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