CHASING CHASING AMY - Mark Reviews Movies

Chasing Chasing Amy, Level 33 Entertainment

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Review by Mark Dujsik | October 31, 2024

Chasing Chasing Amy is about Kevin Smith's romantic dramedy from 1997, when it felt like a leap for the filmmaker's storytelling abilities and, even if Smith didn't quite know what he was doing at the time, a bit revolutionary in its depiction of sexuality. It's less about the film itself, though, and more about how it affected people who saw it and those who made it. Director Sav Rodgers' personal documentary is constantly in conversation with Smith's film, with its proponents and detractors, with its makers, and, most intriguingly of all, with itself.

Of all the movies that were about or featured ideas of sexuality, why does Rodgers concentrate on this one? It certainly doesn't seem like an ideal candidate, since controversy emerged almost from the start about how one of its characters, a self-proclaimed lesbian, seems to "go straight" when she meets the right man. At the time, ideas of the fluidity of sexuality weren't as known or accepted as they are today, so whether Smith was aware of it or not, the character almost makes more sense in a modern context than she did in the film's contemporary one.

That's a cultural defense one could put forward for Chasing Amy, and it certainly emerges here, as Rodgers interviews other filmmakers, critics, and experts who have mixed feelings about the film—even amidst their generally positive or negative assessment of the material. That's fascinating enough, because the experience of watching and analyzing a movie is pretty, well, fluid, too. Some films get better in retrospect, and other movies diminish with time. It's all subjective, of course, and here's a firm reminder that conversations and debates about movies are worth having, will continue to be relevant, and don't need to stop after a movie's premiere at a festival or its wider release.

As all of that unfolds, though, there is Rodgers' own story and long-term relationship with Smith's film to consider. Rodgers came to some prominence after giving in a TED Talk in 2018, describing the ways in which the film offered comfort amidst personal confusion and anguish about sexuality and identity. The lecture caught the attention of many on social media, including cast members Ben Affleck (who doesn't appear here), Jason Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams, who played the aforementioned love interest who raised so many questions and concerns.

Through that, Smith himself discovered Rodgers' speech, reached out to the budding filmmaker, and asked to meet. It wasn't just for Rodgers' benefit, either. Smith loved the idea that a film so close to him and often derided in certain circles had found such a champion—especially in the context of looking at the film as a positive in terms of sexual identity.

The documentary came out of this unexpected connection, as Rodgers visits various film locations, sits down with some of the film's defenders and critics, and even visits Smith in his home, before speaking at length with the filmmaker in front of some cameras.

Rodgers' film, though, is also about the director's own life, as Rodgers moves in with a long-time online girlfriend and proposes to her. There's another detail, though, that emerges during one of those one-on-one discussions with Smith. Rodgers, who initially presents as a woman when this story begins, reveals to Smith that he is a trans man but has not publicly announced that fact. Smith's off-camera response is the push Rodgers needs to finally come out.

Does the film matter more, less, or just the same with this event? Rodgers has to figure that out as his life changes with transitioning and growing closer to his fiancée, and it is lovely to see that relationship endure and even grow stronger amidst the shifts, Rodgers' increased investment in making the documentary, and the continuing struggle to figure out why Chasing Amy means so much to him and what he's supposed to do with his adoration for the film.

He's making the documentary, of course, but to what end is he making it? Yes, he becomes friends with a personal hero, who offers personal and professional pieces of advice and encouragement along the way. Yes, Rodgers gets to fulfill the dream of making his first feature, filled with interviews with the likes of Smith, Lee, Adams, a bunch of cultural critics, and indie filmmaker Guinevere Turner. Yes, he gets closer and closer to fulfilling the kind of grand love story that almost happened in Chasing Amy, except that the lead character, whom Smith says is very much a personal stand-in, can't overcome his insecurities and fears.

The film means a lot to Rodgers, obviously. It means a lot in different ways to Smith, too, of course. The defenders have their say, and critics have theirs. Then, Adams arrives for a joint interview with Smith, and the two—mostly him—talk about how the story of the film reflected the romantic relationship they had at the time. Everything seems pleasant, but when Rodgers sits down to talk with Adams alone, the entire purpose of Rodgers' documentary explodes in his face.

It's one thing to look at a film from an exclusively personal or theoretical perspective, but Adams, in a raw interview that discusses her career and her relationship with Smith, lays bare the limits of such a perspective. If personal stories matter so much about Chasing Amy, why has hers been ignored for more than two decades? It's nice and safe to talk about the implications of the on-screen love story as cultural criticism, but has anyone considered the practical side of Adams seeing so much of her own life on the screen?

It's something how Chasing Chasing Amy, which initially seems restricted by its personal point of view, expands so much over the course of its narrative. It raises questions for the filmmaker to confront, and through Rodgers' own experiences in making the documentary, it forces us to confront them, too.

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