Chasing Amy

I won't sum up the movie as other reviewers have done a great job of that here. Two things that I wish to comment on, however: 1) The "F" word is used extensively here, some will say overused, as is explicit sexual dialog. If you're watching with children (despite the R rating), you are hereby warned. 2) This film has two of the most touching and emotional moments I've seen in a contemporary movie: Holden's declaration of love to Alyssa in the car (Affleck's delivery is so honest and true and impassioned that you will practically feel his nervous relief when he finally tells her) and Alyssa's tearful speech when she realizes that she must leave him (this portion of the script is brilliant and Alyssa's deep hard-hitting dialog could only have been written by someone who's been there).

On to the technical aspects of the disc -- The audio is absolutely perfect: not too loud, not too soft, the dialog/music/sound effects are all perfectly balanced. This is one of a small handful of DVD's where you can set the volume once and you don't need to constantly adjust it. (DVD producers should take note of this! There's nothing more annoying than having to crank up the volume because the dialog is too soft, only to have the house rattle once the music or sound effects kick in.) The video is a bit grainy at times, something I find very surprising coming from a contemporary Criterion release. This is minor, considering the excellence of the story itself.

The deleted scenes are interesting and funny. The commentary is good, but because it's a group effort, it can get annoying when everyone's trying to speak at once or when they don't stick to the on-screen action. Small doses are recommended for this one. Finally, the outtakes are funny, but too few.

In all, it's rare to see such an intelligent contemporary movie. This is a DVD worth owning.


Smith Goes Soft For a Favorable Change   July 27, 2000
S. Schell (Mason, OH United States)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful

So far in Kevin Smith's film career, "Chasing Amy" is his "Driving Miss Daisy" of movie achievements. He went from sardonic, sophomoric comedy to earthly, emotional realism, putting forth an intensely magnified story of sexuality and the fragile boundaries of love. His writing maturated into a tale well told involving common debate ground for customary issues, the ongoing battle of the sexes and the dire consequences of traversing to the other side of our ironclad gender coalitions.

The ill-fated tale begins with two twenty-somethings working together on their well-renowned comic book "Bluntman and Chronic". Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) and Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) are lifelong friends, and what better way to spoil their friendship than to bring a woman into the picture. Enter Hooper X, the author of a pro-black comic with a pronounced hedonistic and riotous reputation that belies his true nature: he's as flamboyantly gay as they come. Hooper X is stereotypically but nonetheless hilariously portrayed by talented beau Dwight Ewell. He garners most of the laughs in this film to keep Smith's deeply emotive content from getting too serious. He acquaints a fellow comrade from the gay community to Banky and Holden at a comic book convention, unbeknownst to three of them that this mere introduction is the beginning of a whirlwind of emotional conflict.

The name of the whirlwind is Alyssa Jones, and upon their first meeting, Holden is on a mission to claim her. It's not until he and his wisecracking companion are invited to an outing at a gay bar does Holden realize Alyssa is a bona fide lesbian and his conquest for a breathless fling is shattered. Unfettered by her conspicuous sexual agenda, Alyssa pursues a warm and trusting friendship with Holden, spending time with him over the months, generally palling around and having a good time. After a stretch, Holden recognizes that his feelings for Alyssa are beyond platonic, and this is the point in the movie when everything straight becomes askew (no pun intended).

Banky consistently intercedes, knowledgeable of Holden's threshold of tolerance for relationships. He advises him that his newfound adoration will not have a pretty ending, but Holden and Alyssa are bull-headedly driven by their honest affections and defy the odds, including the coarse rebuff from her once-loyal lesbian clique. Eventually, provided the complicated circumstances and Banky's mistrust for Alyssa's sordid past, their relationship unravels and abruptly ends over a heated argument and a woeful awareness of the impossibility of their happiness.

Smith's writing and direction is in top form in his third installment of young adult films, reprising his references to notorious characters of the past, including Alyssa Jones herself, Brandy Spenning, and the unintended necrophiliac Caitlin Bree. He ties all of his stories together closely, showing us what a small world it really is, especially in New Jersey. It also comes as no surprise that Joey Lauren Adams was entitled to the lead role, being Kevin's girl and all (at the time). She actually proved to be a greater actress than I thought, admidst her nasal screaming and profane dialogue. Jason Lee has gotten better over the years, but it's like he's revisiting his Brody routine with all the endless diatribes he goes on. His character is witty, but Smith is stereotyping his acting ability every step of the way by always making him the sideman. Jason Mewes is much improved here, abating his hyperactive methodology for a more subdued and genuine disposition. Smith even poked fun at his own work by mocking the ridiculous "Snootchy Bootchie" dialect that Mewes popularized. A lot of the actor's lines are Smith's self-effacing humor at work, and they clash perfectly amongst the love and heartbreak of the movie.

