This is third firm in writer/ director Kevin Smith's "New Jersey Trilogy". The first two being "Clerks", and "Mallrats". It stars Ben Affleck, and Joey Lauren Adams.
    It is an intelligent romantic comedy. The film starts with two comic book creators Holden (Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee) who have known each other since they were kids. At a convention Holden meets Alyssa, who he thinks is the girl of his dreams. He soon learns Alyssa is a lesbian. The two become friends at first. Holden falls in love with her. In a very dramatic scene he reveals his feelings towards her in which she finally says she is in love with him too. The relation ship between begins to stress the friendship between Holden and Banky. Banky tells Holden of a story he heard about Alyssa and some wild sex act she was involved in during High School. Holden confronts her about this and they end up in a big fight. After thinking things through, Holden makes a decision that leads to both his relationship with Alyssa and his friendship with Banky to a point of no return.
    In a lesser writer's hands this story could have been very cheap. Smith's great gift in writing is in his dialog. The writing feels true to life. He can bring your from one scene which is very serious to the next where you are busting out laughing without it feeling awkward. The title comes from a story Smith tells in the film through a character he himself plays, Silent Bob. The story relates how Silent Bob had this girlfriend, Amy. When she told him about a threesome in her past, he freaked out. When he realizes how stupid he was, it was too late she had moved on. From then on he tells Holden he's been Chasing Amy sorta speak.
    What really make me connect to this movie is how when you can have something so good we humans (maybe its just the male of the species) can screw it up so badly. The film also deals more frankly with gay/lesbian/straight issues than any film I can remember.
    As in his previous films, characters, and locations pop up in this film from the others. The most prominent, are Jay and Silent Bob. In away, these films are an anthology series with Jay and Silent Bob being the common link. Also various names of characters from previous films are brought up in this film. To top it off Affleck, Adams, and Lee all were in "Mallrats", all playing quite different characters. Oh and of course There are plenty of references to Star Wars throughout the film.

 

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Page updated: 6/15/1998