Chasing Amy (1997)

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Smith (written by)

Release Date:

4 April 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It's not who you love. It's how.

Plot:

Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.

Plot Keywords:

Bisexual | Catcher In The Rye | Bisexual Girl | Lesbianism | Television

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Ethan Suplee	...	Fan
Ben Affleck	...	Holden McNeil
Scott Mosier	...	Collector
Jason Lee	...	Banky Edwards
Casey Affleck	...	Little Kid
Dwight Ewell	...	Hooper X
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Alyssa Jones
Guinevere Turner	...	Singer
Carmen Llywelyn	...	Kim (as Carmen Lee)
Brian O'Halloran	...	Jim Hicks - Executive #1
Matt Damon	...	Shawn Oran - Executive #2
Alexander Goebbel	...	Train Kid
Anthony Torn	...	Cashier (as Tony Torn)
Rebecca Waxman	...	Dalia
Paris Petrick	...	Tory

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sex-related dialogue, language, sexuality and drug content.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | USA:R | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | USA:R (certificate #35184) | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | Finland:S (video rating) | Germany:16 | Israel:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Too Askew Prod. Inc.

Trivia:

Kevin Smith wrote the three issues of the "Bluntman and Chronic" comic book that Holden and Banky produced in the film, and then released through Image Comics. Inside each issue, Smith credited: Written by Banky Edwards and Holden McNeil, Pencils by Holden McNeil, Inks by Banky Edwards.

Goofs:

During the hockey fight #12's helmet is off, then on, then off again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Comic Book Writer #1: I don't know. I just love Chow Yun Fat. I just don't see him playing Mad Man.

Movie Connections:

References Dogma (1999)

Soundtrack:

Let's Go

Very impressive

When I watched this movie for the first time, I thought it was pretty funny, but I was younger so I didn't indulge its craftiness as much as I did on the second viewing just recently. Kevin Smith is a very talented writer/director who has a knack for offbeat plots and refreshingly original dialogue. He displays his talent greatly in this offbeat comedy. One impressive element of "Chasing Amy" is it contains very little of the standard, soapy, Hollywood-ish romance. It's very unpredictable, and doesn't contain the ending many would probably suspect. Of course, we know that Joey Lauren is going to end up in bed with Ben, but there wouldn't be any intrigue or conflict if that didn't happen. It's what happens afterwards that counts. The only cliche I spotted was the scene where Ben reveals his love for Joey. It takes place on a rainy night. And Joey gets outraged and runs out of the car--IN THE RAIN!! Hello? Pneumonia? You ever thought of that? I think if it was real life, she would've waited for Ben to drive her back--THEN shout out her feelings and leave. Other than that, the film approaches the romance genre and lesbianism with sheer originality and (sometimes brutal) honesty. In the scene where Jason Lee catches Ben in bed with Joey, all we see is his mouth opened wide and his coffee cup dropping to the floor. None of that melodramatic, confrontational crap we usually see when a character is surprised to catch their friend in bed with someone they don't expect. Though I often appraise Smith's witty dialogue, his love for dialogue is also a minor flaw. In some scenes, the characters use so many adjectives and metaphors that it just sounds more written than acted out. It just doesn't have that flow. And it's a little unconvincing to have a character use the term f**king c**ksucker over and over again in one scene, and delivering an intelligent monologue full of college-level SAT words in the next.

Despite its minor flaws, "Chasing Amy" is a film like no other. One that honestly stands alone. We've seen other films about lesbianism, but this is one to use the subject in a mature (though profane) and non-preachy manner. It doesn't take advantage of any of the stereotypes. And I like the surprise at the end where the character, who you least expect, delivers a thoughtful monologue that is the defining moment of the movie.