Lastly, we have Ben Affleck as the sensitive chap, a warm and welcome presence after the total slimeball he played in Smith's horror of a screenplay "Mallrats". That material was well beneath him, and thank God Smith made it up to him by offering him the part of Holden. Ben is obviously the diamond in the rough here, fine-tuning the level of interest in the audience with his natural-born charisma. Let's face it: this man is gorgeous, a headturner. There's no way you can take your eyes off him, nor ignore that beautiful smile. He was perfect for this part and made a significant connection with male and female viewers. Women will watch this film and wonder, "Where the hell can I find a man like THAT? "

To sum all the parts, this is a very worthwhile film and can touch a lot of people, especially if they've loved and lost for whatever reason at some point in their lives. This is far from cinematic genius and I don't think Smith will ever be capable of creating a masterpiece, but his raw sincerity and whole-hearted approach is meaningful and direct. That alone is enough to help one gain a new or amended perspective of life, love and art.


I liked this movie when it came out, but I've grown up.   March 12, 2004
18 out of 34 found this review helpful

This film is a shameful commentary on homosexuality-- suggesting that men and women can just "turn it off" when they want to. This film is what I call "sensitive chauvinism." It comes accross as harmless, though it is really offensive on many levels when you look a little below the surface.

Also, it's a "chick flick" for guys who think they're too cool for "chick flicks." Smith tries to mask the melodrama and sappiness of this film by throwing in a lot of crude language and crude discussions-- but once you get past that, you may as well be watching Notting Hill.

Kevin Smith is perhaps the most overrated director out there right now. His characters are nothing more than one dimensional caricatures and his dialogue stinks. His "comedy' is crude and often insulting. He has made a living off making films for insecure young men who live in their parents' basements.


I think Kevin Smith is a great writer   March 1, 2002
Clare Quilty (a little pad in hawaii)
17 out of 24 found this review helpful

but I really hated this movie.

I think it's full of promise that quite simply goes unfulfilled, and I am astonished that so many people feel as passionately positive as they do about it.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people that loves to dislike stuff just to be contrary; i'm not one of those [people] who writes negative reviews just for the "pleasure" of raining on the parade... Too many people have told me how wrong I am, how I missed the point, how this little gem somehow escaped me. I've watched it six times. I've listened to the commentary track on the DVD. I even had the pleasure of hearing Kevin Smith give an informal chat a couple years ago, and he had some great, interesting things to say about the film.

But the movie just doesn't work for me for several distinct reasons.

First of all, these are some really interesting characters. They're artists who have made some success for themselves. And yet most of what they talk about boils down to: "wow, a straight guy is in love with a lesbian, what DOES this mean?" During the course of the movie, they discuss little else.

Banky and Holden view homosexuality on about a fifth grade level. It's like neither one of them have ever been out of the house before. With so little knowledge of the world, how did they ever find such a cool place to live? The extent of their ignorance is pretty ridiculous and unconvincing.

Yes, I know, their limitations serve the story so that Holden can see the light and learn something at the end... but what he learns is the kind of pat lesson that's usually followed by the expression, "Duh..."

And, yes, I know there are people like Banky and Holden all over the place. That doesn't mean I want to see a movie about idiots.

On the flip side, the ideas the movie puts forward about homosexuality are smug, simplistic and self-serving. And the movie doesn't play straight with the issues, either, because in the end the thing that comes between Holden and Alyssa isn't the fact that she's a lesbian; what really comes between them is the fact that Alyssa used to have wild sex with guys Holden didn't like. So, basically, the whole homosexuality subtext gets the "bait-and-switch" treatment and that makes the whole movie ring false.

Like I said, these are interesting characters. It's a shame they aren't given something real to talk about. Instead, they mug, they ACT up a storm in the parking lot, they do schtick, they do the montage thing, they throw darts at a target that appears to be three feet off the floor....

But I've argued my points with fans of the movie across so many tables, I've seen Janet Maslin congratulate Quentin Tarantino on TV for having the good sense to like "Chasing Amy," and I've been subjected to the shaking heads of people who mutter, "It's a great movie, man, you just don't get it."

I do get it. I just wish there was MORE to get.


The Most Overrated Filmmaker Ever   November 26, 2003
17 out of 58 found this review helpful

I'm not sure how many reviews I've written about Kevin Smith's films. Probably about three or four for each one. Every couple of months, I write another one. And Amazon.com deletes them. I don't give away anything, I don't use bad language...I'm not sure why they keep deleting them. I skewer complete sewer sludge like NOTTING HILL and NOTHING BUT TROUBLE, so it's not that they won't run bad reviews.

So here goes (again):

Kevin Smith is the most overrated filmmaker in Hollywood. Perhaps ever. You would think someone who reads comic books all the time would have at least some visual style, but no. I've seen better camera work by a drunk fourteen-year-old with a camcorder at a relative's wedding reception.
And I'm still not sure how continually casting yourself in your own movies as a mute while having everyone else spout your snide and cute remarks translates into "genius," but maybe we're drifting into comedy's Bermuda Triangle of Jerry Lewis and the French and all that.
And, yet, somehow, he's reaching "auteur" status.

Please, somebody, make a good comedy and remind us what they were like!