Let me start by saying that I have always like Kevin Smith. Some of his films (like “Chasing Amy”) aren’t that great, but most of them are pretty darn funny. When the guy burst onto the film scene in the mid-1990s, I thought he had a lot of potential.

Smith is probably one of the top directors that I follow with interest. This is mainly because sometimes the story behind the man is more interesting than the actual work he does. My biggest disappointment with him in recent years is that it seems that he’s backing off from growing as a filmmaker.

This becomes very apparent in “An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder.” He confirms that he has no interest in doing any “Green Hornet” movie, and basically says that he’s planning on staying in the low-budget Jersey setting with Jay and Silent Bob.

I don’t mind getting more Jay and Silent Bob. I think they’re funny, and Smith does his best writing for their stories. However, I wish he wasn’t spooked so badly by “Jersey Girl.” Even today, he slams the movie himself while simultaneously struggling to give it its due.

Sadly, this timid kid from New Jersey has found a lucrative niche and doesn’t have the dog-eat-dog nature to become a Hollywood powerhouse. This probably will make him happier in the long run (which is really the most important thing), but one day he’ll become the Tommy Chong of a new generation – a guy who wakes up one day in his 60s still doing dick and fart jokes.

“An Evening with Kevin Smith 2” is the follow-up to his previous college speaking tour from several years ago. It follows him to Toronto and London with his live show. Smith continues to speak to audiences, and he packs the house. Having seen the first “An Evening with Kevin Smith,” I have noticed some changes. It used to be that Smith might actually look at a student’s work (or at least promise to), but now he just nips it in the bud. The guy is growing up and getting jaded by not just the industry, but his fans as well.

Smith’s strengths is his writing and use of words. He’s one of those few directors who can stand up in front of a crowd and flap his jaw for several hours without getting boring. His stories don’t always come across great, but there’s enough funny tales in his talk to warrant checking this DVD out. His trip to London is better than his trip to Canada, so the better stuff is loaded on disc two.

Like anything Kevin Smith does, there’s plenty of profanity and crass humor, but that’s what makes things so funny at times. Believe it or not, he uses the f-word more often in this installment, but perhaps that’s because he’s just a bit nervous.

The best moments in the DVD are the less prepared ones. Sure, he pre-packaged stories are funny, but nothing beats him trying to interpret British euphemisms for sex acts and mooching Tim Hortons’ timbits from an audience member.

This version of the show is a little more revealing of Smith’s fans. You see his teeth come out a bit, especially when some audience members throw out snarky comments about Ben Affleck’s acting and such. Also, we get to see how rock stupid some fans are when one college lunkhead dressed as Buddy Christ asks him to review some films but cannot even come up with a suggested film.

The DVD is shockingly thin with bonus features, especially for a Kevin Smith release. At least there are some decent easter eggs throughout the menus, giving us some deleted scenes from his live show. There’s a cute segment on disc two where he wanders London’s street with Jason Mewes to see if Mewes’ pick-up lines work on British chicks. Also, on disc one there’s a nice man-on-the-street moment with Smith searching for Canadian cuisine. Having recently been to Canada, I found myself laughing at how much the Canadians are proud of poutine – a dish I still don’t understand.



Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.0 Surround. Widescreen (1.78:1). French subtitles. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.