Ranking Kevin Smith’s Movies
To coincide with the release of Kevin Smith’s new movie Cop Out, we’ve decided to rank the rest of Smith’s work, going all the way back to his now legendary black-and-white beginnings. Cop Out is not currently a part of this list, but judging by the trailers and reviews (20% on Rotten Tomatoes), I have a pretty good feeling of where I would place this one. For a teenager growing up in the early 2000’s, Kevin Smith was something of an icon, blending pop culture and philosophy with a myriad of new ways to be as vulgar as possible, so this has been a ranking ripe with nostalgia. It’s been an eclectic career so far for Smith, and here are where his movies currently rank:
8. Zack and Miri Make a Porno – Initially, this was a movie to get excited for, because it allowed Smith to team up with the guy who has literally been in everything in the last few years in Seth Rogen. That’s not mentioning the undeniable and mesmerizing charm Elizabeth Banks has on screen. That and a promising supporting cast – Jason Mewes! – should have meant comedy gold, right? Instead, it mostly falls flat and, for some reason, just feels…off. It lacks the stronger writing of Smith’s earlier work, and I’m not one of those guys who says it’s because Jay and Silent Bob aren’t in it.
7. Jersey Girl – This certainly seems to be the most polarizing of Kevin Smith’s movies, though it seems everyone I talk to just ends up saying “it sucks,” which I really can’t agree with. If it’s because Smith wanted to try something new with a PG-13 comedy about fatherhood, then at least have an open mind about it because, to be honest, it’s actually a very sweet movie. Just because this movie doesn’t have guys spouting off about dicks every minute doesn’t actually mean it’s a bad film. What a concept, right? That being said, it is simply a “sweet” movie, and, while charming, is pretty much forgettable.
6. Mallrats – Despite its low ranking here, Mallrats holds a special place in my heart. This and Clerks are the reason so many middle school boys, such as myself, spent so much time trying to craft their own dialogue-driven scripts, loaded with quick wit and enough pop culture references to induce a nergasm in anybody. Needless to say, those scripts are buried away and will be for a long, long time. Mallrats tanked at the box office, but it’s still plenty of fun, though we did not realize yet that Kevin Smith is at his best when taking on a heavier, more complicated issue to juxtapose his brand of humor (i.e. Chasing Amy, Dogma).
5. Clerks 2 – Could it be that this film is so great because Clerks fans seemingly waited an eternity to get the next chapter of Dante and Randal’s lives? What I appreciate most about this though, is that it hardly relies on the success of the original to just get by. Instead, like a sequel should, this movie goes above and beyond the original and has enough quotable lines and unfortunate situations (in Dante’s opinion at least) to let this be recognized as a great movie in itself. Plus, if it’s a movie that made Joel Siegel walk out after 40 minutes, it’s a good movie in my book.
4. Dogma – Movies don’t get much more inexplicable than this: Jay and Silent Bob are prophets who help an abortion clinic worker on a fairly important mission (saving the world) with the help of Chris Rock and Salma Hayek. And the villains are Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. Oh, and Alan Rickman shows up! Add the feverish debate of religion into the mix and this is an engrossing movie beyond just being a product of Kevin Smith. It’s a well-devised satire that at one moment goes deep into a philosophical discussion and the next has something – anything – come out of Jay’s mouth.
3. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back – What a gloriously self-indulgent trip, closing off the expansive View Askewniverse (at least until Clerks 2 ) with an epic journey for Jay and Silent Bob. What more can I say about it ranking this high then it’s just simply funny as hell.
2. Chasing Amy - This movie can be appreciated for its humor, as this is where I really started to appreciate Jason Lee (playing Banky here), but it ranks so high for its ambitious attempt to complicate love in so many ways. The performances are not only solid, but memorable. Going back to Jason Lee, isn’t it time Smith directed Lee as his true lead in a film?
1. Clerks – It would be a failure of a list if this was not listed as Kevin Smith’s best movie. But at the same time, what does that say about the rest of his career? The man has certainly made a living developing the same strand of comedy, and when he has strayed from that, the end product hasn’t been as good. Not bad, just not as good. Many people complain when an artist does not try something new, but in Smith’s case, we love the man for his degenerate characters who just happen to be sharpest in the wit department.
You got number 1 right. but that’s all, crappy list.
you ranked clerks 2 higher than mallrats? are you retarded?
mallrats > clerks 2
I can’t believe you ranked ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’ as his worst film. If that is true, he really has had a blessed career and that is quite a compliment to Kevin Smith. I enjoyed that film much more then Jersey Girl.
Please stop ranking “movies”. You obviously have no idea what makes a good film and have no true appreciation for what Kevin Smith can do and does.
Kevin Smith’s “best” film, Clerks, lacked even the remotest semblance of what may be called entertainment, and was a self-indulgent waste of celluloid. The rest of his films rival diarrhea and Hitler for worst things have existed on planet earth.
If you think your own screenplays are not as good, please collect them into a nice pile, light a fire, and jump in it. Then you will know what it feels like to read your blogposts.
“The rest of his films rival diarrhea and Hitler …”: Sense of proportion FAIL.
This is truly a terrible list. J&SBSB is #3; are you kidding me?
These comments remind me of those found on that website moviepoopshoot.
You guys know that “in lieu” means “in place of,” right? Like, “I will drink tea in lieu of coffee.” It really doesn’t make sense the way you are using it since you aren’t replacing the movie with your list.
terrible list, delete this now
I’m not going to flame you, but I feel that this is a porrly devised list and your grammar is off in a couple of places. Hopefully this isn’t your day job.
