Way back in 1992, one black and white film that was considered so vulgar it was originally given the dreaded NC-17 rating. However, the film was given an R rating without editing a single frame or word. The film has become a standard of how dialogue should be handled and brought a new brand of comedy to the big screen. That film was Clerks. It was the first film from New Jersey based director Kevin Smith. Smith has been a subject of both a major fanbase as well as numerous controversies, but it is irrefutable that he is one of the most important and prominent directors of our time. I would even go so far as to say he is the new Woody Allen. You may be skeptical, but think about it. Woody Allen has always made films that were dominated by dialogue, and the comedy from that dialogue is considered some of the best ever put in film. Kevin Smith does a similar thing. Instead of over-writing his films, where the actors look as though they are putting on performances, he writes believable characters that the actors can embody.
Sure, Smith uses a fair amount of physical, and often blue, humor, but there is oddly enough a heart behind it. His characters are believable, even if the plot of one of his films is not. I find it interesting that his first and third films, Clerks and Chasing Amy, are completely and utterly believable, but other films by him such as Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are...less than. But he is able to make you believe that all of the stories fit together into one world, affectionately referred to as the View Askewniverse, after his production company. There is a charm to his films because most of the conversations in them are conversations that anyone, especially guys, may have had at some point.
Smith also uses his films for social commentary. His film Dogma is one of the most controversial films ever made due to both poking fun at religion while at the same time not ridiculing anyone who has spiritual faith in a harsh manner. The film Chasing Amy also features insight into the gay community, about a man who falls in love with a lesbian. Controversy follows him around, and he apparently would not want it any other way than that.
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