As a long-term member of dooyoo.co.uk, finding my feet as a 'new boy' here at ciao is proving diffic...
As a long-term member of dooyoo.co.uk, finding my feet as a 'new boy' here at ciao is proving difficult. Stick with me though, more ops coming soon.
Member since:16.05.2001
Reviews:12
Members who trust:3
Something happened to me a while ago that I never thought would happen. 'Clerks’, my favourite film of all time, has been equalled.
Kevin Smith is, probably, the greatest script-writer of our time. He’s probably one of the greatest directors of our time, too. His debut ‘Clerks’ was a master-stroke, proving finally that people amused by knob-jokes can be intelligent and sentimental too, while the extremely under-rated follow-up ‘Mallrats’ contains pieces of dialogue that, if not for the crude/irrelevant subject matter, would and should be admired beside the greats of film for depth and wit. Basically, the guy rocks, and his cult following is, for once, more then justified. A while ago, I watched for the first-time in depth, his third movie ‘Chasing Amy’. Wow. Before now, doubts remained in my mind that Smith, while a genius of non-senseical banter between comedy characters, lacked the versatility in his writing to produce something truly moving. If anyone, like I did, harbours the impression that Smith is an expert in one field and one field only, then prepare to change your mind. With Chasing Amy we have a film so frustratingly under-rated and under-watched it’s sickening. It seems that beneath that bearded, apathetic face, there rests a mind rich in real life experience, in love, and in loss. Holden, the film’s lead, exclaims at one point “I want to do something more personal, like in the beginning” in reference to his art. I hear you, Kevin, I hear you.
Holden, a comic-book creator played by Ben Affleck, be-friends and eventually falls in love with a lesbian he meets at a comic book convention named Alyssa, played by Joey Lauren Adams (both actors played sub-characters in ‘Mallrats’). This causes conflict between him and his best friend (and co-creator) Banky, who is played by Jason Lee, the same actor who played Brodie in Mallrats. Everything, despite disapproval from Banky, is going great – Alyssa, despite her sexuality, falls in love with Holden (don’t be sceptical –
the way she changed her affections is covered in depth during the film, I’m merely providing an over-view) too. Things go pear-shaped when Holden discovers things about Alyssa’s past he finds hard to deal with, and what follows is an incredibly moving representation of a problem everyone ever coupled with another can relate to – dealing with the ex(s). Despite what you may think, the film is barely about falling in love with a lesbian at all, this area of the plot being irrelevant in the face of the real issues – dealing with your past, falling in love and coping with feelings of inadequately when faced with the daunting task of matching someone’s previous experiences – the fact that Alyssa is/was/maybe a lesbian is irrelevant, making the point that really, all relationships, be them the most bizarre twist on normality you care to dream-up, will inevitably face the same trials and tribulations. Holden copes with his first challenge of accepting Alyssa has slept with women, but when faced with the fact she has had similar experiences with men… he buckles.
Smith throws us a great deal of truths, about males in particular, and in the end the unusual premise is triumphantly ignored in the eyes of you as a viewer, because everything else about the relationship is so real. Afflect, regardless of what you or I may have thought after his other films, proves himself as a superb actor, the same going for Joey Lauren Adams. Smith’s lines are not easy to deliver – Jeremy London, who played T.S in Mallrats proved that, but both the main stars (and of course Lee, the master) deliver. This films greatest triumph in my eyes, is that despite countless windows for both script and acting, never once is the story corny, or unreal. Unlike every other romantic-comedy I’ve seen in my entire life, Chasing Amy is genuinely moving, without a single cliché or cringe-worthy, ham-acted scene in the entire of it’s duration. This is why the film is beyond anything other I have seen from the genre, and that’s why no one should turn their nose up at it for a second. People consider ‘Sleepless In Seattle’ or some other Hanks/Ryan/equivalent film to be the pinnacle of romantic-comedies, but with Chasing Amy Kevin Smith pi***s all over them from a great height – better story, better script, better casting and better execution. The script for Chasing Amy is unlike anything I have witnessed – think Clerks or Mallrats, think Randall’s Death-Star speech or Brodie’s Superman one, and replace the subjects with those of real, high-intensity emotion, ensuring the clarity of deliverance is in-tact. This is Smith, with all the expected brilliance – a refreshing, real, organization of words combined with down-to-earth subjects, only now think emotion instead of vulgarity. Anyone who mistakes Kevin Smith only as a smart-arse funny-man is in for a shock. The chemistry between the two lead characters is, for once, realistic and fair. Smith’s directing skills are in full-flight, squeezing the best performances out of his actors in any of his films so far, even Clerks.
