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Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams
Director: Kevin Smith
Genre: Comedy
Year: 1997
Rating: 3 / 5

Following Clerks and Mallrats, two cult classics which never caught on with the public at large, Chasing Amy had a difficult task at hand. The film had to please the previous films' core audience, while broadening the fan base. Chasing Amy, the third installment in director Kevin Smith's "trilogy," offers a more serious tone than its predecessors, which is both good and bad. While not nearly as humourous as the earlier efforts, Chasing Amy attempts to tackle some more serious issues about relationships, bringing vulgarities, Jay, and Silent Bob along for the ride.

Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams return from Mallrats, though in decidedly different roles. Affleck stars as Holden McNeil, one half of "Bank Holdups," the comic book label he started with partner Banky Edwards (Lee). The two struggling artists who double as roommates might be on their way up professionally, but they still have huge personal holes to fill in their lives. Enter the bubbly Alyssa Jones (Adams), who instantly catches the attention of Holden. One slight problem for Holden: Alyssa is a lesbian.

What could have easily degenerated to base humor as Holden quested for his new flame thankfully veers in another direction, as we come to see the true motivations behind Holden and Alyssa. It seems that Alyssa's desire to explore the world of female partners was a conscious one designed at ensuring that she not limit the options open to her in life. She does not wish to be someone who sits back later in life wondering if she let the best things in life pass her by. Holden, on the other hand, has followed one path his entire life, and feels that Alyssa is the one he has always been looking for. Holden might be out of luck, save for the fact that he makes Alyssa feel like no male has made her feel before, leading her to question the very essence of her lifestyle.

Chasing Amy, thanks to all of its quirks and oddities, can certainly not be accused of being unoriginal. Even though some of the humor harkens back to Smith's earlier works, it merely serves to decorate the exterior of this film. Affleck comes off surprisingly sincere as the sensitive guy who's coming to grips with Alyssa's lifestyle choices. Save for a few scenes which highlight his lifelong friendship with Holden, Banky comes across as a rather lethargic Generation X stereotype, meandering through life without real purpose. Adams adds lots of pep and bounce to her role as the confused Alyssa, and actually delivers some powerful emotional outbursts near the film's conclusion. Of course, the true stars of the film, at least for those who have watched Clerks and Mallrats, are Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith (the director), who reprise their peculiar roles as Jay and Silent Bob. The only characters to remain constant throughout the three films, these two always seem to show up at the most bizarre times, offering offbeat, though occasionally brilliant advice. That would also happen to be the best way to describe Chasing Amy: offbeat, though occasionally brilliant.

Cast:

Ben Affleck..........	Holden McNeil
Joey Lauren Adams..........	Alyssa Jones
Jason Lee..........	Banky Edwards
Dwight Ewell..........	Hooper
Jason Mewes..........	Jay
Kevin Smith..........	Silent Bob

Certification: Rated R for langauge.
Running Time: 105 minutes.

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