The film was originally inspired by a brief scene from an early film by a friend of Smith's. In Guinevere Turner's Go Fish, one of the lesbian characters imagines her friends passing judgment on her for "selling out" by sleeping with a man. Smith was dating Adams at the time he was writing the script, which was also partly inspired by her.[3]
The film received mostly positive reviews which praised the humor, the performances and Kevin Smith's direction. The film won two awards at the 1998 Independent Spirit Awards (Best Screenplay for Smith and Best Supporting Actor for Lee). Characters from the film would go on to appear in later Askewniverse films Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), direct spin-offs of Chasing Amy, with Affleck, Lee, Adams and Dwight Ewell reprising their roles in cameo appearances; Smith described the characters' roles in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot as being an "eight-page sequel" to Chasing Amy.
Plot
While promoting their comic Bluntman and Chronic at a comic book convention, comic book artists and lifelong best friends Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards meet Alyssa Jones. A struggling writer, Alyssa is friends with Hooper, an African-American writer and activist who masks his flamboyantly gay personality with a militant image to promote his comic White-Hating Coon. Immediately attracted to her, Holden soon learns she is a lesbian.
Holden and Alyssa begin spending time with each other, and a deep friendship soon develops. This upsets the homophobic Banky, who resents Alyssa for intervening in their affairs. The duo's business partnership also suffers, as they had been close to signing a lucrative deal to adapt Bluntman and Chronic into an animated TV series, and Banky feels that Holden no longer cares about their project.
Unable to contain his feelings, Holden confesses his love to Alyssa. She is initially angry with him, but they later reconcile, sleep together, and begin a romantic relationship, which worsens things with Banky. An old friend of Banky's, who grew up with Alyssa, tells Holden she participated in a threesome with two boys back in high school. Holden is deeply disturbed by the revelation, having believed that he is the first man Alyssa had ever slept with.
Hooper advises Holden to be honest and truthful and ask Alyssa about her past. Hooper also thinks that Banky is jealous and in love with Holden, disguising his true feelings with macho sexual banter. The following night, Holden clumsily attempts to bait Alyssa into confessing, which she eventually does, and storms out of the arena. In the parking lot, Alyssa angrily admits to the threesome but refuses to apologize for her past sexual experiences, wanting to continue their relationship. Holden leaves feeling unsure.
Later, Holden meets Jay and Silent Bob, inspirations for Bluntman and Chronic, at a local diner. He hands them their residual pay for book sales and discusses his troubles. Bob reveals that a couple of years earlier, he had a girlfriend named Amy. Although he loved her, his insecurities about her past promiscuity caused him to break up with her. He regretted it and has spent a long time "chasing Amy."
Holden devises a plan to fix both his relationship with Alyssa and his fractured friendship with Banky. He invites them over and tells Alyssa that he would like to get over her past and remain her boyfriend while telling Banky that he realizes that he is in love with Holden. He proposes a threesome, which he believes will both end his envy towards Alyssa's broader experiences and resolve Banky's issues with them being a couple. The initially shocked Banky agrees to participate, but is relieved when an appalled Alyssa declines. She reasons that the proposal is offensive and will not save their relationship. Alyssa and Banky both leave.
One year later, Banky and Alyssa are busy promoting their own respective comics, Baby Dave and Idiosyncratic Routine, at a convention. It is revealed that Holden and Banky dissolved their partnership, with Banky now owning the publishing and creative rights to Bluntman and Chronic. Banky smiles sadly at Holden, who silently congratulates him for his comic being successful, and gestures over to a booth hosted by Alyssa, encouraging him to speak to her. During their brief emotional conversation, Holden gives her a copy of Chasing Amy, his new comic based on their failed relationship. After he departs, Alyssa's girlfriend arrives and asks about him. Smiling and teary-eyed, Alyssa feigns indifference, moves his comic aside, and dismisses him as some guy she knew.