Normally, I might stop there, but with this particular writer/director there is much more to say. As expected, there are many references to the early films that a fan would spot (and a non-fan would accept regardless). Alyssa has connection with ‘Trish The Dish’ from Mallrats and Dante’s girlfriend in Clerks, who accidentally makes love to the dead guy in the bathroom, while Banky tells a story in which he performed sexual acts upon non other then Brandie Sveening, T.S’s girlfriend also in Mallrats. There are other minor references, all pleasing to the fan’s ear, but of course it doesn’t stop there. Further homage is made to Smith’s favourite film ‘Jaws’, as with the names Brodie and T.S in Mallrats, and, perhaps by accident, many of the more famous mannerisms from the characters in the previous films are echoed, at least in part, in the Chasing Amy script. Of course, the biggest link comes in the form of the two cult-icons – Jay, and Silent Bob. Jay and Silent Bob are essential to all of Smith’s films, particularly Mallrats and Dogma, and nothing is changed here. There appearance is brief, perhaps due to the more serious nature of the film, but they make an impact regardless. In a scene of brilliant self-awareness, SB finally speaks beyond his usual one-liner, offering Holden advice on his love-life. Smith, not surprisingly, makes a brilliant job of his moment, and actually comes across as very moving, and pivotal to the over-all plot, too. Some people consider this scene a mistake on Smith’s behalf, spoiling the magic of the characters, but personally I welcomed their recognition of their growing cult-status. This represents a complete shift from how they were portrayed in Mallrats, and, I may be mistaken here, seems to be a slight dig at critics who claimed the film was too light-hearted.
That’s just one of the many personal touches this film enjoys. With Mallrats, despite being ill-received with critics, Smith proved beyond doubt that he could make us laugh. With Chasing Amy, Smith proves that he can influence us in other ways, too. Incredibly, the usual air of fun is maintained in this film, yet, it’s moving enough to choke you at parts. The soundtrack is superb, with the usual lashings of punk-fun, but some beautiful melodic acoustic tracks I unfortunately missed the chance of identifying. The story-line is original within the genre, yet beneath it all lies the most basic story man has ever hoped to tell – that of love, and the trails and tribulations is entails. Although the opening half-hour is doubtful, with the script almost clumsily trying to be funny, yet still an indication of the changing mood, the film soon flourishes into a love-story that, in a stereo-type defying fashion, is accessible for both sexes – perhaps males even more so. Never once will you groan at corny script or corny acting, but instead marvel at what a brilliant mind has produced a love-story as real and as heart-felt as a film could possibly hope to be. Anyone who considers Chasing Amy weak, maybe because it doesn’t echo the slap-stick genius of Mallrats, is missing the point. With this film, Kevin Smith is offering us something more, and only a fool would turn it down. A truly inspiring script, fine acting and better then any romantic-comedy you could name - Chasing Amy is a brilliant film, achieving originality and accessibility for both sexes in a way I’ve never seen before. Everyone should watch every Smith film anyway, but if I had to pick one, this maybe, and I say maybe, the one.
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Production Year: 2003 - Comedy - Director: John Crowley - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Colin Farrell, Shirley Henderson, Cillian Murphy, Colm Meaney, Rory Keenan, Laurence Kinlan
(+) Because of the new series the box set isn't complete, which means it will be cheaper! (-) It isnt the complete box set so you'll have to buy the new dvds seperatly or wait for the new set!
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Writer-director Kevin Smith (Clerks) makes a huge leap in sophistication with this strong ... more
story about a comic-book artist (Ben Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Joey Lauren Adams) and actually gets his wish that she love him, too. Their relati...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Writer-director Kevin Smith (Clerks) makes a huge leap in sophistication with this strong ... more
story about a comic-book artist (Ben Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Joey Lauren Adams) and actually gets his wish that she love him, too. Their relati...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
When successful comic book artist Holden meets Alyssa a fellow comic book artist he ... more
falls head over heels in love with her. Holden gets the shock of his life when he finds out she's not interested in him. She has her romantic sights set on another......
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Outrageously sexy and frankly hilarious, Chasing Amy is the hit comedy from Kevin Smith, ... more
the critically acclaimed director of Clerks & Dogma. Holden's been looking for the perfect woman - funny, bright and attractive. When he finally meets Alyssa, ...
Advantages: hilarious, character centred, very witty dialogue Disadvantages: The story doesn't really come across as appealing. Possibly bad word of mouth with the lack of success at the box office
danm2 29.07.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Mallrats (DVD)
![Chasing Amy [DVD] [1997]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78530360.jpg "Chasing Amy [DVD] [1997]")
May 24th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
