An Evening with Kevin Smith
To know the origin of "Snoochie-Boochies," youmustspendAn  Evening with Kevin Smith. The Jersey-bredauteurof low-budget comedy  proves equally adept as an uncensored raconteur, regaling five college  audiences--his most devoted demographic--in this two-disc compilation of lively  Q&A.; Sporting his trademark slacker garb, Smith occasionally bites the loyal,  sometimes moronic hands that feed him (as a result, audience participation is  drop-dead hilarious), but he's arguably the most publicly and personally honest  filmmaker to survive the insanity of Hollywood. His best stories lift the veil  of show-biz decorum, describing absurd meetings with studio executives over his  ill-fated screenplaySuperman Lives; razzing the artsy pretensions of  director Tim Burton; or exposing Prince (who hired him to direct a  never-completed documentary) as a self-absorbed Jesus freak. These attacks aren't  baseless; Smith's too smartly good-natured to provoke without purpose, and with  an onstage visit by Jason Mewes ("Jay" to Smith's "Silent Bob"), this ribald,  sharply assembledEveningcompares favorably to Richard Pryor with its  outrageous blend of comedy and candor.--Jeff Shannon