Top 10 Best Kevin Smith Movies

Made for less than 30,000 dollars, shot in black and white and partly financed with credit cards, Clerks nonetheless revolutionized the indie film world. Two store clerks, endless conversations about Star Wars, sex and customers from hell: crude, hilarious and surprisingly philosophical. This is where it all began.

A controversial, brilliant film about faith, sin and... Alanis Morissette as God. Smith plays with Catholic doctrine as only he can: with a grin and a thoughtful message. Chris Rock, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Alan Rickman: an eclectic group, but it works wonderfully.

Perhaps his most mature film. Ben Affleck plays a comic book artist who falls in love with a lesbian woman and has to confront his own insecurities and prejudices. Smart, painfully honest and still relevant, proof that Smith can strike serious notes too.

A man is slowly transformed into a walrus. Sounds absurd? It is. And yet Smith makes something fascinating of it. Grotesque, uncomfortable and unpredictable, Tusk is Smith bringing his love of horror to life with guts and madness.

The cult film for everyone who spent their Saturdays at the mall in the '90s. Full of nerd references, raunchy jokes and Stan Lee. Poorly received at the time, now a full-blown cult classic, and the first film where Jay and Silent Bob really steal the show.

The ultimate View Askew mash-up: one long inside joke full of cameos, stoner humor and big winks at pop culture. It's all about fun, and it works. You don't need to know the earlier films, but it makes the ride more enjoyable. Snootchie bootchies!

Twelve years after the original, Smith returns to Dante and Randal, a little older but not much wiser. Less raw than the first film but with more heart. The conversations are classic Kevin Smith: hilarious, crude and secretly quite profound.

What do you do when you're broke? Make an adult film with your best friend, of course. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks bring great chemistry, while Smith mixes his crude humor with a surprisingly warm message about love and growing up.

Meta upon meta upon meta. Smith returns to his beloved characters Jay and Silent Bob and pokes fun at Hollywood, reboots and himself. For fans of the View Askewniverse, it's a feast of recognition, in-jokes and nostalgia.

Smith leaves his comedy comfort zone and dives into the world of religious extremism and armed cults. Red State is dark, raw and surprisingly intense. John Goodman shines as an ATF agent, and Michael Parks is chilling as the cult leader. Proof that Smith can do more than write stoner jokes.