10 Directors Who Never Topped Their First Film

8. Kevin Smith - Clerks

Zack Snyder Dawn of the Dead
Miramax Film

Kevin Smith is one of those filmmakers who forever splits opinion. While Kev has his passionate die-hard fans, he also has those who continue to dismiss his movie career as one based solely on, as he himself has put it at times, d*ck and fart jokes.

Whether you're a massive Smith fan - as your humble scribe here most certainly is - or one of the New Jersey native's big detractors, the one thing that many will agree on is that Kevin Smith has never bettered his 1994 debut feature, Clerks.

Some would argue that Chasing Amy maybe edges it out as Smith's best constructed picture, while others will point to the solid mainstream box office pull of Dogma, yet the majority of film fans will usually point to Kevin's black and white tale of two store clerks and their everyday routine as being the director's very best outing.

For those who do appreciate the filmmaking ways of Kevin Smith, he has an impressive back catalogue consisting of comic book heavy Mallrats, donkey show delivering Clerks II, the bible-thumping terror of Red State, the twisted body horror of Tusk, and the grin-inducing ensemble pieces of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot - yet it's Clerks that still stands on a pedestal.

Of course, the less said about Cop Out and Yoga Hosers, the better.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.