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Chasing Amy - Criterion Collection

Chasing Amy - Criterion Collection

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: because the other three are a figment of your imagination
Review: this movie is great but dont forget to watch clerks and mallrats first and for the funniest thing youll hear all day anything by kevin smith

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "It ends on such a down note."
Review: "That's all life is a series of down endings." Many movie buffs may remember that quote from Kevin Smith's first movie, Clerks, when the two clerks were discussing the difference between the endings of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In a way, Chasing Amy is much like that in comparison to the endings of Smith's earlier films, Clerks and Mallrats. While this movie still gives the great laughs of the earlier movies, it also has a great amount of seriousness in it. These elements fuel the charm and feeling of Chasing Amy.

Holden McNeil(Affleck)and Banky Edwards(Lee)are two comic book artists who work on the comic book, Bluntman and Chronic(based on two rather familiar characters). Life seemed to be going good for them. Then Holden meets Alyssa Jones, a fellow comic book artist and he becomes smitten with her, even after finding out she's a lesbian. Tensions soon stir between Holden and Banky over
their friendship and Holden soon learns more about Alyssa than he can handle.

Chasing Amy is a pure five-star flick. I'm surprised this movie didn't win any major awards. Affleck and Adams are great as the main characters, but Lee gives the best performance. Also check out Dwight Ewell as Hooper X. His confrontations with Lee give the movie it's most hilarious moments, especially with the Archie and Jughead discussion... And of course this movie gives two other great performances by the two men themselves, Jay and Silent Bob. I kinda wish they'd put Mewes in more movies.

Check this one out. You won't regret it. ...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Funny and Perceptive Comedy
Review: Obviously influenced by Spike Lee (like so many recent filmmakers) in his use of local flavor in his films, Kevin Smith nonetheless dares to go where Spike Lee fears to tread. Smith attacks his subject matter head on without pulling any punches. If Spike had made this film, you better believe he would have had a different third act! Without giving it away, it came as quite a surprise.

Comparing CHASING AMY to Spike's SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, Smith seems to have done a better job in the research department. In contrast to Nola Darling in SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, Allysa (played by Joey Lauren Adams) is more than just a "type." You really get a sense of her as a character. In CHASING AMY, you also get the sense that Smith has taken the time to understand something about the gay and lesbian community.

One minor criticism about Adams's performance is her odd sounding voice. It really starts to wear on you at times, particularly in the most emotional scenes. That aside, Adams is very attractive in the role and gives a winning performance.

Ben Affleck and Jason Lee are great as best friends who also produce a comic strip together. Dwight Ewell is a scene stealer in his role. To get a sense of what he's like, just imagine James Baldwin as a cartoonist.

The film has several very funny moments. One of the most memorable involves Jason Lee's character comparing "battle scars" with Allysa. Another is when Allysa describes to Holden how she has sex with a woman.

Overall, CHASING AMY is a very entertaining film. A bit low-brow at times, but very perceptive and insightful. Definitely worth chasing down a copy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Jay and Silent Bob
Review: I like this movie, but not as much as Mall Rats or Clercks. This movie is funny in its portrayal of the pursuit of the unattainable. Which, once it is attained, of course it is not fully appreciated. There is a lot of crude humor in this film, so it is definitely not appropriate for children. I enjoyed watching the cut scenes and the outtakes. A must see for Jay and "Silent" Bob fans.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: And from out in left field...
Review: After Clerks and Mallrats, one a more genuine, lifelike comedy and the other a funny slapstick piece, I don't know that anybody expected Kevin Smith to something like Chasing Amy.

It should be made pretty clear: this is romantic drama movie that has funny parts in it. All the romantic comedies that Hollywood throws at the screen don't have what Chasing Amy has. Most of the humor here is allowed to come from the characters themselves, instead of situation (hence sit-coms as staple bad comedy). And it's all accomplished by Kevin Smith dialogue. It's not exactly what people say in real life, at times, but there is a definite ring of truth to what characters say in Smith's films, which just makes it all work.

One thing that will be noteworthy in Chasing Amy is the urge to smack Holden (Ben Affleck) around at times. That's okay--his character is very, very human. Banky (Jason Lee) has some elements in common with Brody (Lee's character in Mallrats), but here there are sub-surface layers that run a lot deeper. Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) is also a very good, multi-layered character, and the interaction between Adams and Affleck is one of the things that drives the movie in a lot of respects. There doesn't seem to be too much contrivance in the things that the characters go through--it's a film about the mistakes imperfect people make in their lives.