Kevin Smith has said over the years that Chasing Amy was inspired by his brother being gay, his relationship with Joey Lauren Adams, whom he was dating during the making of the film, and a crush his producing partner Scott Mosier had on lesbian filmmaker Guinevere Turner.[4][5] Turner met Mosier and Smith at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival where their respective films, Go Fish and Clerks, had premiered. After the festival, Mosier and Turner kept in touch, with Mosier developing unrequited feelings for Turner. Smith told Mosier to channel his heartbreak into a movie about a guy who falls in love with a lesbian, but the filmmakers felt it was too lean a story, so Smith added his own experiences into the character of Holden.[4] Smith wrote, "The character of Holden is the closest to me I've ever written (casting Ben was aesthetically wishful thinking perhaps)."[3] Smith, who said he "didn't really know that much about gay culture, and specifically lesbian culture", had Turner look at drafts of the script for her input.[4] Turner helped find the location for the bar scenes, which were shot at the since-closed Meow Mix in downtown Manhattan.[4]
Miramax Films initially offered Smith a $2 million budget on the condition that he cast David Schwimmer, Drew Barrymore, and Jon Stewart as the leads. Smith rejected this offer in favor of a $250,000 budget with a cast of his choosing.[6]
On a budget of $250,000, the film grossed a total of $12,021,272 in theaters.[1][2][8]Chasing Amy played at three locations and earned $52,446 upon its opening weekend in the United States.[9] The following week, the film was expanded to a further 22 theaters where it grossed $302,406.[10] During the 18–20 April 1997 weekend, Chasing Amy was screened at a further 494 locations, where it earned $1,642,402 and moved into the Top 10.[11]
Reception
Chasing Amy received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoesreports an approval rating of 87% based on reviews from 87 critics, with a rating average of 7.30/10. According to the site's summary of the critical consensus, “Although Chasing Amy's depiction of queer sexuality is frustratingly clumsy, it handles an array of thorny themes with a mixture of sensitivity, raw honesty, and writer-director Kevin Smith's signature raunchy humor."[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 28 reviews.[13] Audiences polled by Cinemascore gave the film a grade of "A−".[14]
While the surface of his film sparkles with sharp, ironic dialogue, deeper issues are forming, and Chasing Amy develops into a film of touching insights. Most romantic comedies place phony obstacles in the way of true love, but Smith knows that at some level there's nothing funny about being in love: It's a dead serious business, in which your entire being is at risk.
Ebert believed the film was an improvement over Smith's previous effort Mallrats and he added that Adams was a discovery.[15]
Charles Taylor, writing for Salon, quipped "Chasing Amy isn't going to single-handedly save romantic comedy, but Smith (Clerks) has made the only romantic comedy in quite a while that acknowledges, even celebrates, the fact that love and sex are emotional anarchy."[16] Writing in Time Out New York, Andrew Johnston observed: "Chasing Amy, Kevin Smith's third feature, does to romantic comedy what Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Spider-Man did to superhero comics in the '60s: It makes a tired genre newly relevant by giving its characters motivations and problems that seem real."[17]
In the book Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love and Desire, Lisa M. Diamond cites the film as a notable example of female sexual fluidity in popular culture, writing that Chasing Amy "depicts a lesbian becoming involved with a man, contrary to the more widespread depictions of heterosexual women becoming involved in same-sex relationships."[19]
Though the film has been praised as ahead of its time by some critics in its representation of sexual fluidity and the concept of the bromance, it also received criticism, particularly for its implication that a lesbian can go straight, even if just temporarily, as soon as she meets the right guy.[20][21][4] The film was criticized by Judith Kegan Gardiner in the book Masculinity Studies and Feminist Theory, describing Chasing Amy as representative of a "fairly repulsive genre of films" that feature a "heterosexual conversion narrative" that is "set in motion by the desire of a heterosexual person for a seemingly unattainable gay person."[22] The scene where Alyssa is shamed by her gay friends when they discover she is dating a man also received criticism from the lesbian community.[23]
On the film's 20th anniversary, Smith said, "For anyone who watches the movie now and goes, like, 'Ew, these sexual politics are ... not very subtle', you’ve gotta remember: It was made by a 26-year-old, 27-year-old guy, who really didn’t know anything and was learning in that moment. As much as it’s a movie that’s closely identified with the gay community, by virtue of the fact that the main character was gay, I really never think about it as such ... To me, it was about a boy who grows up to become a man but loses everything in the process — very bittersweet."[4]
In 2023, queer filmmaker Sav Rodgers released the documentary Chasing Chasing Amy, which discusses the impact the film had on his life.[24][25]
Chasing Amy was released by the Criterion Collection, first on Laserdisc in 1997, then on DVD in 2000. It includes audio commentary from cast and crew, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a theatrical trailer.[34] The DVD adds an introduction from Kevin Smith, apologizing for saying "fuck DVD" in the commentary. Later reissues by Lionsgate and Paramount are repressings of the Criterion edition.
