Every Kevin Smith Movie Ranked Worst To Best

After his heart attack in 2018, Kevin Smith isn't even supposed to be here today — but boy, are we glad he still is! The New Jersey native with the gift of the gab has spent the better part of the past three decades willing his whimsy into reality. They say write about what you know, and Smith has made a solid career out of doing precisely that, much to the adoration of his die-hard fans across the globe.

It's more than that though. As one of the original indie filmmakers of the early '90s, Smith proved that anyone could make a movie. While Quentin Tarantino splattered us with blood and Wes Anderson perfected immaculate shots, Smith seemed like one of us — just a regular guy, with a regular life, who loved dissecting the big issues of the day like movies, TV, and the logistics of building a Death Star.

Cut to 2022 and both Smith and his work have not only endured, they feel more relevant than ever. As comic books and "Star Wars" dominate our downtime, mainstream audiences have finally caught up with Smith's meta mindset. Still, some of us were here from the beginning, and while each of his films holds a special place in our celluloid-loving hearts (if we have to choose), here's our rundown of every Kevin Smith movie, ranked from worst to best. Snoogans.

If there's a trend running through Smith's work, it's that the films in which he's forced to play in someone else's sandbox usually tend to connect with his fans the least. That's certainly true for 2010's buddy-cop comedy "Cop Out." Starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, the film marked Smith's first attempt at directing a screenplay he didn't write, a bit of a milestone given the strength of his writing and knack for crafting distinct character voices.

Originally titled "A Couple of Dicks," "Cop Out" went through a few censorship-induced title changes, but these proved to be the least of its worries. The story is simple. Willis plays a hot-shot cop who loses a valuable baseball card that he was going to use to pay for his daughter's wedding. With his loudmouth partner (Morgan), he sets out to retrieve it, only to get embroiled in a case involving a memorabilia-loving gangster.

Taking a pay cut to direct a childhood hero, Smith's dreams were quickly squashed thanks to Willis' apparent difficult behavior on set. Over the years, the ever-talkative Smith hasn't shied away from recounting the experience — warts and all. According to reports, at one point he ended up punching a wall out of frustration. Smith later told "WTF" host Marc Maron the experience was "soul-crushing," but he seems to have since found peace following Willis' recent aphasia diagnosis.

Despite arguably inspiring the frat-pack scene that dominated comedy following Judd Apatow's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," these comparisons ultimately came back to haunt Smith during one of his non-Askewniverse efforts. Released in 2008, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" splices the director's trademark irreverent humor and love of pop culture with the world of pornography as lifelong pals Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) attempt to shoot their very own raunchy movie to make ends meet.

"Zack and Miri Make a Porno" mixes a great cast, featuring Apatow-alums Rogan, Banks, and Craig Robinson, with Smith's own View As-crew members like Jason Mewes and "Clerks" star Jeff Anderson. He even throws in a few real-life pornstars, with Traci Lords and Katie Morgan delivering some of the film's more risqué sequences. Overall, it remains a solid entry into Smith's filmography. However, it wasn't enough to continue Rogen's box-office joyride, ultimately earning him his lowest opening. Smith later eulogized things by saying, "That was supposed to be the one that punched us through to the next level. Everyone thought it would do $60 to $70 million, and it wound up doing Kevin Smith business."

Kevin Smith's universe comes full circle in this road trip fueled by pot smoke, fart jokes, and more self-referential humor than you can fit inside Silent Bob's trenchcoat. Upon hearing that Miramax is making a cash-in superhero flick of the Bluntman and Chronic characters they're the basis for (and after witnessing the hate their bong-hitting heroes receive online), Jay and Bob make for Los Angeles to stop the production and clear their good names.

Plenty of goofy action happens along the way, from a run-in with a gang of sexy jewel thieves and a stolen monkey to the duo evading Will Ferrell's rubbish federal wildlife marshal. However, like "Reboot," "Strike Back" really wins because of its guest roles. Alongside satisfying returns from various "Clerks," "Chasing Amy," and "Mallrats" faces, it's also full of genuinely hilarious moments that give the film irresistible fourth-wall-breaking energy, which was extra fun in a pre-"Deadpool" world.

