My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith never fails to make me laugh. If you are a fan of his work, buy this book!

At this point in his career, it would be hard to put Kevin Smith in the top tier of directors, in the same league as folks like Eastwood, Spielberg, Scorcese or the Coen Brothers; he does, however, have a real cult following, of which I am a part. Besides the fact that he makes really good movies, he also has a just-one-of-the-guys aura, developed through his "Evening With..." DVDs of his speaking engagements and his film commentaries. My Boring-A$$ Life also promotes that reality (or very well-constructed image). My Boring-A$$ Life is subtitled The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith, which is pretty honest. Starting on March 20, 2005, the book begins as a daily chronicle of Smith's activities. Not just the movie-related items, not even just the extraordinary events, but even the most mundane activities, including bathroom trips and sexual acts. Admittedly, some of this wears thin in the early going, but the book changes as it goes along. As the book evolves from pure diary to more interesting tales, it gets stronger. We follow Smith's first real acting role (in Catch and Release) and the lessons he takes from working for another director. We get the story of Smith's acting in the fourth Die Hard movie, and details of his work on Clerks II. There is a lot that's funny, but when necessary, he can be serious. This is most evident in his "Me and My Shadow" entries, which describe Jason (Jay of Jay and Silent Bob) Mewes's coping with drug addiction. Overall, Smith seems to have a pretty good life: he makes decent money, he spends a lot of time goofing off, watching movies, having sex or hanging out with friends. Fortunately, he doesn't really crow about his good life but presents it matter-of-factly. It also helps that he is quick to point out his own shortcomings, most notably about his weight. This is a great read, especially for Kevin Smith fans. It is, not, however, a really fast read (it is too densely packed with detail), but fortunately, it is structured in a way that allows easy breaks when necessary. If you have enjoyed films like Clerks, Chasing Amy or Dogma, here is your chance to learn more about the man behind these movies and have fun in the process.

i loved this book so much. if you are a fan of Kevin Smith you will love it too. He makes it impossible to put the book down and goes into detail about his far from boring life. i would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good and sometimes intense read.

This book is a great read. I'll assume that if you're interested in this book in the first place, that you are already a Kevin Smith / View Askew fan. Clearly, that's who this book is really for. And if you are that kind of person, the kind of person who owns all the DVD's, has watched all the commentaries, reads the boards, listens to smodcast, and in some crazy way thinks of these people as some bizarre one-way extension of your own circle of friends, then you will love this book.

Okay, I knew what this was when I paid for it. No biggie. It is just over a years worth of blog posts. But it was still interesting to read. However, at one point, maybe a quarter of the way through, I stopped and asked myself "why the heck am i reading this mundane stuff? An online diary? It's not like he died or something. Or that he will help me become the next great director or writer." Then I went back to reading. I am not finished yet. It is my official "Crap, I didn't bring anything with me into the bathroom to read" book, meaning it lives in the bathroom for just those moments. I can usually crank out a page or two that way. More, if I had a Chinese food earlier that day. Still, if you are a Smith fan, you may dig it. I am, it's kinda cool. I think I may have read some of it online, as I knew what would happen in some passages. So check it out, you will probably dig it, too. Tim from MYMac.com