A different approach from the Clerks Director (Chasing Amy (DVD))

Member Name: MonsoonBaby

Product:	Chasing Amy (DVD)
Date:	10/07/09 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More mature subject matter and humour, good casting, nice soundtrack

Disadvantages: Subject matter may offend some people, change in Kevin Smith humour may not please some fans

Director Kevin Smith is well known for his crude humour, extensive use of swear words, and slapstick, immature humour. His previous films such as Clerks and Dogma combine his humour with witty, often highly intelligent monologues on a variety of topics, although the majority seem to be based in topics such as comic books and Sci-Fi films. His films have been successful especially with the young adult audience.

Chasing Amy however is in some ways a step away from the usual Smith brand of humour, and manages to successfully appeal to an older audience than Smith is previously used to. Chasing Amy ditches the toilet humour for a more mature approach, most notably reflected in the main subject matter. At first glance, it appears that Smith has adopted the cliché "boy meets girl" storyline. However, on a deeper look, it is much more than that. The plot centres on a comic book artist named Holden [played by Ben Affleck] who finally believes he has met the girl of his dreams in Alyssa [Joey Lauren Adams]. However, it is not all plain sailing-Alyssa happens to be a lesbian, and from this revalation comes a complicated relationship between Holden and Alyssa, where the boundaries between sex and friendship become a little blurred. To make matters worse, Holden's business partner and best friend Banksy [Jason Lee] has been acting awkward ever since Holden and Alyssa began their strange relationship, and brings a sense of a love triangle along to the fold.

Chasing Amy is a depiction of sex and friendship and lesbianism during the '90s, and poses the question "can you turn a lesbian straight?" Although it may not be the most true to life of stories, Chasing Amy poses an amusing, adult, and serious answer to this question. Never being much of a Ben Affleck fan myself, Affleck is perfectly cast as Holden, effortlessly showing a man unintentionally falling in love. Joey Lauren Adams as Alyssa is convincing as a confused 90's lesbian woman, and most of the humour and light-hearted moments come in the form of Jason Lee's character, Banksy. As always with this Kevin Smith regular, Jason Lee delivers long monologues hilariously. Kevin Smith manages to have a cameo as his recurring character Silent Bob alongside his sidekick Jay [Jason Mewes]. Smith allows himself to have a large monologue which explains the reason behind the title "Chasing Amy", and proves to be insightful and entertaining. This marks the first time that double act Jay and Silent Bob have a more serious role in a film, whilst not really being focused on, unlike the previous films they have been present in. In relation to the soundtrack, the main theme of Chasing Amy is catchy and relaxing and is likely to get stuck in your head even after the film has finished.

Not all fans of Kevin Smith will appreciate this film, due to the lack of slapstick humour which is normally a staple of every previous Smith film, and the subject matter may perhaps offend some people. However, most should appreciate that this has been a step in another direction for Smith which I feel has worked.

Overall, Chasing Amy is perhaps the most serious of Kevin Smith's films to date. Penis jokes remain, but only in small numbers, unlike the rest of his previous outings. The subject matter is a lot more mature than we have seen before in films such as Mallrats [which also starred Jason Lee]. Forbidden and complicated loves are touched upon accurately, and we find ourselves actually feeling for the lead characters as they strive to correct this complicated love-mess. Fans of Kevin Smith in particular should check this out.

Summary: A more mature offering from Kevin Smith