Some directors hit a rough patch in the latter stages of their careers.
Think Lawrence Kasdan and Barry Levinson as two obvious examples.
But writer/director Kevin Smith seems a bit young to be going through a career crisis.
The Red Bank, N.J., native broke into movies with "Clerks," a no-budget, no- star comedy that proved you didn't need either to break up audiences.
Smith went on to direct "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma," two challenging films with plenty of supporters. It's been rough times since then.
He tried to go the family friendly route with "Jersey Girl," but his loyal fan base summarily rejected it. "Clerks II" recaptured some of the old Smith magic, but it seemed more of a nostalgia trip than full-fledged romp. And "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" leaned on Smith's familiarity with R-rated fare without giving us any big guffaws.
His long-discussed horror debut, "Red State," continues to struggle for funding and may never get made.
This Friday, Smith directs his first feature not taken from his own screenplay. "Cop Out" stars Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis as mismatched cops—where have we seen that before?
The trailer is atrocious. Now, it could be the best bits aren't trailer-made for easy consumption, and maybe the prickly pairing of Willis and Morgan will pay dividends.
But if "Cop Out" is another Smith clunker, it's time to wonder if his best creative days are behind him.
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