Maturity, fatherhood and the death of a loved one are not themes that one would usually associate with the films of Kevin Smith.
But with his new feature "Jersey Girl," Smith-the writer and director of "Clerks," "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"-is ready to tackle some more serious issues while keeping the humor intact.
In a conference call with The Spectrum, Smith spoke openly about his previous films, his upcoming films and everything in between.
"I'm not really a creative writer and director," said Smith. "I kind of create from my own life, which is why each movie sort of acts like a snapshot of what is going on in my life."
"Jersey Girl," which opens today nationally, is a look into the life of Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck), a successful Manhattan man who goes through a personal tragedy when his wife (Jennifer Lopez, in a 15-minute cameo) dies, leaving Trinke as a single father with his daughter, Gertie (Raquel Castro).
Despite the distinct shift in tone from his last feature, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," Smith said he is not worried about alienating his famously dedicated fan base with his cinematic look into fatherhood.
"From the moment I started writing, I figured I was going to lose some of the hardcore 13 and 14-year-old boys who are big 'Jay and Silent Bob' fans," said Smith. "But thankfully, the fan base seems wide enough. There are people who are fans of 'Chasing Amy' and ('Jersey Girl') would be right up their alley, with its mixture of comedy and drama."
According to Smith, "Jersey Girl" is his most personal film to date, and while making it, he wanted to recapture some of the feelings he remembers from his earliest works. Despite the return of many Kevin Smith regulars in the cast of "Jersey Girl" (George Carlin and Affleck among them), Smith added that he wanted to set some distance between himself and his previous films.
"I wanted to make a movie that could stand on its own," said Smith. "'Clerks' was the only movie I made where it didn't lean on a movie that came before it. I wanted to see if I could work without a net and tell a story that didn't require Jay and Silent Bob."
Despite warnings from his contemporaries, Smith is optimistic that "Jersey Girl" will hold the interest of his cult following, much of whom have been fans of Smith since the release of "Clerks" in 1994.
"Some of the hardcore fans grew up with this too," said Smith. "(Critics) really don't give our audience enough credit, which is kind of a shame."
Famous for his eloquent use of crude dialogue and foul-mouthed characters, Smith was initially shocked when his original submission of "Jersey Girl" received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. After appealing to the MPAA, the rating for "Jersey Girl" was changed to "PG-13" for its national release.
"They gave us an 'R' based on a sequence with Ben and Liv (Tyler) in a diner," said Smith. "The guy (on the MPAA) said he didn't want his 16-year-old girl going to the movies to listen to Liv Tyler talk about masturbation. And I know every 16-year-old guy on the planet would go to a movie to listen to Liv talk about masturbation."
His advice to young filmmakers makes clear his approach to making movies.
"Don't try to figure out what's marketable, don't try to figure out what's commercial," said Smith. "Just make the movie you want to make. Nobody else can tell your story."
"Jersey Girl' opens nationwide tonight.
