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Chasing Amy - Criterion Collection

Chasing Amy - Criterion Collection

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Deals with lesbianism, sex, friendship, relationships, etc
Review: Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee) write a comic book together titled "Bluntman & Chronic." One day at a convention their gay friend Hooper (Dwight Ewell) introduces them to a fellow comic book writer, Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams). For Holden it's love at first sight. He totally falls for Alyssa, but when he finds out she's a lesbian, that kind of changes things a little bit.

You have to be an adult about this movie. You can't go in seeing it thinking it's just another Kevin Smith comedy. This one deals with a very serious subject that really makes you think. It's funny, but it really makes you think. This is probably Kevin Smith's best. Though it does kind of leave you hanging, it's a great film. You all should see it....that is if you think you can handle it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's not who you love. It's how
Review: This film is simply remarkable. Kevin Smith has taken his ideas to a new level in this new comedy-drama. It's about two cartoonist who are bad at love. But one of them, Holden, played greatly by Ben Aflek, falls in love with a fellow artist, alyssa, who he finds out later is gay. Kevin Smith's 3rd film takes itself to new boundries & breaks them. It's truly terrific. Smart, funny, & yet irresistble. There's also a quick cameo by Jay & Silent Bob where Silent Bob opens up his heart in his moment where he reveals who Amy actually is, & why she was being chased. Recommended greatly. This dvd also includes delteted scenes, which are worth a look at, outtakes, hillarious commentary which you should listen to, and introduction to the film by the man himself, kevin smith. This is basically worth every penny. It doesn't matter who you are, you'll love this film. I would give this 4 1-2 stars, only cause jay & silent Bob where only in the film for the end, but its really a 5 star movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I'm still not sure I understand the title of the film
Review: About three-quarters of the way through, Silent Bob explains that HE was the one chasing Amy - up until this point I couldn't understand why it wasn't called Chasing Alyssa.

This movie is part of a 'set' of Kevin Smith films, two of which I've seen, and liked (Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back). And now I like a third one! If you've only seen one, then I suggest you look out for the others, as there's loads of references, in-jokes and characters appearing in all the movies. I still have to get Clerks & Mallrats.

I did feel that Jay & Silent Bob didn't have big roles in this. They appeared regularly throughout in Dogma, and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back - well, that film was all about them! I'm totally after Clerks & Mallrats now. I'm ashamed to say I'm actually beginning to like Jay and Silent Bob - I have to say that I prefer Silent Bob, his facial expressions are hilarious.

For some reason, I was not keen on Joey Lauren Adams character. Her voice totally got on my nerves, and she generally bugged the hell out of me during the whole film.

The extras were fantastic, THE best extras I've seen yet on a DVD. There's a very long DVD intro from Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jason Mews, and some other guy, and these guys feature in some hilarious scenes when they're trying to introduce the outtakes/deleted scenes, and the colour bars. There's also some mentions that Jay & Silent Bob will return in Dogma (which they do), and there's a lot of thanks towards the end of the credits. These are:

To all the critics that didn't like our last movie: "All is forgiven."

GOD - For all that's come before, all that'll come after,
and most importantly, for right now.
JOEY - For giving me something personal to say. I love you poopie.
(First one who laughs gets decked!)
SCOTT - Master of the Impossible, ying to my yang, heart of my heart... He's my cherry pie.
BEN - Outstanding. Outstanding, this guy.
JASON LEE - For kicking it Reynold's style.
DWIGHT - Hi Duh-Wight.
JAY - My little Mewes.
JON GORDON - Why, Why, Why?!?
MOM & DAD - I know I've got a PG in me somewhere.
JOHN PIERSON - Guru, Czar, friend.
DAVE - For the prettiest pictures yet. At bargain basement prices, no less!
BOB HAWK - For being there from the start, teaching us what makes a movie great, and always doing the dishes.
HARVEY - Who, like a good parent, gives us money, offers endless moral support, and spanks us when we need spanking (okay... everything but the spanking part).
MIKE ALLRED - For fulfilling this fanboy's dream. See you in the
funny papers.
THE CAST AND CREW - Who worked for nothing, yet gave everything.
MATT SEITZ - For the one review that made a difference.
BRIAN MACKEWICH AND BAM - For the extra mile... and the hundred more that followed.

I actually found this film very, very sad towards the end! As I normally say in this kind of reviews, I'm rooting for the couple to be together, and when it doesn't happen, I get quite tearful!