We have "Strike Back" to thank for Jay's now-iconic expletive-filled rap alongside Holden McNeil's (Ben Affleck) razor-sharp takedown of online movie trolls. However, both pale in comparison to its stellar cameos, including Chris Rock's white-guy-hating director, a dollar-counting Gus Van Sant, and the piece-de-resistance, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's sublime "Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season." Remember: "Lion face! Hmmm. Lemon face! Argh!"

After taking Sundance by storm with "Clerks," everyone was eager to see what this checkout boy turned filmmaker would do next. It turns out that he kept things local by replacing a tiny convenience store with a huge mall for another adventure in retail.

"Mallrats" is a day-in-the-life tale following two friends hanging out at the mall while trying to forget that they've both been dumped. Despite only being Kevin Smith's second film, he wastes no time cementing much of the lore that's since become the cornerstones of his brand. 

Smith also elevates Jay and Silent Bob, transforming them from the drug dealing drop-outs of "Clerks" to larger-than-life comic book characters. The film's hero-heavy storyline (which even boasts an appearance from the OG true believer, Stan Lee) has helped it rewrite its troubled history. When "Mallrats" debuted back in 1995, it was considered a down-and-out flop. Cut to the hero-obsessed culture of 2022, and it's damn near prophetic.

The disparity between "Red State" and the rest of Smith's work is startling and alluring in equal measure. When word first got out that the guy behind "Clerks" was taking a stab at horror, interests were piqued. When Tarantino fave Michael Parks was announced as its lead, and the always-dependable John Goodman joined, fans were downright champing at the bit to see what he was up to.

Smith's genre segue follows three teens who stumble upon the terror dwelling inside a fundamentalist church, the patrons of which are eagerly awaiting the rapture. Its aces in the hole are Parks and Goodman, who transform Smith's typically bawdy to something Coen brothers-esque. The only thing more alluring is the suggestion that Smith originally toyed with all the way and ending his religious cult movie with the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), cooler heads prevailed.

Feathers were ruffled when a faux-auction saw Smith sell "Red State" rights to himself and touring it under his own SModcast Pictures label. Looking back, it not only marks a ballsy gamble on Smith's part but also a turning point where he ditched expectation and embraced his weirdness.

On the surface, creating a sequel to something as influential and zeitgeisty as "Clerks" seems like a terrible idea. However, instead of trying to recapture the same magic, Smith's follow-up, set a decade after his 1994 original, takes his regular joes somewhere new while keeping their problems meaningful and relatable.

After Randal (Jeff Anderson) accidentally burns down the Quick Stop, he and Dante (Brian O'Halloran) go to work at fake fast-food chain Mooby's. With their weird subordinate Elias (Trevor Fehrman), they quickly return to doing what they do best: moaning about life and chatting. While his heroes try to figure out if "The Lord of the Rings" is a better trilogy than "Star Wars," Kevin Smith weaves something deeper into the mix: ideas of maturity, male friendship, and love.

"Clerks II"'s biggest success is its ability to move its characters forward, elevating it from a cash-in sequel to a film with something to say. Smith doesn't limit the character development to his protagonists either. "Clerks II" also features a newly reformed Jay and Silent Bob embracing sobriety (they were arrested for driving with a deployed airbag, something Mewes actually did in real life) while managing to retain their edge. It also might be the only movie to feature a donkey show as a key third-act plot point — which is highly impressive.

Smith's fourth film manages to perfectly harness everything that makes his movies great while also marking the most ambitious outing of his early career. Packed with lore, "Dogma" feels like something ripped straight from one of Smith's beloved comics. It follows Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck), two disgraced angels who get booted from heaven only to find a rare religious loophole that could get them back in.

In addition to featuring some of Smith's best dialogue (Bartleby and Loki casually discussing the exhaustiveness of mass genocide and Jay's gloriously meta John Hughes rant are particular faves), it also has a jam-packed cast. Chris Rock delivers one of his most memorable roles as Rufus, the 13th apostle (cut from the bible because he's Black), Jason Lee sizzles as demon Azrael, George Carlin sleazes it up as Cardinal Glick, and Salma Hayek dazzles as Serendipity. Meanwhile, Alan Rickman turns in one of his most enjoyable performances as the cynical Metatron (aka the voice of God). 

That said, the star of the show has to be Jason Mewes, who not only steps up to the plate to carry much of the movie as Jay but does so in a way that redefined the role moving forward. With "Dogma," Smith mixes realness with a big budget without losing any of his cool.