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Luckily at this particular gathering their subversive friend Hooper (Dwight Ewell) is giving a speech, thrilling all with his black-power stance. What the masses don't know, however, is that under Hooper's leather jacket beats the heart of a flirty gay man. Like any other industry, comic books are sold on image; their adolescent target audience demands it. If you try to sell them something else, like tear-filled romance, then your circulation will remain low. Just ask Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), a feisty and attractive artist. Struggling to break into the big-time of Bluntman & Chronic, Jones is unwilling to compromise on her ideals; an issue on which Holden is destined to become an expert.
Capping his self-described New Jersey trilogy, Chasing Amy sees Kevin Smith cutting back on production costs while making great strides towards a more developed writing style. From the very beginning Smith's perception of human frailty, and an ability to translate that into words, has been evident. Yet only now is this talent taken to the next level, drawing more than cheap laughs from lives in turmoil. In Chasing Amy there is complexity, a recognition that women are more than just a conversation topic for self-obsessed men. Smith can thus move onto the consequences of decisions made, personal tragedy that unfolds before our eyes. Here the characters feel and react in an all too familiar way, pushing away their greatest desire without seeming to realise; only the audience, external observer, sees the big picture. It's a sad, pitiful and achingly desperate merry-go-round, yet one full of humour!
Oddly enough it's not Smith's characters that engender such an emotional response but what he has them say. In several outstanding monologues, paced throughout the film, the cast expounds on love, friendship, regret, choices and sex (many times). Chasing Amy exists for these moments and, on the whole, they make the lulls bearable. This is not to say that the performances are poor though, more that Smith seems to rate hiring a professional cast on par with smooth camerawork. As a result the major parts come across as nothing special, interesting only in their commonality; they are neither perfect nor beautiful, merely flawed and average in their quotidian problems. The big exception is Ewell, a fount of obvious truth and master of his dual-lifestyle. That said, Smith is nothing if not loyal. Both Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob return, along with other familiar faces, adding a pleasing strand of continuity and in-jokes for those in the know.
The key to Chasing Amy is Holden and Alyssa's relationship; if you can swallow the pill that allows them to come together then the rest is a breeze. With a little reflection, however, Smith's sleight of hand can be glimpsed in this single pivotal moment. On one hand he portrays lesbians without cliché or stereotype, as women who love women. There's no agenda, merely the reality that they find other women sexually attractive. Yet at the same time he panders to the male fantasy of lesbianism; all they need is the right man to "cure" them, lesbian sex is not "real" sex and they're into weird, kinky rituals. These are the conflicting signals that Smith, perhaps wisely, makes no effort to resolve. As it is he appeals to the widest possible audience, there's something here for everyone. The question is, does his trickery matter? Only if you think it does.
Forever coupled to Clerks and Mallrats by Smith, Chasing Amy more than holds its end up. While the quota of hilarious lines is greatly reduced, the film makes up for this void with spot-on sketches of stupidity and a solid understanding of the chasm between the sexes. At times it's difficult to watch Holden, as he blocks every escape route, yet each of his steps is true to himself and true to us. He's an idiot, too short-sighted to be happy with the now, and so (potentially) are we. Yet even when we realise this fact Smith can make us laugh, not just through profanity but via a genuine comprehension of what makes us tick. Chasing Amy is hardly the perfect romantic comedy, Smith is not a complete enough director just now, but it is entertaining and surprisingly conversation provoking.
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