This is a great film, despite Joey Lauren Adams voice! It's quite funny, although some of the cut scenes would have been better off left IN! I have one minor quibble - Joey Lauren Adams looks totally different in the film to the front cover! Is that just me?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Possibly Smith's most developed film
Review: Chasing Amy is quite possibly the best written of all of Kevin Smith's movies. Sure, Mallrats is funnier, and Jersey Girl is more sentimental, but Chasing Amy is a great original movie. Affleck and Jason Lee both give really great performances in this one...not a knock against Joey Lauren Adams, but Lee and Affleck develop an onscreen chemistry here that is superb. Dwight Ewell is absolutely perfect in the role of Hooper as well.

The script, as always in a Smith movie, is what steals the show. It has one of the greatest moments in any movie (BLACK RAGE!), and some real genuine conversation and thought that was not present in Mallrats and Clerks. It is slightly more mature, but still juvenile at the same time.

Its Kevin Smith. Pretty much, you'll love it or hate it. I personally love it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Chasing Fingercuffs!
Review: In Chasing Amy, Kevin Smith finds a delicate balance between the raw vulgarity and toilet humor of his other four movies while delivering his best dialogue yet. I found myself watching the final ten minutes over and over as subtle facial expressions and the brilliant detachedness of the three characters closed off any doubts as to the outcome of their relationships. Minor flaws in the dialogue reminded me of the choppiness of Clerks. I found Chasing Amy to be a stunning window into the today's generation dealing with some of its own issues. There were strong performances & sharp, smart dialogue rather than the all-too-common dumb schtick. It had urban reality and it had heart. Some sheltered people may find this film crude, and they may be right. However, this is how people in real life talk. If your tender ears can't handle words then don't rent it. For everyone else this is a great movie. Smith made this film with a low 6 figures and it looks better than many that get churned out these days. The Criterion Edition especially is amazing with great sound and a crisp picture. This isn't a life changing movie or anything but it is the most dramatic of Smith's films and there are plenty of good laughs. Give it a chance. (Make sure and listen to the directors commentary track, it's almost as funny as the film)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: CAN IT BE? AN *INTELLIGENT* MOVIE! YOU BET!
Review: It's no surprise that this movie was never the box officesuccess that it should have been: this film is much too deep and truthful for average audiences. Kevin Smith provides some incredible insights about people and relationships, but most folks don't want to think when they go to the movies and would much prefer to see pulpy schmaltz about characters overcoming their idiotic superficial differences and living happily ever after.

I won't sum up the movie as other reviewers have done a great job of that here. Two things that I wish to comment on, however: 1) The "F" word is used extensively here, some will say overused, as is explicit sexual dialog. If you're watching with children (despite the R rating), you are hereby warned. 2) This film has two of the most touching and emotional moments I've seen in a contemporary movie: Holden's declaration of love to Alyssa in the car (Affleck's delivery is so honest and true and impassioned that you will practically feel his nervous relief when he finally tells her) and Alyssa's tearful speech when she realizes that she must leave him (this portion of the script is brilliant and Alyssa's deep hard-hitting dialog could only have been written by someone who's been there).

On to the technical aspects of the disc -- The audio is absolutely perfect: not too loud, not too soft, the dialog/music/sound effects are all perfectly balanced. This is one of a small handful of DVD's where you can set the volume once and you don't need to constantly adjust it. (DVD producers should take note of this! There's nothing more annoying than having to crank up the volume because the dialog is too soft, only to have the house rattle once the music or sound effects kick in.) The video is a bit grainy at times, something I find very surprising coming from a contemporary Criterion release. This is minor, considering the excellence of the story itself.

The deleted scenes are interesting and funny. The commentary is good, but because it's a group effort, it can get annoying when everyone's trying to speak at once or when they don't stick to the on-screen action. Small doses are recommended for this one. Finally, the outtakes are funny, but too few.

In all, it's rare to see such an intelligent contemporary movie. This is a DVD worth owning.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: 'Till the other shoe drops
Review: Interesting but pretty improbable, and ultimately it will be unworkable. It should have been written as a tragedy instead it is a farce.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: it doesn't feel like kevin smith
Review: When you hear talk of Kevin Smith, usually you hear that Chasing Amy is his best movie. It is in a way. The thing about Chasing Amy is that it doesn't feel like a Kevin Smith movie. Not like his others. It's a little more sophisticated, and even though the characters are comic book artists, and Kevin Smith characters, it doesn't feel as juvenile as his other work (and don't get me wrong, I love his work).

