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Chasing Amy - Criterion Collection Customer Reviews (31 - 33 of 77 Reviews)

"Your mother's a tracer!"
Kevin Smith's third film in the View Askewniverse series follows the pursuit of lesbian-comic artist, Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), by fellow comic artist Holden Mcneil (Ben Affleck). The film mainly focuses on their progressing relationship and it's effects on everyone around them, including Holden's best friend and co-artist (Or inker, or tracer, whatever you want to call him) Banky (Jason Lee). Throughout the film, many twists are presented and many shocking revelations are made. If you haven't been told the whole story of the movie, you won't read it here, because I will not ruin it for you. This is my favorite Kevin Smith film for one reason: It's REAL. It hits so close to home because I (as well as many other people) have had a relationship similar to the one between Holden and Alyssa. This movie is for anyone who has every felt insignificant or insecure in a relationship. The movie is honest and is not afraid to face defeat. Many people call it a romantic comedy, which it is not. Also, this is not a film about homosexuality. Alyssa's sexuality is merely a plot-point, which is proved by the fact that so many people can relate to this movie without dating a lesbian. This movie is basically a Kevin Smith drama. It has it's funny moments (and when they come around, they are hilarious, especially a conversation about Archie & Jughead's sexuality). Aside from it's light moments, its a very heavy film, and anyone who has ever experienced anything remotely similar will be glued to the screen. Kevin Smith is a master at dialogue. It's been said before that he is a lousy director and he can only set up the simplest of shots, but that's not the point. He knows his characters, he gets inside, and this is definetly his best movie to date. The DVD is excellent as well. It contains over a half-hour of deleted scenes and a very light-hearted, unconventional commentary. I recommend all Kevin Smith fans who have not seen it go out and buy this movie. Smith's attention to detail really paid off on this one.

The movie that made Kevin Smith a household name
Of all of Kevin Smith's movies, Chasing Amy is probably my favorite one, and when I tell my friends that they look at me funny. They love Kevin Smith's movies as much as I do, but they didn't like Chasing Amy because, as they put it, "it's not as funny as Clerks". Anyway, what made Chasing Amy standout more than Smith's other movies to me was the serious edge combined with the trademark vulgarity and toilet humor that make Smith's films great. Ben Affleck plays Holden McNeil and Jason Lee plays Banky Edwards, both of whom are life long friends who write and illustrate their own cult underground comicbook called Bluntman & Chronic which is inspired by good 'ol Jay & Silent Bob. At a comic convention Holden meets another comic writer named Alyssa Jones (played by the beautifil Joey Lauren Adams), and as they talk to each other more and more they become close friends, and Holden begins to fall in love with her, the only catch is that she is a lesbian. However, Holden keeps spending a lot of time with Alyssa, while Banky becomes jealous and tries to dig up dirt to seperate Holden and Alyssa. Soon oddly enough, Holden gets his wish for Alyssa to love him as well, and we learn that Banky may have feelings for Holden as well. Chasing Amy is a comedic gem wrapped up over a serious love story, and while most people may not have been in this kind of situation, those who have ever been in love, and those lucky enough to have ever been loved back, will relate to the story, and most will enjoy Chasing Amy.

The best romantic comedy I've ever seen.
I've never heard "Chasing Amy" described as a romantic comedy before, but that's exactly what it is. More accurately, it's a romantic comedy that's honestly hilarious, AND has a wonderful, believable romantic relationship--and how many so-called romantic comedies can you actually say that about? The script is unbelievably great, with lots of intelligent, humorous dialogue and some genuinely moving moments. Ben Affleck's speech in the car has to be seen to be believed! Anybody who thinks Affleck is just a shallow Hollywood dude will have their minds changed by his amazing performance in this film. With "Chasing Amy," Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams finally had roles worthy of their prodigious talents, they both really shine. Joey's character, Alyssa Jones, is a triumph for screenwriter/director Kevin Smith: a female character who's a well-rounded, real person--not just a beauty queen who's more of an idea than an actual human being (something we see often enough in mainstream films!). As is the case with a lot of independent movies, the language in "Chasing Amy" is often, uh, colorful--as it often is in real life--not sanitized in order to appeal to a focus group of grandmothers from small-town Nebraska, as most movies seem to be. If you've got a problem with that, this is not the movie for you. For the rest of us, here's a romantic comedy and plain old excellent movie that you can feel good about. In addition, the DVD verision has a great audio commentary track that any fan will love. Kevin Smith, you rock!

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