Chasing Amy (1997)

Directed by: Kevin Smith
Written by: Kevin Smith
Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee
Rated: R

Here we are again, back on the Kevin Smith train. Thankfully for us it is no longer idling in the terminal and is finally pushing forward at full speed. I understand that this film was made 15 years ago, but it's all new to me, and I'm slugging my way through his major works. Not necessarily discarding the whole geek chic, stoner, fan boy charm which has made him so popular, Smith has nevertheless decided to make what I would consider a film for adults. Whether or not maturity suits Smith is something left to be discussed, but at any rate it's nice to see him pushing himself.

Continuing on with the same basic structure of "Clerks." and "Mallrats", two buddies, Holden (Ben Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee), have their friendship put to the test when that great, big, ugly word Love rears its ugly head and threatens to get in their way. The two are comic book artists who have made their fame on a story based on Smith's recurring characters Jay and Silent Bob. At a Comicon convention, Holden meets a fellow artist named Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) who seems to have everything Holden is looking for.

Just one problem: Alyssa is a lesbian. At first weirded out and dejected, Holden and Alyssa soon develop a strong friendship with one another. And how could they not? The former is handsome, talented, emotional and just a generally sweet guy. The latter is almost sickly cute, a bit brash, overtly sexual (there is a hilarious homage to "Jaws" in which Alyssa and Banky compare battle wounds they received in bed while performing oral sex on women), and a lovely human being. Holden soon learns, however, that his feelings are too strong to remain in the dreaded friend zone and tries to progress things further.

There were many twists in this movie which I didn't see coming. Looking over my notes on the film I continued to get angry while watching it because I did not agree with the way in which Smith tackled stereotypes of the gay community or cliches on love stories. But the man was two big steps ahead of me the whole time and I ate my words more than once. It seems inevitable that Alyssa and Holden will have to be together, and although Smith tackles the problem of being gay as a choice, we still have to wonder whether it was in poor form to revert the story back to the traditional man-woman formula.

But never fear! Smith's (again) recurring character that Lee plays--the almost offensively rude, humorous, yet surprisingly deep sidekick--comes to the rescue, providing us with information that thickens the plot and propells the story to a cringe-worthy and laugh out loud funny climax...pun absolutely intended.

Dramatically and tonally this movie walks a straight line about as easily as I do after a bottle and half of wine. There are moments of Smith's classic tongue and cheek as well as his verbose and immediately recognizable ear for dialogue, which will certainly appeal to die-hard fans. On the other hand, he has also tackled some prickly themes and there are moments when the gimmicks are stipped away leaving only raw drama left on screen. Both aspects are good, just a little wobbly when placed together.

I hope that Smith continues to refine his craft in the future (again, speaking as someone travelling along with him in a linear and ignorant fashion), because I know that there is more in him than simply comic books and his repetetive characters with their basic, repetetive problems. Keep that train a puffin', Mr. Director, you're on the right track.

2.5/4