Chasing Amy was released on Blu-Ray on November 17, 2009.[35] This release includes a new commentary track, a Q&A with the cast recorded at Vulgarthon 2005, a conversation between Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams, and a feature-length documentary titled "Tracing Amy" that details the making of the film and its aftermath.[36]
Novel
In Japan, the screenplay of Chasing Amy was adapted into a novel by Kenichi Eguchi and published by Aoyama Publishing. The unique concept of the book is that it is roughly half-novel, half-manga, with Moyoko Anno providing the art for the comic book pages.[37] In an episode of SModcast, Smith revealed that while he was thrilled to have a manga based on his film, he was shocked when he read the novelization, as the characters' sexual histories, which are just mentioned in conversation in the film, are depicted in the novel's manga illustrations as sexually graphic flashbacks.[5]
Smith had the original screenplay published along with his Clerks script from Miramax Books.[38]
Two songs by the band Soul Asylum are featured in the film: "Lucky One" and "We 3". The band had previously contributed the song Can't Even Tell to the soundtrack of Smith's 1994 debut film Clerks. Frontman Dave Pirner composed the incidental music for the film along with the film's theme song, "Tube of Wonderful," which plays over the opening credits.[40] The song reappears in Smith's 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, as well as its 2019 reboot Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, both times introducing the character Holden McNeil.
The music video for the song "Have You Seen Mary", performed by the band Sponge, features several scenes of the film. In Chasing Amy, the song is played in the scene while Holden and Hooper are at Jack's Music Shoppe.
Cultural references
In a scene originally written for Mallrats, several principal characters share memories of sexual escapades gone awry. This scene reveals the character's own emotional "sex scars" and was purposefully created—down to the style of dialogue and set dressing—to mirror a scene from Steven Spielberg's Jaws in which Quint and Hooper share the physical scars they've both earned from encounters with sharks. However, in this film it's used with Alyssa and Banky.[3]
Related Research Articles
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by American actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively. They appear in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produced by Smith.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written, co-edited, and directed by Kevin Smith and produced and co-edited by Scott Mosier. The film is the fifth set in the View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of Smith's cult-favorite Clerks. It stars Jason Mewes and Smith respectively as the two eponymous characters. The film also stars Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, and Chris Rock, among many others, most of which make cameo appearances. The title and logo for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are direct references to The Empire Strikes Back.
Clerks is a 1994 American black-and-white comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith in his feature directorial debut. Starring Smith along with Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer, Jason Mewes, and Scott Mosier, it presents a day in the lives of store clerks Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Anderson) as well as their acquaintances. It is the first of Smith's View Askewniverse films, and introduces several recurring characters, notably Jay and Silent Bob.
Mallrats is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Priscilla Barnes and Michael Rooker. It is the second film in the View Askewniverse following 1994's Clerks.
Jason Edward Mewes is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse franchise.
View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Ethan Suplee are people that frequently appear in projects under the View Askew banner.
Scott A. Mosier is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, SModcast.
Joey Lauren Adams is an American actress and director. Adams starred in Chasing Amy, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller roles in other Kevin Smith View Askewniverse films.
Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash is a comic book store owned by filmmaker Kevin Smith, and named after the fictional duo portrayed by Smith and Jason Mewes in Smith's View Askewniverse films. Merchandise includes comic books, comic-related merchandise, and View Askew film-related items. The store is located at 65 Broad Street in Red Bank, New Jersey.
The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are referred to in others. Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film; Smith himself portrays the character of Silent Bob.
Walter Flanagan is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and it was Flanagan who turned Smith on to comic books. He formerly managed Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey.
Bluntman and Chronic are characters appearing in a fictional eponymous comic book series seen in the movies Chasing Amy,Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Actual Bluntman and Chronic comic books based on the fictional movie comic book series were published after the release of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Both the movies and the comic books were created by writer and actor Kevin Smith. Comics creator Mike Allred designed the costumes for the characters.
Dwight Edward Ewell, also known as Mustafa Obafemi is an American actor known for his roles in films such as Chasing Amy, Amateur, Party Girl and The Guru.
Carmen Llywelyn, also known as Carmen Lee, is an American actress and photographer.
Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie! is a 2013 American adult animated superhero comedy film written by Kevin Smith, directed by Steve Stark, and produced by Jason Mewes and Jordan Monsanto. The film's script was adapted from the Bluntman And Chronic comic book story originally written by Smith as a companion piece to his 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and it is the seventh film in the View Askewniverse.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. A sequel to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, it is the eighth film in the View Askewniverse. The film also stars Jason Mewes, and features cameos from Brian O'Halloran, Jason Lee, Justin Long, Shannon Elizabeth, Rosario Dawson, Val Kilmer, Melissa Benoist, Craig Robinson, Tommy Chong, Chris Hemsworth, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck.
Clerks III is a 2022 American black comedy-drama film written, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson and Smith. It serves as a sequel to the 1994 and 2006 Clerks films, and is the ninth overall feature film set in the View Askewniverse. In the film, Randal Graves, after surviving a massive heart attack, enlists his friends and fellow clerks Dante Hicks, Elias Grover, and Jay and Silent Bob to make a movie about their lives at the Quick Stop Convenience store that started it all.
↑ Diamond, Lisa M (2008). Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love and Desire. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p.2. ISBN9780674032262.
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