As a film, Chasing Amy is Kevin Smith's best piece by a fairly big margin. Since it's not really a comedy, by any measure, it can't be judged as a comedy--and as a film about people (with funny parts--even outright comedic ones like the first scene with Hooper X) it succeeds by quite a big margin. Touching as it does on indie comics, as well, was a great move on Smith's part--it may be a relatively minor factor, but that also helps establish the characters on a particular fringe and give the film a bit of a life of its own on that direction.

One issue that turns up--and is not always batted away by Smith in comedic fashion--is sexuality. Particularly, the attitude Holden has and the one Banky has are seen as shallow and must be accounted for in the course of the film. (Where the change is more lasting is up for debate, but there is definitely a confrontation with the values held.) Meanwhile, Alyssa comes to terms with her own issues, though Holden coming to terms with them is considerably harder. It is this element that could have easily ruined a perfectly good film, but instead simply contributes to the depth of the characters and their development. I'm not writing this to say that the movie will change anyone's sexuality, but simply that it does ask the viewer at times to reconsider the light he or she views the issue in...which is pretty daring for a film from someone who preceded it with two comedies.

This film belongs in the DVD library of anyone who likes Smith's work, or just likes honest, character-driven films. The DVD extras--particularly deleted scenes that add some more to character or humor (particularly the extended opening)--make buying this on DVD the only option. The only problem is that the DVD cover features an overly prettyboyish Ben Affleck, sans goatee and general attitude that he carried so well in the film.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Chick Flick??
Review: I'll start off the review by admitting that I only watched this film because my girlfriend begged me to. "It's a chick flick," I mumbled before I popped it into my VCR. I was wrong. I must have forgot that it was directed by Kevin Smith, the hilarious man behind Clerks. Chasing Amy is a raw, harsh, and occasionally side-splitting movie with additude and a severe potty-mouth. What else would you expect from the creator of Jay and Silent Bob?

Well, I've come to expect entertaining sight gags and beautifully tasteless humor from Mr.Smith. When I watch a Kevin Smith movie I want to laugh until I pass out. This movie does deliver the comical punches...but not often enough for my tastes. The space between scenes with a "giggle factor" is sometimes enormous, and by the end of the movie you say outloud, "Ha?" This isn't your average comedy...mainly because it's not a comedy. When Smith focuses on the drama the film gets bogged down, dramatic dialogue just isn't his strong point. So, if by the mid-way point you become tired of the movie, hold on for a little longer, or you'll miss the much needed Jay and Silent Bob cameos. If you like romance with an edge, or melodrama, you'll eat this movie up. But beware, those who worship Clerks, I'm afraid you may be dissapointed. Snoochie Booches!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a work of art
Review: This movie is not stop laughs but watch it again and you will start to notice how deep it is. I may be reading too much into this movie but its full of lessons and its a way of life

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I stayed up for THIS ?
Review: When i started watching chasing amy i loved it thought i might want to record it WELL THANK GOD I DIDN'T. The first part of chasing amy i loved but the end was simply Idiotic.this movie was a total letdown and i wish i had never seen it. Jay & silent bob didn't show up till the end,which totally.... I could have written this movie better....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Kevin "GOD" Smith at his best!
Review: Firstly, can I say that Kevin Smith is one of the top 5 best writers/directors in the universe! He is fabulous! An inspiration. Now, "Chasing Amy". I feel it is one of the greatest films ever made. No joke. The acting is grrreat. The directing...it's all brilliant! I'm not gonna go on into depth...all I mean is, this film is art (even the Jay & Silent Bob scene)!
Kevin, you've done it again!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Personally this is my favorite movie!
Review: Chasing Amy is without a doubt my favorite film of all time, it has everything a good movie should have Comedy, Drama, and Jay and Silent Bob, Very well writen by Kevin Smith, and Unbelievable perfomances By Ben Affleck , and Jason Lee (who you can also see in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back in theaters now)If you have seen this movie on Video you aint seen nothing yet, the DVD is filled with tons of extras, including the deleated sceens witch are funny as hell!


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