You even snuck in a “Yoga Hosers” joke in there. What do you make of the bad reputation that the movie has gotten over the last few years since its release?
I don’t shy away from it and even ask myself from time to time, “man, what the hell happened with Yoga Hosers?” When it comes to that movie, it was a weird repeat of “Mallrats.” When “Mallrats” came out, it was derided by critics, made money, people were dumbfounded by it. It took years before people finally came around to embracing “Mallrats.” I love “Mallrats,” I watch that movie all the time, it’s got Stan Lee! Maybe one day, “Yoga Hosers” will have its day much like “Mallrats” did. I also came off “Tusk,” which I am proud of, so that must have taken people aback a bit. That’s what also happened with “Clerks” having been released before “Mallrats.” And with that era in mind, “Chasing Amy” probably saved my career, we went back to our roots with that movie.
Then “Dogma” and …
… “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” This was another example of a well-received movie (“Dogma”) being followed up by another film that perplexed some people. ‘Strike Back’ came out seven years after my career started. “Clerks” comes out in 1994 and is about my life in my twenties, Generation X, and, for some, a seminal piece of indie cinema. “Mallrats” was a pop culture oddity which predicted the world today, now everyone knows who Stan Lee is. “Chasing Amy” was the growth movie; people took me seriously as a filmmaker with that. “Dogma” was just a continuation of that and a religious meditation. Each of these were pretty original and unlike the other. “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” was this little victory lap.
Does this latest ‘Jay and Silent Bob’ movie feel like another victory lap?
“Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” does feel like it, yes. Almost 25 years into my career, I almost died, yeah, I think I can look back. Going back to “Yoga Hosers,” I understand why people would hate that movie, it’s a very acquired taste. I do feel like slowly it’s been having the “Mallrats” effect where people, and these are my favorite reviews to read, are saying, “Hey, it’s not as bad people said it was.” Getting to make “Yoga Hosers” jokes in ‘Reboot’ is incredibly therapeutic. Also, very tough for people to hate on you when you accept the negative reaction to your own movie. My kids love that movie, and that’s kind of why we made it.
A movie that’s aged very well is “Red State.”
I’m lucky because I got Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, and John Goodman. I love that movie. It’s the least likely Kevin Smith movie. I wanted to make Quentin by way of the Coen brothers.
There are quite a few shots thrown at studios in “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.” What’s your stance on the current state of filmmaking, at least when it comes to the major studios today.
Well, last night they were talking about a “Princess Bride” reboot, and, man, that’s just dopey. Listen, I was a comic book kid. I am all for comic book movies being made; there is always someone that actually cares to make a great movie out of a Marvel and DC character. I’m generally more open to that stuff.
Do you actually believe that all these superhero movies were are getting will age well 10-20 years from now?
I do, man, but I’m in the bag. These movies make me feel like a fucking child in the best way. That’s why I don’t want to make one. I don’t want to lose my appreciation for them; I want to be on the outside looking in. Some things just shouldn’t be available to you, some things you should sit back and appreciate. I started as a fan, and I don’t feel compelled to be involved in it. I don’t go into a Marvel and then call my agent, asking for him to get in touch with Kevin Feige. I go to those Marvel movies because it’s a bath in the fountain of youth, it’s the closest to a time machine that I have found on this earth. Those Marvel movies reduce me to a time when my dad would take me to “Star Wars” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Will they age well? I hope so. I mean, Westerns seem to have aged well. I just watched “Spider-Man: Far From Home” at night, I couldn’t sleep, and I just got lost, it put a smile on my face.