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‘Boring-Ass Life’ just that for non-Smith fans

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by Michael Merline

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Despite his slacker-comic book nerd persona, Kevin Smith is evidently a pretty talented guy. His ironically titled new book, "My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith," proves this director of cult-film "Clerks" fame keeps himself busy, and the entertainment world is better for it. "Life" accounts (in all manners of irreverent banter) Smith's busy yet sometimes boring to read about life and provides a laugh-filled glance into his creative and time-wasting processes. The latter often provides the biggest laughs, but it also keeps Silent Bob's chance to speak from being spectacular.

"Life" begins with a description of Smith's daily happenings roughly 10 years post-"Clerks," as previously told on his blog, which is featured on www.viewaskew.com. These entries, which comprise the entire book, though they become less diary-like about halfway through, read like itineraries for somebody who has a lot of time to sit around and watch TiVo. Kevin Smith, not surprisingly, is just that person.

His first entry — and for those not inclined to sit through an entire book, one of the funniest — is dated March 20, 2005, and describes how Smith met his wife, former USA Today journalist Jennifer Schwalbach. The date itself was the seven-year anniversary of the couple's first kiss and, as Smith vulgarly describes, subsequent intimate activities. His dedication to Schwalbach is both touching and laugh-out-loud funny, but also illustrates the many reasons "Life" is worth reading despite its occasionally tiring moments.

Primarily, Smith's vulgar though witty writing might make him seem disgusting and lazy, but his crude humor and snide comments veil his artistic talent and Hollywood's respect for his work. "Clerks," with an original budget of $27,000, has grossed upward of $3 million in the United States, and his "Dogma" has grossed more than $30 million. Obviously, Smith is an extremely successful ground-roots director who is well-respected in the industry. Not surprisingly, his daily activities often involve some big names. In the case of his "anniversary" post, Smith describes attending the Indie Spirit Awards with Schwalbach instead of Salma Hayek and how he "dropped the on-screen muse like a hot rock." Later he summarizes a conversation with actor Zach Braff, who professes his desire ("Oh God, yes") to work with Smith on "Fletch Won" and proceeds to invite the director to his birthday party. Smith also writes about acting opposite Jennifer Garner and Bruce Willis and his friendships with stars such as Jason Lee.

The first entry of "Life" also expresses how much more there is to Smith than his cheeky films suggest or, in the case of his self-mocked stoutness, than may appear. His descriptions of "morning woods" that prompt him to "tug one out in the shower" suggest Smith is a letch, but he in fact loves his family and friends and works pretty darn hard for them and himself. He often writes of the love he has for his wife and child, Harley, as well as his "adopted son," Jason Mewes (Jay of the "Jay and Silent Bob" films).

In fact, the most riveting portion of the book and certainly the most representative of Smith's loyalty to his loved ones is "Me and My Shadow," his emotional account of Mewes' struggle with drug addiction. This battle is told in nine harrowing parts and shows the commitment and love one man can have for a far-from-perfect friend. The now sober actor, often associated with his pot-smoking film character Jay, struggled with a heroin addiction for more than eight years and was in and out of rehabilitation centers. During this period, he also witnessed his mother dying from needle-contracted AIDS. Smith worked with Mewes through all this, allowing his friend to stay in his home so the struggling addict could be supervised despite numerous relapses. This tale of dedication and compassion is never told in a condescending or sappy manner and justifies the purchase of "Life" all on its own.

As a whole, "My Boring-Ass Life" is an interesting look into the experiences and methods of a cult-director. The book also humanizes Kevin Smith, whose work may be misunderstood by some. He gives details of his filmmaking process and relation to the film industry, and his experiences and connections are generally novel to consider. Even more remarkable, Smith discusses his insecurities as an actor and director and the difference between "validation and acceptance." But Smith is certainly known as a humorous master of his art and writes in a style that suggests his biting intelligence makes this so. In the case of "Life," his overly detailed descriptions of past day's events are sometimes mundane just like the rest of us, but they don't detract too much from the highlights of his stories. Who really wants to know about someone taking his laptop "into the bathroom" to "check e-mail during a good morning shit?" Well, at least these moments prompt a giggle. In addition, the endless streams of individuals Smith name-checks sometimes get confusing, and a "reference glossary" of these individuals is tiresome to flip back to.

"My Boring-Ass Life" is generally interesting and will induce both snickers and hearty guffaws. However, it's written more for Smith's diehard fans than the average reader, as he even suggests himself. Once a day (as in the original format) the "My Boring-Ass Life" chronicles were likely more engaging than in the book-length incarnation, but the reader who truly loves Kevin Smith's films should definitely pick up a copy of his "candid diary."

3 out of 5 stars

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