Chasing Amy VHS

Something pretty similar to this was my life in my early thirties. Didn't even know about this movie! Someone recommended it to me recently!

I have a "love-hate" relationship with Romantic Comedies. I really enjoy a decent one - and a couple of examples I'd consider "decent" are  When Harry Met Sally  and  While You Were Sleeping . I also recognize that there is probably no other movie genre that is as suitable for "date night": It's where men and women's interests overlap.Bad Romantic Comedies can be really tedious things, and many of my pet peeves about movies come from this genre. For example, my LEAST favorite romantic comedy cliche is the moment 10 minutes before the end of the movie where our loving couple has THE "big fight" (often over nothing or something completely stupid or forgettable), followed by one of the characters tearing off to the airport just so that the OTHER partner will have the sudden revelation that they've *made a big mistake* and go tearing off for the airport as well - usually arriving only moments late. (With an equally cliche-filled smooching reunion that follows minutes later, before the end credits roll.)But I digress. NONE of these horrid cliche's fill this movie, which is full of almost believable characters and completely believable heartache.Kevin Smith has now created a half-dozen films, and while I would classify all of them somewhere between "watchable" and "excellent", "Chasing Amy" remains his masterpiece to date.Holden (Ben Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee) are 30ish buds-since-High-School who have grown into the guy fantasy job of writing a hit comic book. They get to alternate working on "Bluntman and Chronic" with making personal appearances at fan conventions where they get paid to sign autographs.At one of these conventions they hook up with another "graphic novelist", Dwight Ewell's Hooper X - who is constantly educating Holden and Banky about being black and being gay. Ewell steals all of his scenes because Hooper is a perfect mix of bravado and angst which sufficiently masks his inner conflict for being black and gay.Hooper introduces our heroes to Alyssa Jones, portrayed in a career-making performance by Joey Lauren Adams. Alyssa is cute, funny, talented, witty and Affleck's Holden falls for her in a big way. He interrupts his usual routine with Banky just to meet up with Alyssa before finding out at the end of the first act that Alyssa is a lesbian.A moment to discuss the language, themes and realism of the movie. Like the Kevin Smith films that preceded it, Chasing Amy uses language that is frank and honest and uses raw street vernacular to describe many things, in particular sex. I have heard many criticisms about the story contained in Chasing Amy. Joey Lauren Adams doesn't fit lesbian stereotypes, and among those who seem to know, it is ridiculous to consider that a lesbian might be interested in a man - even if (perhaps especially if) the man is Ben Affleck. These things must be accepted to follow the movie. Smith makes it easy. In truth, the language and the issue of homosexuality are side issues in what is essentially a truly unique Romantic Comedy.Like Smith's first feature  Clerks (Collector's Series)  the central conflict in "Amy" concerns one character's difficulties accepting the "history" of the other romantic interest. To say more would spoil the pleasure you would derive from enjoying the flick yourself, but it has to be stated that Smith's resolution involves heartbreak, plenty of humor, no cliches and no airports.If you think you might enjoy an honest romantic comedy that includes street language, frank discussions about sex and gay characters, "Chasing Amy" fills the bill exactly.

Kevin Smith's "Chasing Amy" is the third film in the View Askewniverse series (following "Clerks" [1994] and "Mallrats" [1995]). The story focuses on two alternative comics creators, Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) and Banky Edwards (Jason Lee), who write and illustrate a comic based on Smith's characters Jay and Silent Bob. When Hooper X (Dwight Ewell) introduces Holden to Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), a gay woman who makes her own comic, the two start hanging out. Over time, Holden falls in love with Alyssa and they begin a relationship.Critics liked the film, though parts of it feel problematic now, such as Holden's expectation that his feelings matter more than those of his friends and loved ones. It engages with much of the LGBTQ scene of the 1990s, but some of this feels like tokenism now. That likely stems from new expectations for media depicting non-cishetero characters in the late 2010s and is not a mark against a product made in 1997. It just shows how times have changed and how even a film that was once ahead of its time in terms of representation can feel behind the times later. With that being said, the personal nature of this story (Kevin Smith thought of it while he was dating Joey Lauren Adams) comes through and makes it one of Smith's best films.The depiction of the alternative comics and underground comix scene of the mid-1990s is particularly interesting. Smith recruited Mike Allred (of "Madman" fame) to produce the art for "Bluntman and Chronic." Allred even makes a brief appearance as himself at the convention during the beginning of the film. Since then, Allred and his style, which recalls comics of the 1950s and 1960s, has entered the mainstream and now produces work for both Marvel and DC. At the film's end, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti appear as themselves at another convention. Quesada, once a freelance artist for Valiant Comics, worked his way up to be Marvel's Editor-in-Chief and eventual Chief Creative Officer. Palmiotti himself has a dream career, working as a writer and artist throughout the industry and writing screenplays.For those following the View Askewniverse, this film foreshadows Jay & Silent Bob's trip to Illinois, where we find them in "Dogma" (1999). It also sets up the events that lead to their actions in "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001).

Easily one of the better romantic comedies, with a slightly more original plot and characters than most films in the genre. Directed by the guy who did Dogma (and starring some of the same actors who played in it), so fans of that will likely enjoy it too - although it isn't quite as good as Dogma in my opinion. Pretty much all of the actors in the film do a great job. The only real downside is the protagonist; although played well by young Ben Affleck, the character himself is just an absolute tool... after seeing some of the conclusions he reaches throughout the course of the movie's story, it is really hard for the viewer to feel any sympathy for him and you're more likely to just facepalm at his stupidity.Overall "Chasing Amy" is a very good film, plus £8 for a Blu-ray really isn't bad at all,

All star, well scripted, pretty typical romcom, except for the interesting premise (ahead of its time): What if your Soulmate wasn't oriented as you'd thought/ hoped?Ben Afleck's star quality shines here but is in good company. Still it's no Hollywood block buster, just a good chicflic well worth your time.RECOMMENDED

Totally relateable story of two lost souls that find each other & manage to make a complete mess of the entire situation.

One man's infatuation with a charismatic lesbian. One of the maturest films by Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck in his more likeable days.

i like it. if you know kevin smith movies and his style of comedy you kida know what to expect