Basically it's a love story. It's really a sweet story. Holden falls in love with lesbian Alyssa. It goes from there. It has the snappy dialogue Smith is known for. It deals with the issues of sexuality, friendship, relationships, obsession, and self-doubt. Jason Lee gives an outstanding performance. Joey Lauren Adams plays the role perfectly. And we get just a touch of Jay and Silent Bob. Really, it is Smith's best work, and his most mature.

That being said, Ben Affleck almost ruins the movie. Affleck has never really been known for his great acting skill, but I've seen him do a better job than in this film. He's wooden, unbelievable, and just all around bad. (luckily he had Kevin Smith's dialogue, and the great performances by Jason Lee, Joey Lauren Adams, Dwight Ewell and to carry him.) Another weak point of the movie is it still has that slightly amatuerish feel to it. It's Smith's third movie, so you would've thought he could get rid of that film school feel. Maybe it helps add to the charm, and despite Affleck, it's a great movie.

Like usual, Kevin Smith creates a great dvd. There's an introduction to the dvd (apologizing for his comments about dvd on the laser disk commentary track). There's commentary with Smith, Scott Mosier (who produces like everything of Smith's), Ben Affleck (and this man should be banned from commentary. all he does is try to hog as much of the spotlight as he can and says the most inane things--jason mewes' drunken snoring on the Clerks commentary was more insightful), Jason Mewes (who didn't have much to say, but then his part was only ten minutes long), Robert Hawk (assoc producer), Vincent Pereira (View Askew historian) and Miramax executive Jon Gordon. They also have a brief epilogue to the commentary, which is basically Affleck making an ... of himself (I dont' hate the guy, just here on Chasing Amy). There are ten delted scenes and outtakes. There's the trailer and an introduction to the color bars (which come at the end of laser disk), which is quite funny. The booklet that comes with the dvd has a View Askewniverse Legend, which can help clear up the who's who in Smith's first three films.

Just to make sure there is no confusion. This is a great movie. Despite it's flaws, it is great. The best of Kevin Smith, even though it doesn't feel much like a Kevin Smith movie. Buy it. Watch. Love it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: I think Kevin Smith has done some great work here. I enjoy pretty much anything he does, but I was especially impressed with this film. In my opinion, what makes "Chasing Amy" so appealing is the way the characters view relationships (friends & lovers). It's not the ...and they lived happily ever after... man/woman easy answer thing, beer and poker on a Saturday night with the guys. This story is as real as life and quite compelling in its honesty. I could understand Alyssa's struggle to come to terms with this twist in her sexuality, Banky's desire to wedge Holden and Alyssa apart, and as much as I wanted to deck Holden when he couldn't get over the 2 guys thing (you'll have to see the movie to understand that) I could understand his motivations, too. You don't walk away from this thinking, "<insert character> was a total jerk!", you walk away thinking, "<insert character> acted like a jerk, but that could easily have been me in the same situation".

Don't let this review fool you, though. This movie has some great comedic moments as well, and of course, Jay and Silent Bob put in an appearance. I think Jason Lee really shines in this picture, though it's hard to see that given all the outstanding performances. Definitely worth seeing.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: another popular release.
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edotion of the film.

This film the third release in the Jersey "trilogy" (quintilogy to be exact) is also the one where Silent Bob speaks more than any other release. In this film,(Ben Affleck) a comic book artist falls in love with young women who is also a comic book artist, only to discover that she is lesbian. The film is not for children and like the film "Clerks" almost got an NC-17 rating based solely on sexual dialog.

The Criterion DVD has numerous special features.
There is a new DVD edition video introdiction for the audio commentary explaining a comment made by Kevin blasting DVD's (The audio commentary as originally recorded for the laserdisc edition.)
The is full length audio commentary by director/actor Kevin Smith, producer Scott Mosier, actors Ben Affleck and Jason Mewes, associate producer Robert Hawk, Miramax executive Jon Gordon, and Vincent Pereira. There is also a Theatrical trailer, 10 deleted scenes with introductions. There is also a set of outtakes.

The Criterion Collection remains the exclusive distributer for the film's DVD format as of the time this review is being written.


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