In the world of independent film, Kevin Smith emerged as a cult hero in 1994 with Clerks, a comedy about people who stand around a convenience store and talk. The movie was a huge success shot on a budget of pocket change ($24 000), and cemented Smith as a genuinely gifted writer/director. Three years later, he released, Chasing Amy, his best effort to date. The film works as well on a dramatic, romantic level, as Clerks did on a comedic level. It not only provides the solid laughs we expect from Kevin Smith, but also a beautiful and thought-provoking love story that ranks with the best of them.
Clerks showed the world that Smith was gifted with the rare ability to combine comic genius with richly crafted dialogue delivered by colorfully human characters. In a way, his films remind me of the long running sitcom, Seinfeld, which proved it can be funny to watch people sit around and talk about things which are ludicrously unimportant to us, but mean everything to the characters. In Chasing Amy, two people at a comic book convention argue over the claim that there are no positive black role models in science fiction or comic books, and how the fact that Darth Vader was a white man in a black suit proves that all black men really want to be white. A straight man and a gay man argue over Archie's sexuality ("Archie was the bitch and Jughead was the butch - that's why Jughead wears that crown-looking hat all the time: he's the king, of queen Archie's world.").
The opening act of the film provides us a comfortable atmosphere where we can laugh and meet the characters. First, there's Holden, the quiet Jersey boy who writes comic books for a living. For anyone who has gripes with Ben Affleck's ability to seriously act, look no further than this film. Affleck will never win an Oscar for acting, but I would have a hard time not giving him respect after his performance here.
Holden's best friend and sidekick is Banky (Jason Lee), who plays Sega, reads porno, and inks (or traces) the comics. Lee again steps into the familiar character of the jealous and insensitively overprotective best friend, but he does it with such a natural comedic style that proves he is simply the best for the role.
And every hero needs a girl, right? Here, the girl is Alyssa. She's a cute, witty, but not-so-innocent girl played by Joey Lauren Adams, who comes packaged with a smile that's the cherry on the sundae of Holden's dream woman.
So, they meet, sparks fly, and dialogue is exchanged. Good sign, right? Wrong. This is the part where Holden finds out Alyssa is a lesbian. Cue Act Two.
The second act focuses on Holden having to cope with the fact that he's in love with a lesbian, and yet still be "friends" with her. Here, Smith shows off his knack for providing stimulating dialogue. Like Quentin Tarantino, Smith doesn't need anything to be happening to move the film along. He can just sit his characters around a table, and let them speak for themselves. The result is something wonderfully heart-warming. As Holden is forced to overcome his conservative nature to grow close to his liberal new love interest, the conversation here largely centers around sex, and Smith covers all the bases. From the definition of virginity to the natural intent for love, to the methods of homosexual intimacy, the audience is treated to conversations which are, at times, flat-out hilarious, and at other times serious and thought-provoking. In the end, the film is about knowing you're in love, and knowing how scary it can be. Holden finally meets his dream girl, and has to endure the pain of knowing he can be right beside her but really still so far away. It's the story of the sensitive guy's life, to finally fall in love, and not be able to do anything about it. Holden is forced to try to see the world the way she does, and in doing this, we also begin to understand her better. Rather than these characters simply existing on one dimension, Smith allows them to be real people. He gives them distinct personalities, which are affected by things that happen to them. Holden falls in love and is forced to step outside his bubble. Alyssa meets a man who, for once, actually interests her as more than just a friend, and she is forced to question her lifestyle. Banky has to watch his longtime best friend fall in love, and wonder what will become of their friendship.
The film is written as a comedy, but transcends the boundaries of the genre. The scenes of serious and romantic dialogue between characters are touching, poignant, and emotional. Even when Smith himself appears as the familiar Silent Bob, he appears to provide unlikely advice about love and explain to Holden exactly what it means to be "Chasing Amy."
Chasing Amy is a film about people who write comic books. It is about people who fall in and out of love, struggle with jealousy, and learn to see the world outside themselves. And it works. It works because Smith doesn't let his characters drift outside the boundaries of human existence or act like love is the key that solves all problems. He provides a film that makes us laugh, and then makes us want to cry, and, in the end, makes us reflect on the fact that a world exists outside our own person.
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