Never trust an artist who can’t find fault with his or her own work.
I learned that while in art school, watching the most gifted illustrators around me taking their work to task.
The same applies to filmmakers.
Director Kevin Smith has been on the defensive of late, first for his humiliating experience on Southwest Airlines and, more recently, reading the scathing reviews for his new movie “Cop Out.”
Smith addressed the latter on his voluminous web site recently:
“Here’s the thing… *inhales* I’ve made movies that have been panned before, by critics who are still working, and some who I’ve outlasted. I came from a world where critics could make or break you (Janet Maslin’s CLERKS review in the NY Times made me). That world’s long dead. A movie like COP OUT, while an easy target for critics, is clearly not intended to impress those prone to show off their cinema erudition. Critics can stab at COP OUT with their poison pens all they want, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s a funny flick.”
Does that mean “Clerks,” with its infantile characters, “Star Wars” riffs and potty humor was meant as a cinematic bouquet to stuffy film critics?
This critic has been picking on Smith lately. And, frankly, I’m not happy about it. He seems like a heckuva nice guy, mostly unaffected by fame.
I suspect critics enter his movies with a measure of goodwill toward the Red Bank, N.J. native for that very reason. Who wouldn’t root for him to succeed?
But he’s gotta have a thick enough skin to let bad reviews bounce off of him. Or, preferrably, make a movie that doesn’t attract them.
(Photo: Bruce Willis and director Kevin Smith huddle on the set of “Cop Out.”/Warner Bros. Photo by Abbot Genser)
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
So according to Smith, critics have no appreciation for lowbrow comedies? Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t “The Hangover” a critical as well as a financial success?
Man, I hate to hammer a fellow Devils fan but how can a studio continue to fund this guy. He seems like a really good dude, but at some point doesn’t he need to make a profit? I root for him (Dogma not withstanding) and it just seems like he keeps going backwards. I’m hoping he gets to make ‘Hit Somebody’. Maybe he can capture the vibe of ‘Slap Shot’ with his own twist.
I’m always irked by filmmakers who dismiss critics out of hand, as if we all want to have a lousy time at the movies and can’t wait to file a bad review. Take a cold, hard look at “Cop Out” and tell us again how hilarious it was.
Concur with Grofe and T; Smith HAS been going backward for some time now with his features. IMO, mainstream cinema is not his strength, unlike say, Lee.
D.