All you motherfuckers are gonna pay. You are the ones who are the ball-lickers. We’re gonna fuck your mothers while you watch and cry like little bitches. Once we get to Hollywood and find those Miramax fucks who are making that movie, we’re gonna make ‘em eat our shit, then shit out our shit, then eat their shit which is made up of our shit that we made ‘em eat. Then you’re all you motherfucks are next. Love, Jay and Silent Bob.
more like kevin smith fanboy ranking. Just because Clerks was his first doesn’t mean it’s his best. The fact that Chasing Amy, Clerks 2 and Jay and Silent Bob Strikes back rank higher than mallrats is insanity.
Zack and Miri was a pretty fun film. I don’t understand the hate towards it. I’ve enjoyed it a couple times. It’s odd because of how non-chalantly they deal with sex, and I can see how that disturbs some people. But if you can get passed that, it’s absolutely a great time!
Jay and Silent Bob is also a fun film, but not that highly rankable. It feels haphazardly thrown together, one inside joke after another. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved it, but it doesn’t deserve to be any higher than #5.
All-in-all, your list feels a lot like the Jay and Silent Bob movie. It’s interesting because it references old Kevin Smith movies, but it makes as much sense as Mark Hammill playing a supervillian.
Dogma, Mallrats, and JnSB Strike back are good movies. Chasing Amy and Clerks were great and the rest are just garbage.
It’s true… you suck at lists.
1. clerks 2. mallrats 3. dogma 4. chasing amy 5. clerks 2 6. jay and silent bob strike back 7. zak and miri 8. jersey girl
although I would say 2,3,4 are all highly debatable
Your preferences are incorrect! My list is a better list because it is THE true list that yours could only approximate in greatness. You are obviously a fool and I am obviously the wisest man on planet Earth because my list is correct. My preferences are better and truer than anything you feel is good. There is no objectivity. There is only my truth. Bow down. Noise, noise, noise…
Seriously dude, you don’t have any idea what you are talking about. I’ve never a more wrong list in my life. Except for #1.
Not here to flame you, but this is a truly terrible list my friend. Clerks at one is about all that is correct. Jay and Silent Bob… doesnt deserve the 3 spot because it can’t really stand on its own, sure it’s funny as hell, but its best parts are references to OTHER Kevin Smith movies. And while Jersey Girl isnt as bad as everyone says it is, it truly, and without a doubt, is the worst movie he’s made.
You do realize that Kevin Smith didn’t actually write Cop Out, right? All the movies on your list are written by him. Cop Out was directed by Smith, but and written by Mark and Robb Cullen.
I am confused by you, this list and your comments about Cop Out.
clerks was the best,but there is no way in hell that mallrats doesn’t crack the top three.
I’d put Mall Rats higher. There are some really classic bits, like the stink palm.
Zack and Mirra was definitely a huge disappointment. It doesn’t didn’t really work.
I’d have to put Jersey Girl dead last, not because of the storyline, but because it was really lame film making. Very cliched plus lazy and lame stupid video montages.
Kevin Smith and all of his movies, including that crapsterpiece Clerks, suck donkey nuts. And I’m being generous.
mine would go….
Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks 2, and I havn’t seen the rest but I would guess that jersey girl was much worse then Zack and Miri
@ CorrectPreference – You’re awesome at sarcasm, truly the best…..
Regardless, yes, many things are left up to individual taste and preference, but there are also many basic things that are not which were definitely not taken into account for this list. Also, the author wrote it this list as a definitive list, and he did not mention his personal taste in it once. He didn’t account for any difference in genre or taste, nor did he use any true critical analysis.
The joke is one you, as “sarcasm is to know it all” and yet that’s exactly how you were trying to belittle every commenter here. I doubt you’d understand that though.
To be honest, after Clerks it was pretty much down hill. Mallrats had a few good jokes, Chasing Amy had promise, and the rest were just so-so. I think we give Smith a pass because of the fact he was an independent and Clerks hit a nerve with our generation. Unfortunately, that has been about it. Dogma was awful – it moved unevenly from preachy to bathroom humor – Python and others have skewerd religion much better.
I have to agree with Justin. Clerks was insanely funny as a college student, but Kevin Smith’s gotten a pass since Clerks for a rather lousy opus of films since. It’s a wonder why anyone would even want to see Cop Out, whether he wrote it or not. The previews had “lifeless and charmless” written all over them.
Here here, I’m glad to actually find someone else that didn’t hate Jersey Girl. I thought it was a heartwarming movie even if it wasn’t as downright hilarious as some of his others.
I actually saw The Crazies instead of Cop Out and I really don’t like horror movies. You can tell he’s not proud of it due to the distinct failure to mention his name in the trailers. I didn’t actually realize he was connected to it until a couple of weeks ago,
…two filmz on the list were filmed n Pittsburgh — come back “home” Kevin where being “FAT” doesn’t matter so much…
I’m not sure what all the hate comments are about here. I’m pretty on board with the rankings, although I’ve somehow manged not to see Mall Rats (whose ranking seems to have many up in arms).
All I know, what the hell is he talking about with “Cop Out”? I seriously found this movie ridiculously bad. My friend and I nearly had each other convinced it was a parody of buddy cop movies, but it clearly was just bad. First ime Kevin Smith has really disappointed. Oh well. We all make mistakes, I guess.
David Scharf
In Fidelity Recordings
http://www.infidelityrecordings.com
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