Kevin Smith's Reality to Imitate 30 Rock's Art

I have an odd do-si-do going on with Kevin Smith.

There's the filthy minded, big-hearted scribe whose over-written dialogue still manages to circle around and not just entertain and amuse but actually touch you... somewhere. And there's the director who, as he is first to point out, is pretty lousy with where and how to place--let alone move--a camera, and who often prides enthusiasm over ability in his actors. And then there's the lovable, snarky, down-to-earth uber-fanboy--a regular guy who loves to talk to his fans via blogs, the View Askew chat boards, and in his often hilarious (though getting a bit long-in-the-tooth) public appearances.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I love Kevin Smith. His movies? Eh, most of the time. I adore Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II--I even like Jersey Girl. But Zach and Miri Make a Porno was honestly the first of his films that just completely fell flat for me.

On the other hand, I love 30 Rock ALL of the time. And like everyone, I've dreamed of actually seeing some of Girlie Show star Tracy Jordan's films for real. Instant classics such as Death Bank and Who Dat Ninja? Not to mention Cruise Ship. ("I'm getting too old for this ship!")

So I'm excited as all get out to learn that Kevin Smith will be making a real-life Tracy Jordan film! Sure, it's called A Couple of Cops, not Black Cop/White Cop. And sure, it stars Bruce Willis and someone named Tracy Morgan. But no doubt those are just cosmetic differences.

Variety notes that this will be Smith's first major studio film (most of his others were released by Miramax or the Weinstein Company), but that's not 100% true: Mallrats was essentially a Universal film--and yes, I do like Mallrats, even if at the time it was seen as a major teen-sex-flop from the indie guy who made Clerks.

But this one, from Warner Bros., will certainly be Smith's largest film to date, and Willis is the biggest name star he's worked with. (Sorry, Ben!) The plot involves a stolen baseball card, gangsters, and cash. Oh, and two cops.

Now if only someone will get to work on bringing Jordan's masterpiece, Honky Grandma be Trippin', to actual movie screens.

Comments

[Peter K]

What no props for Dogma? His best film ever. I guess Kev finally found the movie he could make with Bruce Willis. (See Threevening w/ Kevin Smith. He mentions that Bruno called him and said KS should direct him in a movie.)

[Locke Peterseim]

I like many parts of Dogma--especially Damen and Affleck and Jay. In fact, I pretty much like the whole thing, but I never find myself seeking Dogma out to watch again, like I do JASBSB and Clerks II. Oddly, as much as I respect it, I rarely pull Chasing Amy down to watch again, either -- which many would say is his best film. I guess I kinda go for the low-brow...

I have not seen Threevening -- I watched the first one several times, the second one just once. I used to really love his live appearances, but I started to feel like I'd heard all the stories--at least in general... but if Threevening is worth it, I'll snag it up.

[Jason]

I'm usually pretty hard to offend, I can take most things in stride, but being a Christian, Dogma was a little too controversial for me to really enjoy, I had a hard time getting past the discomfort and the misunderstood and poorly interpretations of doctrine. However, I love most of his other films. Clerks is the best. I heard bad things about Clerks II though. JASBSB is hilarious.