Old Stuff
Chasing Amy (1997)
Directed by Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith might be an underdog or even the nicest guy in the world but his films still suck. The only good news here is that Joey Lauren Adams as the object of the chase completely steals the film with a tremendous performance that blows her co-actors out of the water. Stiff and lifeless, Ben Affleck plays a coffee house-styled geek and comic book artist who falls for Joey (a perky sister of Sappho, supposedly). Actually, as far as acting goes, Ben let's his goatee do most of the heavy lifting.
Trying to relate the convoluted fantasy of Smith's plot about the seduction and loss of a "lesbian" is pointless. Suffice it to say the story could have been lifted right out of Penthouse with a title like "Lesbian No More". Holden (Affleck) isn't threatened by his new girlfriend's, Alyssa's (Adams), voluminous carpet-munching past, no, the problems only arise when he discovers that she was once the center of a boy-sandwhich earning her the high school moniker "finger cuffs". Aren't sexual euphemisms much more offensive than actually coming out and saying exactly what you mean? Maybe that's why I have a perverse attraction to them.
Spoiler Alert!
Anyway, try to stay awake for the breakup scene outside of a hockey rink. Joey pulls out all the stops as she spills her guts so convincingly that you can almost hear Affleck thinking, "Wow, you're good!" before delivering his shapeless lines. The moment is somewhat reminiscent of Mercedes Ruehl's scene-stealer in "The Fisher King", but "Chasing Amy" isn't gonna win anyone an academy award. Smith's habit of parking his characters in corners in order to commence a gab-apolooza torpedoes any award possibilities for his actors.
"Chasing Amy" is a stiff, consisting of horribly lit scenes with flat, head-on two shots and close-ups. Hey Kevin, rent a camera dolly or even, gulp, go hand-held. It's fun to move the camera around. And if the camera is not going to move, why not have the characters move more within the frame doing something relevant to the development of the story? How about having them relate to their environment instead of just standing/sitting in it to add mood? It would alleviate the we-are-watching-a-play-and-not-a-movie feeling of his films. Also, don't underestimate the power of silence. A picture IS worth a thousand words. Smith's dialogue makes Woody Allen and David Mamet look like minimalist by comparison. Despite some witty jewels interspersed in the chin music, I couldn't shake that feeling I get when cornered by a rambling drunk at a party. -- Rating: $1.56
Tom Graney -- copyright 1997 Hollywood Outsider