Chasing Kevin; Director Kevin Smith says his warm new movie, 'Jersey Girl,' wasn't made for critics. Good thing. A frank exchange with NEWSWEEK's David Ansen.(Interview)

Publication: Newsweek

Publication Date: 29-MAR-04

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Byline: David Ansen

In "Jersey Girl," the creator of such funny, edgy cult hits as "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" spins the surprisingly mainstream and sentimental tale of New York publicist Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck), whose glam life comes crashing down when his wife (Jennifer Lopez) dies in childbirth. Overwhelmed by having to raise his daughter, he has a meltdown that costs him his career. His dreams shattered, he moves back home to Jersey with his father (George Carlin), and spends seven years driving a street sweeper. Torn between his love for his daughter (Raquel Castro) and his longing for Manhattan, between his loyalty to his late wife and the frisky attentions of a video clerk (Liv Tyler), Ollie faces some hard choices.

DAVID ANSEN: "Jersey Girl" is a very brave movie in the sense that you're certainly going to surprise your fans.

KEVIN SMITH: Definitely the 13- and 14-year-old boys who loved "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" can find no purchase in this movie, because it's kind of about the three tiers of maturity, right? Having a job or a career, getting married, having a kid. With the exception of showing Liv Tyler in her bra in the shower, there's not much for them to latch onto. But thankfully the fan base isn't made up just of that. People who jumped onboard with "Clerks" have grown up with us, so they're married and having kids. "Chasing Amy" is not really that different from "Jersey Girl," as much as it's a mixture of comedy and drama, and about relationships--we just swapped out the lesbian for a 7-year-old girl. "Dogma" certainly didn't appeal just...

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