Kevin Smith Defends Himself From Critics Who Haven’t Liked His Recent Movies

Only two Kevin Smith movies have a Rotten Tomatoes score over 80 percent: Clerks (88) and Chasing Amy (87). Those are also, perhaps not coincidentally, two of the first three films he wrote and directed (the third, Mallrats, is at 56 percent). In recent years, however, Smith has struggled to find his early-career acclaim — the critic consensus for his most recent feature, Yoga Hosers, reads, “Undisciplined, unfunny, and bereft of evident purpose, Yoga Hosers represents a particularly grating low point in Kevin Smith’s once-promising career.” When one of his Twitter followers told him that he “ain’t been the same” since Clerks 2 in 2006, Smith replied to, uh, Stoney Baloney, but also to all of his critics.

“People tell me the quality of my flicks went to shit when I got married and had a kid. If so, it was a fair trade,” the MCU super-fan tweeted. “Whatever ailed me as a piss-&-vinegar 20-something was gone, replaced by joy and contentment. Great art comes from pain – so maybe happy people don’t make great art.”

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) June 25, 2019

I’m not sure that’s true — otherwise, Tom Hanks wouldn’t be TOM HANKS — but I’m happy for Smith for being, well, happy, and I hope Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a career rebound. If only so he can rub it in Stoney Baloney’s face.