Criterion Contraption Revisits 'Chasing Amy'
Filed under: Comedy, Gay & Lesbian, Fandom, Newsstand, Home Entertainment
You might remember that I wrote about The Criterion Contraption last month -- a blog by Matthew Dessem that hopes to review each and every Criterion DVD. The latest in the mix is one I have been waiting for -- Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy -- one of the most contested additions to the roster (the other being Armageddon... poor Ben Affleck). I didn't realize just how long it has been since I popped it into my DVD player until reading his great review -- one that isn't necessarily full of praise, but captures enough of Smith's essence that you can enjoy it either way.From the first image, which just happens to be of Guinevere Turner (who has gone on to success collaborating with Mary Harron and writing and acting in The L Word), Dessem points out -- this is a film that is 100% entrenched in the '90s, from it's make-up, to its plaid, to Comic-Cons without star-studded line-ups. He's pretty hard on Ben's Holden McNeil, which is a fair assessment, although it can also be argued that the character's inadequacies make him the perfect Holden -- it might be unbelievable that Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) would fall for a man like him, but it's almost suitable -- he's the mistake she can't can't quite rationalize, which makes perfect sense with the passive ending. But even if you're not up for Affleck and his wordy speeches, there's Jason Lee. From slapstick to wordless acting, the review points out just how great Lee was in the movie.
Personally, I'm thinking it's time to pull out the plaid and pop in the DVD, which is kind of like Some Kind of Wonderful for the next generation -- the guy's friend realizes she's a lesbian, but tries him out and has disastrous results. The big difference: instead of offering diamond earrings, he offers a menage a trois with his best friend. What could describe the '90s better?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-24-2007 @ 7:20PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Still Smith's best and most adult film.
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9-24-2007 @ 10:05PM
sean said...
In other words, Chasing Amy is worse than 98% of the films out there rather than 99%.
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9-25-2007 @ 3:09AM
k-vo said...
I actually find this film highly offensive. Kevin Smith is the most overrated film maker in Hollywood today. I really cannot think of one redeeming feature of any of his films. And he inflicted Ben Affleck on the world.
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9-25-2007 @ 1:21PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Affleck was working before Smith.
Also, what was offensive about the film? I coulda sowrn it's about a guy who falls in love with a woman and then can't handle the fact that she had a history before they met. What's the big deal?
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9-25-2007 @ 2:21PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
I seem to recall every female in the theater--and there weren't many--being really turned off. The suggested 3-way being the peak of their disgust.
PS..."your MOTHER's a tracer!"
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12-05-2007 @ 8:30AM
Kristi said...
It's funny because I didn't know that females weren't supposed to like Smith's films until Clerks 2 came out and Smith mentions in the Intro "and our three female fans". I've been a fan since Clerks and Chasing Amy is my hands-down favorite. I've watched it at least fifty times since I got it for Christmas in 1998. I think it's time to watch it again :)
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