CHASING CHASING AMY (Dir. Sav Rodgers, 2023)
This documentary begins with an old school VHS cassette being popped into a VCR, with the year being noted as 2008. As we hear audio from the trailer of Kevin Smith’s 1997 rom com, CHASING AMY, we see graphic novel-style panels (just like in the opening of the original movie) that depict a glasses, backwards-baseball cap-wearing kid plopped down in front of a TV. “Our young hero watches CHASING AMY over and over…and over…and over,” little boxes in the comic panels tell us.
That young hero is filmmaker, writer, producer Sav Rodgers, who has turned his obsession with CHASING AMY into a Ted Talk, and now this film, which explores Rodgers’ journey with the movie from seeing it at age 12, and dealing its problematic reputation in the LGBTQ+ community.
In an introductory montage, we get the lowdown – Ben Affleck, and Joey Lauren Adams are the leads in the film that was a breakthrough for Smith after a few minor splashes (the black and white crude comedy CLERKS, and the kinda crappy crude comedy MALLRATS) in the indie scene of the ‘90s. A clip from Late Night with Conan O’Brien features Adams explaining the film’s premise: “It’s about a guy who falls in love with a lesbian, finds out she’s had heterosexual relationships, and can’t deal with that.”
But for its detractors, it’s about how a lesbian can be turned by the ‘right guy.’ When asked if the film is authentic to the LGBTQ community, CHASING AMY Casting Director Shane Lory says, “No, I find it authentic to the straight white dude who happens to fall for the queer woman community.”
Rodgers, who came out as a trans man during the making of this doc, tells his Ted Talk audience, and us, that through tough times being bullied in high school, “I did have this one movie. I had a movie where the gay, and lesbian characters were good; they were intelligent, and funny, and out – they were able to live as their authentic selves. And you know what? The spirit of CHASING AMY kept me alive for years to come despite the suicidal thoughts that began to permeate from the trauma that I was continuously experiencing at school.”
Rodgers’ Ted Talk get some action on Twitter which leads to Adams and Affleck taking notice and retweeting, and then Smith himself contacting our young hero. Rodgers visits Smith at his comic and movie memorabilia-stocked home, and they bond immediately, but it’s not until Smith sits down for an interview, that we get any insight. We learn that Smith’s first film, CLERKS, came out at the same time as Rose Troche’s lesbian drama GO FISH, written by Guinevere Turner, who appears here to say that the films were siblings, and her relationship, or “romantic friendship” (as Turner calls it) with Smith’s friend/collaborator largely informed CHASING AMY.
To tell Rodgers’ story, his doc goes from one interview to another, with clips from the film interjected, but while it’s watchable, and quick-moving, it doesn’t really dive too deep into its subject matter. Even when it comes to the involvement of Miramax producer, Harvey Weinstein, who was later convicted of first-degree criminal sex act, third-degree rape, and is now serving a 23-year prison, it only offers such expected observations like Smith saying, “I can’t undo the fact that my career is tied up with him.”
The most substantial interview segment comes from the film’s leading lady, Adams, who explains that why she’s proud of CHASING AMY, she doesn’t “like looking back at that time,” and still has issues with Smith “making me feel bad for living the life I had lived,” as much of the material was based on his insecurities about her past sexual experiences when they were dating.
Rodgers is likable as he awkwardly shuffles through the film’s original locations, has sone mushy AF hangs with his girlfriend, Riley, and cutely conducts interviews with Smith, but the film can be a gooey tribute that won’t likely be tolerated by folks who dislike Smith (and I’ve known many). Personally I’ve found the dude to be a bit pleased at his own persona, but still a likable stoner sort. However, after the early promise of his films, a lot of his work (the CLERKS and JAY AND SILENT BOB sequels, TUSK, and especially YOGA HOSERS) has sucked (I did like RED STATE though).
CHASING AMY is the director’s most personal (and probably best) work, and this very personal doc has its touching moments via Rodgers’ sincere gestures of thanks for Smith’s irregular rom com, but it doesn’t have much to say about its stature these days in the LGBTQ+ community. It fills in such spaces with a lot about Rodgers, and his all-too-wonderful relationship with his wife Riley, which, hey, I’m happy for them kids, and love ’n all, but it was a little too much at times.
How CHASING CHASING AMY only skirts the surface of its subject without offering any real thesis can be found in this sound-bite from Princess Weekes (Geek Girl Pop Culture Site, The Mary Sue), “Sometimes, something that’s problematic can still mean a lot in your development.” Well, duh.
More later…