My Favorite Films: Chasing Amy

Chasing Amy (1997)

Director: Kevin Smith

Context:
In high school, I had started to learn about the works of Kevin Smith.  I was aware of "Jay and Silent Bob" as they hit their culturally relevant peak in the early 2000s, and I was pleased to learn that Smith had done something no director had ever done at this point.  He had made a shared universe where all of his films take place, with one of the connective tissues being the duo of stoner characters.  The View Askewniverse was made up of 6 comedy films, each varying in tone and style.  I wanted to watch them all, even though I ended up seeing them in a strange order.

I had first caught 2001's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back on television and while I wasn't too impressed, the idea of a bigger universe interested me.  I sought out 1994's Clerks and was hooked as many young film buffs had been at the time.  Clerks II came out in 2006 and while I hadn't seen the rest of the films yet, I was aware of the recurring elements that were featured.  The story of 1999's Dogma appealed to me next, and I finally got around to 1995's Mallrats (which may be my least favorite of the bunch).  Because of the sour taste it left in my mouth, I wasn't in a rush to complete the hexalogy with 1997's Chasing Amy.  It wasn't until I had just finished college with the advent of Netflix's Instant Watch that I finally checked it out.

After the success of his independent film Clerks and the less than stellar reaction to Mallrats (which suffered from corporate meddling that didn't quite "get" the appeal of Clerks), Kevin Smith opted to make a more grounded romantic comedy.  But unlike the traditional romantic comedy, Smith imbued the script with his knack for nerdy dialogue and his harsh look at reality, creating a unique film.

Having seen it twice now, at different stages of life, I can safely say it is my favorite of his films.

Plot:
Comic book artist Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) falls in love with his new friend Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams) who happens to be a lesbian.  This new "relationship" greatly threatens his friendship with his homophobic best friend/work partner Banky (Jason Lee).

Analysis:
A few things I feel I should address first.  This is a film from the '90s and at times it relies on stereotypes and childish humor, particularly concerning Alyssa's sexuality.  I'm not saying it's a perfect film and it especially has a lot of issues in the sensitivity department.  But I'm willing to give this film a lot of credit because a) Alyssa is actually written as a fully-fleshed out three-dimensional character who is not defined by her sexuality (even though it is a major driving force of the plot), b) the crass and homophobic dialogue of Banky is supposed to be viewed as a severe moral flaw on his part, and c) this is a story about people making poor choices in their social lives and their ugliness is not unlike that found in real life.  The film is trying its best to open an honest dialogue and we may see sides of humanity that we wish weren't there because of it.

This isn't so much a romantic comedy as it is a romantic tragedy.

Don't get me wrong.  It has many amusing, clever moments that are grounded in realism.  But that realism grows and shows every side of falling in love when you don't fully grasp what it means to fall in love.

The first time I watched this film, I had no idea where it was going.  We follow Holden as our protagonist and since he behaved like me and made some of the same choices I'd make when forming an attraction to someone, I grew to sympathize and root for him.  He's a romantic at heart and he tends to plan out his life in perfect picturesque ways.  He meets Alyssa and is instantly attracted to her and when he learns she will never date him (on account of being a lesbian) he forms a friendship with her to be closer, all the while falling in love with her.

Again, I saw that as very realistic for someone like...Holden.

So halfway through the film when he makes his grand "I love you" speech (which was beautifully written, by the way), I was ready for the romantic movie cliche of Alyssa swooning and falling for him.  And (while she eventually comes around and starts a relationship with him) she instead counters with an angry, hurt speech about how unfair it was to do something like that to her, putting her on the spot when she still needs to figure out her own emotions towards him.  I had never seen a moment like that in any romantic film before and it made me uncomfortable (as it should).

As the story continues and Alyssa accepts that being in love with Holden doesn't deny her own sexuality, Holden is at peace, momentarily.  Eventually he learns about her sexually robust past with multiple guys and despite having the relationship he wanted with her, he can't stop his insecurities from getting in the way.  He takes it out on her, again being completely unfair towards her feelings and sacrifices.

Again, I saw that aspect of Holden in me, and I didn't like what I was seeing.  Needless to say, the first time I saw this movie, I wasn't sure how to take it all. I knew it was a good film, but it sure was hard to look in the mirror like this.  Why aren't things working out for Holden, I wondered.  He's the hero of the story!  But that way of thinking is exactly what this film is trying to subvert.

But wait, you may be asking, why is this film called Chasing Amy? The main character's name is Alyssa!

Well, the title refers to a story that Silent Bob tells in his only scene.  (And Jay calls Bob out for his pretentious B.S. of never speaking except to tell his anecdote to make it seem so profound, so I'll give the movie a pass for this much pat-on-the-backery.)  Bob tells about his true love Amy who also had a past that Bob couldn't feel comfortable with.  After losing her because of it, he realizes that the past doesn't matter, but it's the present and the future.  And so, he is forever chasing Amy.

The Ending:
And here is what I initially hated about the film and now love.

After hearing Bob's story and taking it to heart, you'd think Holden would come up with a plan to fix the situation and realize that he's been a right jerk this entire time.  And so does Holden.

But his proposal of a threesome with Alyssa and Banky completely blows up in his face.  It's heartbreaking, awkward, and hilarious to see him suggest this ridiculous solution with such earnestness.  It causes him to lose both Banky and Alyssa in the process.  He hadn't learned his lesson one bit.  The "hero" doesn't win.

(There is an epilogue that shows that Holden spent a year soul searching while Banky and Alyssa moved on with their lives.  He may not get the girl in the end, but at least he learned about himself.)

Final Thoughts:
Six years ago, I couldn't believe that a romantic comedy would end without "true love" winning out in the end.  But as I watched this film again today, I realized that this was not a story about true love at all.  It was a story about mistakes, regrets, and selfish behavior lead by a protagonist with a "hero complex" who felt that everything would just work out for him in the end.  He allowed his jealousy, his insecurities, and his lack of social intelligence get the better of him, and in the end, lost what may have truly been the best thing he had going for him in his life.

Holden is not your average anti-hero.  It seems as if he is doing everything right.  He's nice, genuine and only wants the best for people.  But he has flaws that he ignores and they end up destroying him.

True love is messy.  True love hurts.  This is devastating and raw, but sometimes we need a film that make us take a long hard look at ourselves so we know that sometimes the best place to start fixing problems is within ourselves.