'Chasing Chasing Amy' Review’s Film Has Plenty for Non-Fans Too

Could the 1997 romantic comedyChasing Amybe made today?Depending on who you ask, you’ll probably get many different answers. Directed byKevin Smithand functioning as a loose continuation ofClerksandMallrats,Chasing Amysees lovestruck comic book artist Holden (Ben Affleck) fall head-over-heels for the confident and smooth-talking Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams). There’s just one problem - Alyssa is an outspoken lesbian who, despite wanting a genuine friendship with Holden, has seemingly no romantic interest in men. What follows is a journey of self-exploration and sexuality that will undoubtedly surprise both of them. As for whetherChasing Amycould be made today, my answer is a resounding “absolutely not,” but that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t have value, largely as Kevin Smith’s most emotional movie by far. While it’s a product of its time with some outdated terminology and plot points, it still feels ahead of its time in exploring fluid sexuality, at least in terms of accessible filmmaking in the 1990s.

Despite the complicated feelings I and many others have about the contentious film,Chasing Amywas a massive success for Smith when it was first released. It performed very well with critics, even gettinga glowing endorsement from the legendaryRoger Ebert. It also went on to make a total of over$12 million at the box officeon a reported budget of only $250,000. Despite being a significant critical and financial hit,Chasing Amyis still a very divisive piece, particularly by members of the queer community that are being represented in the film. Some praiseChasing Amyas an ahead-of-its-time classic that boldly portrays fluid sexuality in a way that most movies either couldn’t or wouldn’t. Others criticizeChasing Amyas being an outdated experiment that promotes harmful stereotypes about queerness.

Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) looks at Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams) in ‘Chasing Amy’.

Even the most experienced documentarians would likely sidestep these hard-hitting and culturally relevant questions for a celebratory documentary about a famous film. That is not what first-time feature filmmakerSav Rodgersdoes with his engaging directorial debut,Chasing Chasing Amy, which offersan honest and multifaceted look into the legacy of a film that is very important to him. Instead of ignoring the valid concerns the film has received over the years,Chasing Chasing Amyputs them front and center. This all occurs in tandem with Sav eloquently explaining to the audience how the 1997 dramedy dramatically changed his life.

What is ‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ About?

Sav Rodgers' long attachment toChasing Amybegan with the Marvel superhero filmDaredevil, which quickly inspired a quest to watch every movie featuring Ben Affleck. That quest led Sav to stumble uponChasing Amy, and the film impacted the aspiring filmmaker so much that Sav credits it as the film that saved his life, given his history as a closeted teenager whom his peers regularly bullied.This is a story Sav tells in a TED Residency talk that went viral, catching the attention of figures like Marvel starBrie Larson, originalChasing Amystar Ben Affleck, andChasing Amywriter and director Kevin Smith, who promptly reached out to Sav after hearing his story. What follows is a detailed look into not justChasing Amy, but also into how it influenced the life of Sav Rodgers.

Something that really comes through inChasing Chasing Amyis Sav’s profound relationships with his feature’s subjects. Kevin Smith has always had a reputation as a relatable and down-to-earth filmmaker, and that reputation continues with his standout conversations with Sav in the documentary. What could have very easily come across as a lifelong film fan hero-worshipping a director instead feels like a meaningful dialogue between two filmmaking peers. Another stand-out subject of the film is Sav’s partner, Riley Rodgers, and how she shaped Sav’s life in and out of filmmaking. Their onscreen chemistry is absolutely gripping and is something that not even the most experienced romantic screenwriters could replicate.

Chasing Chasing Amy Movie Poster

At its core,Chasing Chasing Amyis a more profound look into the highs and lows of a filmmaker’s life and how the chance discovery of a resonating movie shaped him into the man he is today. As the title implies,Chasing Chasing Amyis primarily about the 1997 film, but it’s also about Sav. Despite being the filmmaker behind the camera, Sav’s voice has such a level of authenticity that he feels just as much of the interviewee as he is the interviewer. This refreshing level of honesty is made even more impressive by the dramatic life changes Sav is going through while making the film, which still feels front and center throughout the roughly 90-minute runtime.

‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ Offers Multiple Perspectives on a Contentious Film

WhenChasing Chasing Amybegins with Sav asking, “Do you understand why I love this movie?,” the very first answer he gets in the documentary is an immediate “No.” Many, both in and outside of the queer community firmly believe Chasing Amy promotes concepts that could be considered derogatory toward those who identify as LGBTQ+. It’s not hard to understand why. Several ofChasing Chasing Amy’s subjects point out the contentious scene of the original film where Alyssa falls for Holden, and the two romantically embrace and kiss in the rain, seemingly implying that lesbian women can be turned straight after a dramatic monologue from a heterosexual man.

Sav’s documentary doesn’t dispute those arguments. In fact, it embraces them, prominently showcasing these concerns despite Sav’s positive feelings for the movie. While Sav continuously and repeatedly praisesChasing Amyas a movie where its characters proudly showcase their fluid sexualities, he never once claims thatChasing Amyis a perfect film that all should love. He even admits that he didn’t know about other more profound (though admittedly less culturally prominent) films about queer identity released in the same period that may have served as a better introduction to the LGBTQ+ community.The point that Sav is making isn’t thatChasing Amyis the poster child for LGBTQ+ storytelling - it’s just the first movie that showed Sav that those types of stories did exist.

This duality is also showcased in a standout sequence featuring Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams being interviewed,each of whom has a different, complicated relationship withChasingAmy’s legacy. It’s a pivotal moment that signifies a solid third act, but it’s also one of the few moments whereChasing Chasing Amybriefly loses focus in a comparison of how Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams remember their controversial distributor,Harvey Weinstein. It’s not that discussing the various crimes of the disgraced entertainment executive isn’t worth exploring; it’s just that, in the context ofChasing Chasing Amy, it doesn’t feel entirely relevant to the documentary’s themes of self-acceptance,representationand meaningful cinematic discourse.

‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ Provides a Much-Needed Perspective on Film Discourse

A memorable quote inChasing Chasing Amycomes from The Mary Sue writerPrincess Weekes, who says, “Something that’s problematic can still mean a lot in your development.” In an era where film discourse on the internet is consistently restrained to binary concepts like “it’s just good” or “it’s just bad,“Chasing Chasing Amyis an impressive reminder that discussions on the art of filmmaking can be much more nuanced. An even more impressive theme that Sav Rodgers' feature film debut showcases is the importance of meaningful representation, which is a powerful method of giving marginalized individuals a voice, even if meaningful representation isn’t the primary goal of a film. The final scene ofChasing Chasing Amyalmost feels like Sav bidding a bittersweet farewell to this chapter of his life. Now, Sav Rodgers will be saying hello to the start of a promising filmmaking career.