Mi pareja equivocada

Let me warn you up front: this is the worst "date movie" ever. It mercilessly explores the topic of past sexual encounters in a way that will probably lead to an uncomfortable discussion with your date after the movie. Even worse if you don't discuss it, you'll be eying each other suspiciously, forever wondering if the other person is more sexually experienced, and if you'll be adequate.

It's also a bad "hetero bro movie" or "hetero gal's night movie" because it gets into the subject of homosexuality in a way that will probably make you feel awkward with your friends.

So basically you should either watch this movie alone, or with a gay friend. Or if you are gay, congrats, you can watch it with anybody.

That said, "Chasing Amy" is a hard-hitting sex comedy from writer/director Kevin Smith who brought us "Clerks", "Mallrats", "Jay & Silent Bob" (who make a brief cameo here), and "Dogma". "Chasing Amy" is perhaps the most serious of the bunch, diving boldly into themes of homophobia, sexism and sexual double standards. Yes, there are some great gags, particularly in the first half. But the love story gets pretty intense in the 2nd half, and humor is downplayed. There are some downright upsetting arguments which shift the tone away from comedy and into heavy drama.

For you Ben Affleck fans, be forewarned he's not always the "good guy" in this flick. In fact, he represents a sort of naïve, ultra-conservative, morally-judgmental attitude of society. His love interest Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) is the "good guy" who represents open sexuality and free-spiritedness. The only problem is, to me, she sometimes came across as ditzy/hysterical and hard to take seriously. Although she did a very believable job of acting, I can't help but wonder if the role of Alyssa would've been better filled by an actress who is a bit more commanding: Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron, or even Cameron Diaz. Oh well, no biggie.

With its sexual-boundary-bending approach, "Chasing Amy" has a vibe that reminds me of the classic French feminism films of the 60s-70s with Catherine Deneuve and Brigitte Bardot displaying a new sexual honesty that was unheard of until then. It brings to mind the urban dictionary definition of a slut: a woman with the morals of a man ;)

Miles away from his usual low level comedy, in Chasing Amy, Kevin Smith manages to deliver a great rom-com with some serious undertones.

There are the standard Smith jokes throughout the film, but this time they take a backseat to the touching tale of Holden and Alyssa. I don't know quite how he did it, but Chasing Amy feels real and unpredictable. It's not some glossy Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts production, instead it's filled with characters that feel more like real people, which is a nice relief.

The film manages to be both moving and funny, and the cast do their best work to date (Affleck and Adams at the hockey game must rank as one of my favourite scenes of all time). This may not be Smith's best known film, but it's definitely his best. [8/10]

"Chasing Amy" is a clever and engaging urban love story that just exudes with Kevin Smith's gritty humour. The film's examination of sexuality, and everything involved with it, doesn't for one second sound untrue, even when it makes sure that everything being pointed out is expressed frankly and colourfully. It's not everyday we get a story of a heterosexual man falling in love with a homosexual woman, and although the concept could easily have resulted in a disaster of a movie, "Chasing Amy" manages to layer everything almost flawlessly. There are no predictable pitfalls in this film, and nothing is wrapped up in a neat little package. We are offered a group of characters that are likable but flawed, who don't always get, or give, what we would usually expect. I have to say, I never knew what was going to happen next, it manages to be consistenly offbeat without being unrealistic. Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams have incredible chemistry together, perfectly displaying all the emotional complications a relationship as eccentric as theirs would have. Jason Lee was also outstanding in his role of the vaguely jealous best friend. The only thing that bothered me about this film was there was too much YELLING!! and it was slightly uneven at times. But generally I liked it a lot, and I'm just thankful that Kevin Smith is producing such fine work like this, it is truly a refreshing escape from Hollywood's formulaic sap.

Tonight I watched Chasing Amy for the first time in about 4 or 5 years and realized that it's really a cheesy, cliché, predictable movie.

I almost wish that I hadn't seen it again, because I remembered it as a good piece of film that was really deep and meaningful, well put together and tightly written.

In actuality, aside from the self-serving in-jokes (which, as a fan of the Jersey Trilogy, I still greatly appreciate) there's really not much to it. It's the typical romantic comedy type story with a twist of gayness and comic books.

The point is: Mallrats will always be better, Clerks will always be best, and Dogma will always be the one with Chris Rock. (also, Rick Derris will always be a jerk and there will be a member of the Hicks clan around ever corner.)

With his third film, Kevin Smith tried to do something new for him: a grown-up film. As loved as it may (deservedly) be, Clerks is remembered for the crude humor rather than the plot, while Mallrats, which was meant to be a smart, amusing teen movie, turned out to be little more than a vehicle for Jason Lee's comedic talent. Chasing Amy is radically different: combining Smith's trademark superb dialogue, believable characters and a heartfelt story, it is one of the best, most insightful romantic comedies of the '90s, and the director's most satisfying picture aside from Clerks I and II.

Whereas his first two movies kept referencing other films as soon as there was time to do so, Chasing Amy centers on Smith's second great passion: comic-books. In fact, it all begins at a convention, where Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) and Holden MacNeil (Ben Affleck) are signing issues of their successful book Bluntman & Chronic. Afterwards, they hang out with fellow artists Hooper X (Dwight Ewell) and Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), and while Banky spends all of his time arguing with Hooper over the racism in Star Wars (one of the funniest things Smith has ever written) or the gay subtext in Archie comics, something clicks between Holden and Alyssa, and soon enough they start seeing each other almost every day. It is obvious something deeper than friendship is in the air, and they both know it, yet there's a catch: Alyssa is a lesbian, or at least she used to be one before meeting Holden. Hence the big question: can they have a meaningful relationship with her past being such a huge burden? What kind of sacrifices will have to be made?

In another film, the boy-loves-lesbian premise would have been an excuse to deliver a 90-minute marathon of distasteful, gratuitously explicit jokes. Chasing Amy, on the other hand, is good because it really cares for its characters and whatever crudities there may be never feel excessive or out of place, but on the contrary they manage to convey the speaker's emotions more correctly (this is particularly true for Jason Lee's foolproof, energetic performance). The central love story is honest and touching, two characteristics that are evident in the realistic dialogue and acting: Adams, who hasn't managed to find a decent role ever since, portrays Alyssa as a human being, not a stereotype, and that's what makes her scenes with Affleck, always at his best when working with Smith, compelling and almost painful to watch.

Most of the time, Chasing Amy is a perfect balance between gross-out humor and tender romance, something the director kept toying with on the underrated Jersey Girl (where the jokes were less sweary than usual) and perfected with his masterpiece, Clerks II. There are, however, a few moments when Smith doesn't understand he has to stop and tells us everything about a certain character's personality, whereas he should simply have implied it. Overall, though, this feature remains one of the most hilarious, moving, revealing films of the '90s, with its best moment saved for the director himself: halfway through the movie, the mandatory Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith) make their appearance. In all the other View Askew flicks, they are just incredibly funny. This time, Bob breaks his silence and gives a long, thoughtful speech that explains the film's title and has more to say about love and relationships than certain movies do in their entire running time. Astonishing.

8,5/10