Jersey guy

I was working on another collection of essays (Now I Can Die in Peace by Red Sox fan and ESPN columnist Bill Simmons) when I came across a much quicker read, Silent Bob Speaks: The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith. The book is an uncohesive but mildly entertaining series of magazine columns he wrote during the making of his last two films, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jersey Girl.

Kevin Smith can be a funny guy. I remember when Dogma came out and he told an interviewer that he and his brother decided to join a group of protestors for the fun of it. The columns are a bit hit or miss, with the occasional anti-Hollywood wit mixed in (as when he almost convinces Selma Blair to give him Reese Witherspoon's home address so that he can egg her house -- it's a long story). There's also a somewhat prescient interview with Tom Cruise where he starts to speak his mind about prescription medication, but the interview ends up going in another direction.

Most of the book illustrates the fact that this Jersey guy has sold out, which I'd forgive if he wasn't fawning over Ben Affleck's brilliance all the time. I'm not buying it. (Personally, I think Matt Damon was the brains of that operation, and that Affleck's political aspirations would make a good use of his faux intelligence.) Plus, inexplicably, the author refers to Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler as the best actresses he's worked with. I'll let the former slide, but Liv Tyler? When it comes to emoting lines, she's bad. Not Selma Blair bad, but bad. Plus, he's worked with Shannen Doherty (in Mallrats). Trust me when I say that you do not want to anger her.