In the three years since the scatological bombardment of "Clerks," writer/director Kevin Smith, known to most as Silent Bob, has grown up - he just refuses to admit it.
"Yeah, I've made these movies with lots of dick and fart jokes and some would call them juvenile," Smith said. "But deep down, they're all about these really sweet guys who just want to fall in love."
Arguably mature the whole time, Smith, whether he likes it or not, has indeed seemed to grow up with his latest film, "Chasing Amy," in which the love and emotion previously hidden beneath flatulence comes to excrutiatingly enjoyable light.
After the rush of humor and audacity that was "Clerks" and the critical and commercial drubbing that was "Mallrats," Smith returned triumphantly to the Sundance Film Festival in January, where "Clerks" had premiered in 1994, to unveil the heartfelt "Amy."
Met with admiration and standing ovations, the erstwhile Silent Bob, who opted to speak with The Michigan Daily on the fire escape of the State Theater after an Ann Arbor screening last month, was overwhelmed and extremely pleased with the reaction.
"I kind of felt vindicated. People ask, 'Do you feel redeemed?' But it's not like with 'Mallrats' I was the architect of the final solution," Smith joked. "I don't think I did anything bad. I just made a flick that some people didn't like and there were a lot of critics who wrote us off saying that 'Clerks' was obviously a fluke and Smith's just a one-hit wonder. 'Chasing Amy' kind of disproved that. It just felt good."
With the reception at Sundance and his third effort gaining acclaim, Smith has nothing to do but feel good.
Most of Smith's happiness can probably be credited to Joey Lauren Adams, who is his leading lady onscreen and off. Smith feels that Adams' love finally offered him something mature and private to communicate through film.
But is the story of a man coming to terms with his lover's past completely autobiographical?
"Absolutely," answered Smith. "That's pretty much me speaking in the flick. Being in the relationship with Joey absolutely gave me something personal to say and it came out of a painful time in our relationship. I had to spice it for the film, though - two hours about a guy who can't accept that his girlfriend had been to Australia and he hadn't wouldn't be that exciting. Absolutely, 'Chasing Amy' to me is the example of what the love of one good woman can do. Sounds corny, I know."
Joey Lauren Adams wasn't the only absolute in the production of "Chasing Amy." Having worked with all three of his "Amy" leads in "Mallrats" (Adams, Ben Affleck and Jason Lee), Smith thought of no one else occupying the film's central characters - "I wrote the roles for all three of them, for Ben, Joey and Jason."
Ben Affleck, more so then his co-stars, seems best poised for stardom following "Chasing Amy." Smith believes the amicable and attractive Affleck deserves all the laurels he may receive.
"I really enjoyed working with Ben, but I really enjoyed knowing Ben more. He's such a sweet guy, he should be a leading man - he's got leading-man looks - but traditionally, he's the dude who plays the asshole who gets paint dumped on him in 'Dazed and Confused' or the asshole who gets arrested for fucking girls in the ass in 'Mallrats.' It couldn't happen to a nicer guy - what happened to (Matthew) McConaughey should happen to Ben."
Working with people he likes so much again and again, Smith seems to be developing a Robert Altman-esque corps of actors.
"It's just people I like to keep around. It's the idea that making movies can be tremendously difficult if you're working with the wrong people - Shannen Doherty - but, um, like, to surround yourself with friends and make the flick is comforting."
Doherty-less and comfortable with his cast and crew, Smith created "Chasing Amy" last summer for the astronomically low sum of $250,000, upholding the independent cinema sensibility he has come to embrace.
"It's just like not having to go through a development process," Smith explained about his self-reliant approach. "It's always a pleasure to not have to water an idea down to reach the widest possible audience and not have to answer to anybody. It's your vision from beginning to end."
Vision is a concept Smith knows much about, seeing that his first three films are all part of an elaborate, intertwining vision of small-town New Jersey life, something the placid Garden State native knows much about.
"It has nothing to do with affinity for my home state. It just has to do with keeping everything in one universe and that's a real comic book influence. It all takes place in this tri-town area and you hear names mentioned in each flick," Smith said, excitedly illustrating his tri-fold vision. "Like, Alyssa Jones is a name that comes up in 'Clerks' and finally we see her character in 'Chasing Amy.' That kind of thing where everyone knows everyone and everyone knows that Rick Darrus is a notorious slam-hound. Everyone seems to know Jay and Silent Bob and that to me is a small town. It doesn't come out of this place like 'I fucking love New Jersey, man!'"
Sometimes, you do want to go where everybody knows your name, perhaps explaining why Smith returns a third time as wordless drug dealer and hoodlum Silent Bob in "Amy," alongside Jason Mewes as Jay. In the film, Silent Bob speaks at length in the form of a touching soliloquy that elucidates the film's elusive title, while Jay plays silent and rolls a joint.
Chasing Amy, as spoken by Silent Bob, is the notion of never letting go of the one person, place or thing that got away - you're always chasing an Amy of some sort.
With Joey Lauren Adams at his side, soon-to-be-star Ben Affleck in his movie, his third creation in theaters and several projects on the horizon (writing "Superman Lives" and directing the long-awaited Catholic satire "Dogma"), a very satisfied Smith can finally give up the pursuit and give his personal Amy a much-needed rest.
Kevin Smith directs Ben Affleck on the set of "Chasing Amy."
Jason Mewes (left) and Smith (right) reappear in "Chasing Amy" as Jay and Silent Bob.