Well, thanks to Kevin’s posting his itinerary, Mrs. Mabel and I thought we’d have a go at trying to get into last night’s Philly screening. You know, see if anyone had come alone and could walk us in. We got lucky (after a last minute scramble to a nearby comic store that was rumored to have tix, but disappointed) and found a couple of generous folks who were happy to help us out.

JG turns out to be a sweet, modest, tender piece of work. Talk about “One From The Heart”. It’s still recognizably Kevin, while doing things you’ve never seen in a Kevin Smith film before. There’s solid laughs that made the audience roar, wonderful acting (Affleck and Tyler make a believable and incandescent couple), and the razor sharp writing that KS fans treasure.

When it’s over, it lingers with you like a pleasant evening with good friends. I think it’ll do well.

There was a Q&A after the screening and one guy (who’d been quite vocal about this topic during the screening) wanted to know why there were so many shots of people pulling their pants down (?). “You don’t pull your pants down, dude?” Kevin asked. “I mean, even in the shower?” The guy also faulted the music, finding it corny, but had no suggestions. Kevin politely suggested that the fellow, er, conclude what he had to say, much in the manner of Julianne Moore’s character in “Magnolia”.

There was also frank and candid talk about Mewes and how his personal problems made it difficult for Kevin to face making another film with him, which was partly why he started on the path that led to JG. He said Jay’s 1 year of sobriety date will be April 6, “so I said I’d throw him a party and get him a rum cake.” It’s really something to hear him talk about how he tried to deal with all this, rejecting the tough love approach at first, trying it out of desperation, things getting worse, until finally the clouds broke. But at no time no you ever get the impression that he would have abandoned him. That just wasn’t an option. This is the kind of guy you want to have in your corner.

Other topics included Kevin’s late father, the Peter Biskind book, Carlin (“His dream role is to play a priest that strangles six kids”), and the uncanny resemblance that Raquel Castro bears to Jennifer Lopez. The Ollie Trinkes that ran the event started to try and wind it up, but Kevin kept soliciting questions, even when they were blinking the lights off and on. I swear, the hardest working man in show business.

And yes, I got to see myself on the big screen, something I don’t get to do everyday. Thank you, Kevin.

And I may have to look into this Atkins thing. I’m here to tell you, the guy looks great.