the right to even suggest that he stop making movies is a level of hubris that staggers my imagination.

Get the fuck off your High Horse you elitist fuck. Thinking that your fucking OPINIONS constitute a change in anyone's course of action is disgusting. Pull your head out of your ass.

An artist should only take criticism from his peers to heart. Positive or negative public criticism is a distraction and warps an artists vision and drains his energy. Smith fell into this trap a long time ago and his work and confidence suffered from it.

Painters in the 1800's would have laughed at the idea of an "art critic" who didn't at least draw.

I used to think Kevin Smith was a great writer, but I have read his tweets, even replied to a couple. He is just a sad, fat man who smokes dope and tweets all the time cos no one in the real world will talk to him anymore. If he disconnected from the internet and just sat down and wrote his screenplays, gave up dope (so he could form a coherent and good idea) and appreciated his good fortune, he would embarrass himself less and he would make more movies. Good ones.

F you haters. Seriously, have you seen Cop Out? Because I have, and sadly I wasted my money. Its as bad as the critics say. It drags. It is not funny. Should Kevin Smith take offense? Sure, its his film. But, you have to take into account that this is not the Kevin Smith from 1994's Clerk's fame. Where his directing was 'revolutionary' and he took the indie scene by storm. No, No Cop Out is directed by the family man, out to make a buck so he can buy weed and sit around and complain about being fat, Kevin Smith of 2008's Zack and Miri Make a Porno fame. Yawn. He seriously needs to get over himself….and that's what Deven is saying.
Deven has it right people, Smith peaked with Clerks and its been downhill ever since.

KEVIN SMITH:

You have a really good idea. Pick 500 people at random from your twitter. Let them see the movie and then post a fair representation of the reviews. You'll be surprised how little difference it makes.

The logic that "Cop Out" is silly and shouldn't be taken seriously begs the question "What about Hot Fuzz?" Surely that movie didn't aim to be taken seriously but it was one of the best movies of the year. Like it or hate it, everything you do is relative to other things. Unfortunately most instances are likened to feces (with exception to the dialog).

When Clerks came out, I thought it tried too hard to be clever. When the characters spoke, I saw words on a page — the script. The writer's presence was intrusive. It annoyed me. I thought Kevin Smith might get better after Clerks. He didn't.

The only thing I noticed as I scrolled all the way down, stopping sometimes to read some of these comments was this : Nick has Devin write these things for a huge obvious reason….website traffic. Reguardless of whether you agree or disagree with Devin, you must admit, the visits to this site go way up everytime he writes an article. Kudos….

I hate Smith's movies – horrible in every way.

Waste of bandwidth. Saw Cop Out, loved it. Hate all reviews I've ever read of anything. Critics are not fucking Consumer Reports but trolls of niche entertainment.