Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

Really. The first half is - as the title promised - really boring. But it sets the stage for the second half, which is a real page turner. I could not put the book down until I was done once I hit the second half.
Never had that experience with a book before. Very strange.

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

I got this book back last Christmas, but somehow forgot to bring it back from my parents' house. I was very excited to see it when it arrived this summer in a box from the folks. This is a collection of Kevin's dairy that he's been keeping online, but since I hadn't been keeping up with that, it was all new to me.

I have to give Kevin a lot of props for revealing so much of his life to his fans, especially the stuff about when his dad passed away. Sharing like that made me call my own father to let him know I love him.

I know some folks might find some of the entries a little boring, but who lives a life that is always exciting? It shows that Kevin is just as human as the rest of us, though with a ton more bank and a great job.

I'm not completely finished with this yet, but from what I've read so far, it's definitely interesting. The title isn't very accurate in my view, and I'm sure many would agree- his life isn't all that boring. He does a bunch of mundane stuff, and he writes about that mundane stuff in a fairly matter-of-fact way, but still- there's something interesting about it.

I loved Clerks (didn't like Clerks 2 all that much), and I've seen a few of his other films. I'm not a mega-fan, but I like the guy in general, and I've enjoyed his work. He had a lot of interesting stories in An Evening with Kevin Smith, and this book is much like that. The stories are much shorter and not as interesting reading them on paper, but still- it works.

There are laughs, some really moving parts when it gets serious, some neat inside info. about his business (to a small degree). Uber fans will surely love it, and those like me who have enjoyed a few of his films will probably find it a good read as well. I'd give it a 4, but most of the stuff written about is just so mundane that I'd have to give it a solid 3.5

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.

I really enjoyed this book. Got it a few days ago. Kevin Smith is good at talking. And he talks a lot. So it would only make sense that he would make a book. If you like Kevin Smith, read it. If you don't know who he is, read it anyway. It has some good advice and funny stories. Yeah.

Kevin Smith is a champion to the champion-less. He is a friend to the friendless...and I hear he makes a mean steak on his Mangrate! Other than having a need for a big red "S" on his chest Kevin only needs realize that to his fans he really is a hero. He is the friend who made good and he is that kid down the block who always seemed a little wiser than he should for his age. There is no doubt that Kevin knows he's smart (he'd be the first to bring up Jen, his wife, to prove this fact) but he doesn't seem aware that he is a "cool guy". There is never a shortage of jerks ready to name call because they never had the drive to get up and do anything -- but they don't (and shouldn't) count. Kevin's strength lies in his openness he's written a few books now and with each one he opens a door into his life and he stands there letting every skeleton out into the streets to run amok...and we love him for it because his worst troubles only prove that he's smart enough to avoid the insanity that most stars fall into -- but you will still love this journey. He knows the jerks are going to be sitting waiting (they have nothing better to do) than to rip him apart just for being himself but he still throws it all out there. His life has come so far from waiting on customers and he knows it, but somehow he retains that simple guy attitude. This book is incredible fun and you'll be telling people these stories for years to come.

I'm a big Kevin Smith fan and the more I see of his stuff, the more I see material I've already seen before. Can't wait for Red State, but this stuff is ultimately boring.