In a lengthy article in the Los Angeles Times, staff writer Bob Baker talked with director Kevin Smith about his new film Jersey Girl, which represents a radical departure (in more ways than one) from Smith's low budget (Chasing Amy only cost $250,000) past. Jersey Girl stars today's 'It' couple, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, and Smith is steeling himself for a backlash from fans of his previous films, who loved the irreverent, raffish foul-mouthed charms of Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. Jersey Girl has a budget of $35 million and Miramax reportedly insisted that Smith use Oscar-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. Perhaps all those Kevin Smith fans, who have 'Buddy Christ' figures on their dashboards, will accept glossy cinematography, but can they stomach a film that has, according to the Times, 'as many tears as laughs.' Will Kevin Smith become a twenty-first century Capra with the ability to juggle humor and pathos, mix wisecracks and sentiment, and switch from realism to romance? The response to Jersey Girl should provide some answers.
Certainly whatever happens to Kevin Smith's career makes a difference to most pop culture retailers. His films have struck just the right notes with a loyal fan base of comic book readers, and thanks to clever marketing from Graphitti Designs and others, spawned lots of merchandise that has sold well in stores serving those fans over a long period of time. Comic book fans could easily identify with the characters in Smith's films, even though the only superpower those lovable losers ever demonstrated was an amazing alacrity with a foul-mouthed comeback. Smith himself, thanks to his revival of Green Arrow for DC and his current work with Marvel continues to be one of the most popular writers in comics. Will his new film with its People Magazine celebs find mass-market success, but lose Smith his devoted following among the comic book cognoscenti?
At 32 with a 3-year-old daughter (named Harley Quinn, which shows you where his heart is), Smith obviously wants to make a movie about his new reality as a husband and a father. The subject matter may have changed from his earlier films, but viewers can still expect dialogue-rich scenes that examine the mundane (stinky diapers) from Smith's skewed viewpoint. People feel most comfortable with artists when they know what to expect, and audiences often react badly when a writer or a filmmaker attempts to move in a new direction. With Jersey Girl Kevin Smith is trying for, in the words of the immortal James Brown, 'a brand new bag.' The question is will his fans want to mature with him? 
