Why's everybody picking on Kevin Smith?

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny the allure of director Kevin Smith. He’s arguably the most honest director to ever step behind the camera. He’s as raw as any character he’s put on paper, and in reality, he’s his own best creation. Anyone who’s tuned into his SModcast knows that Smith will confide anything to anyone and that’s why millions of fans love him.

Smith’s newest flick Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan hits theaters Friday, but it’s been somewhat overshadowed by Smith’s brush with Southwest airlines a few weeks back. Unlike most celebrities that get sauced up and create a ruckus, slopping drinks over other passengers and making unwanted come-ons to stewardesses, Smith’s crime was a little less salty. Smith was actually ejected because he was deemed too big to fly. I’ll break that down a little for you.

Basically, Southwest’s policy states that if a passenger can’t fit in a single seat with armrest in the down position, they are required to purchase an extra seat for the other passengers, as well as their own comfort. And as this adventure has played itself out, it sounds like and quick decision was made and it was the wrong one.

The thing I found most disturbing about the whole Southwest fiasco is the fact the airline never really apologized for its misstep. From what I’ve read, Smith met all the requirements to fly, but was denied. The simple fact is, that’s wrong, no matter who the situation happened happened to. But I’m here to talk about flicks, so that’s what we’re going to do.

Friday marks the first time Smith will release a film that he didn’t pen and I think it’s the right decision at this moment in his career. He has nothing to prove and that frees him up to just do his job (and he does it better than you think he does, folks). Unfortunately, all eyes will be on the box office, so people can yet again tear him down and write silly ass columns about how he’s a box office disappointment. I would love to be a disappointment who has legions of fans, one of the best independent films of all time and characters that permeate both cultural and social environments. Critics schmitics.

Smith is one of the few directors I’ve seen where people seemed to hope he fails, and I think it can be attributed to the fact that he’s one of us. He might be a little quieter in person, but I think if you spent any time with him, you’d find the same Kevin Smith you’ve seen from the moment he came on the scene. The dude’s brutally honest, almost to the point of being savage, but he’s also someone who puts weight on values and morals. I know that might sound like a contradiction, but Smith is the epitome of contradiction.

For all the people calling him a sell-out and insinuating that he did it all for the money, turn in your Kevin Smith fan club card and get stepping. I commend Smith for having the courage to step out from what he’s obviously comfortable doing and shift gears. How many directors can you say are willing to do that? Not many.

Sure, he could spit out 10 more Jay and Silent Bob movies and people would line up to see them, but why would we want that? Although critics dismiss him for essentially making the same film over and over, the fact remains that Smith stands for everything I want out of Hollywood. He’s willing to push the limits, he’s not afraid to say what he wants and he makes the films he wants to make. In an industry where movies are dominated by people how care only about the bottom line and how many greenbacks they can make, Smith makes the movies he wants to see, and if he makes a buck, then that’s a plus.

With that being said, Hollywood has become afraid of rocking the boat and putting out a product that might offend the masses. Intentionally or not, that’s what Smith excels at and no other director does it better.