Rating: 
Summary: Kevin Smiths BEST!
Review: Easily the best of Kevin Smith's movies, it somehow accomplishes being both a Smith comedy (rude, edgy, but extremely funny) and a love story in one. The performances given by the three main performers are easily the best I've seen them give. Ben Affleck as the love-struck artist, Joey Lauren Adams as the woman with a past, and Jason Lee as the comedic sidekick with a penchance for gay jokes. Through all the comedic scenes, it still retains it's strong and surprisingly deep relationship theme. Doesn't sound like much on the surface? Keep going. Affleck falls for Adams, but one problem...she's gay. This leads to some thought-provoking scenes about gay-bashing and identity. The dynamics of this love-triangle comes full bloom when Affleck and Adams begin dating, while Lee tries to protect his childhood friend from possible heartbreak causing clashes between the characters. Lee's buffoon type character lays out the wisdom when he sees where this is all going and quips "this will all end badly". The DVD itself is packed with all kinds of excellent bonuses, including a wildly funny and informative commentary track with many of the Askew clique. Also, Ben Affleck is the funniest person in these extras! Watch in particular as he stalker-like hits on one of the Criterion people who help introduce deleted scenes. One of my Top Five movies and a MUST-HAVE!
Rating:
Summary: Writing Can't Get Any Better Than This!
Review: Though Clerks and Mallrats (also written by Kevin Smith) are exceptional Chasing Amy blows them out of the water. With a story line that never ends in emotional twist, Smith has undoubtedly made many people, that have seen this movie already, take in perspective thier own life and fit it into the plot. This comedy is more darker than his first two but more true to the human soul. If I had three thumbs I'd put all three up to Kevin Smith for this one!
Rating: 
Summary: A Potentially Great Movie with a Script Problem
Review: CHASING AMY has one of the funniest opening sequences you'll ever see. But how many movies have started with a great ten minutes, only to fall into a memory hole and never be heard from again? Remember DOCTOR DETROIT? It's almost as if the Hollywood moguls read the first few pages and make their decision. After the opening sequence, the problem in CHASING AMY was: "what kind of a movie is this?" Previous reviewers call it a comedy, a romance, a psychological exploration of relationships, a comment on lesbianism, etc. It appears unfortunately that the author never figured out what it was. The movie contains one of the best acting jobs I've seen in a long time--Joey Lauren Adams' portrayal of the "Amy" prototype. She portrayed, in a series of dazzling changes, the gamut of emotions, the highs and lows of great comedic performances reminding us of Carole Lombard. In a way she is the whole movie--she has all the contradictions that the script has. But what goes seriously wrong is the characterization of her boy friend. The author was obviously torn between a "straight man" approach -- I mean this in the vaudevillian sense, as someone who sets up Ms. Adams so that she can shine -- and a "straight guy," meaning a bourgeois nebbish who happens to be handsome and happens to have a cool job and happens to wear trendy clothes. You just can't get into his character at all. I felt like shouting at the DVD, "Go read a couple of books, you dum-dum; maybe that will help you get over your annoying, cloying bourgeois mentality." The guy really doesn't have a clue, and "Amy" has to teach him everything. But on the positive side, we were not given a sappy ending. "Amy" and this nerd were really not meant for each other, and I cheered when they didn't get together in the end. She really deserved someone with at least half her intelligence. Bottom line: you're probably going to like this movie, but start out with a high tolerance for the script. After all, the actors are doing the best they can.
Rating:
Summary: could have been so much better
Review: don't get me wrong, this is a fabulous film: funny in many ways and places. but what .... about it is that this is basically a film about a bisexual woman; kevin smith is supposed to be an innovative and brave bloke, so why either shy away from the actual truth about one of the most interesting characters i've seen in cinema recently, or alternativley pander to the hopes/dreams- and eventually fears- of sad straight blokes that this lesbian can somehow be converted, but then not after all. it could have been so much better. this aside, there are some ace bits for the discerning queer viewer too: the pronoun game played in reverse, "just how long can a tongue be?" et al. good for entertainment, i suppose: but not if you give a .... about the importance of tackling biphobia. watch it, if you want. she is quite cute after all!
Rating: 
Summary: Trying not to be trite
Review: I was swayed by the reviews. Heterosexual chases lesbian is usually something I'd avoid. I should have trusted my tried and true instincts. There are certain themes that have been done and done again. The only way someone else can do them is to come from a totally new perspective. Because this has the "aura" of comic books, I imagine a number of people feel they see that new perspective. I don't. It's the same old same old. Different clothes, but nothing new. No insight. The photography isn't exceptional. The direction isn't exceptional. The acting is almost acting. I respect Criterion. If this hadn't been a Criterion release I probably wouldn't have purchased it. I'll still consider Criterion a cut above, but this really doesn't deserve the attention it has gotten. Well I guess it really did. Cause it didn't make a bunch of money.
Rating: 
Summary: Chasing Amy is true romance at its best
Review: In Chasing Amy, you have the story of two people who are in truly in love. Hopefully that did not spoil the movie for you. I did not say which two people were in love. On a different note though this movie was suprisingly good. The characters were will developed and the plot was as about unpredictable as they get. Quite honestly this movie made me want to fall in love with someone all over again! If you have a DVD player, this is a must! The extra are nice. There are a bunch of outtakes, deleted scences and even hilarious camera stuff. A must have for the serious DVD collector!
Rating:
Summary: Watch it!
Review: If ever you had a friend who couldn't deal with you after a relationship this is the film for you. As always Kevin Smith picks up on the little things in life that hit home with so many of us. This film is no different and if you can't identify with one of these characters you most have been living in a closet all your life.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, Great DVD
Review: Chasing Amy is a great movie. It rivals Clerks as Kevin Smith's best film. It is an honest, hillarious film about relationships that features appealing performances from Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The DVD has some great special features, including deleted scenes, and outtakes. What makes the features so great is the hillarious introductions to the deleted scenes and outakes, featuring the cast and director. The directors commentary is the best and most entertaining I have ever heard. It is a perfect DVD, in fact it is second only to FIGHT CLUB as my favorite DVD of all time.
Rating:
Summary: DVD feature review
Review: I give this DVD 5 stars for the movie itself, not necessarly the features. By the other reviews you can see that this is an outstanding film. I agree. I'll move on to the features. It took a really long time for this DVD to be released. You'd think that with all of that time, would come some really creative features. Well... as they say on the disc, it's basically a duplicate of the laserdisc, which has been out for awhile. While that doesn't mean that it's bad... it just disapointed me a little bit. Anyway, each section (including the colorbars) has a video introduction, and there is some cool footage of the group after they finished commenting on the film for the dvd. Jay looks as much a stoner in real life as in the movie. The thing I noticed about this dvd, over others, is that it seems to have exceptionally clear sound, and a very clear picture. This was rewarding, as that is the reason I buy dvds instead of video.
Rating:
Summary: Smith Goes Soft For a Favorable Change
Review: 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.
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