CHASING AMY
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1997 Michael John Legeros
(Mirimax)
Directed by Kevin Smith
Written by Kevin Smith
Cast Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Dwight Ewell,
Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith
MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for profanity and sexual language)
Running Time 111 minutes
Reviewed at The Rialto Theatre, Raleigh, NC (18APR97)
==
Kevin Smith's raunchy romantic comedy, of the boy-meets-lesbian variety, has one of the smartest scripts that we'll likely see this year. Oh, sure, the writer/director of CLERKS and the underappreciated MALLRATS covers his fair share of familiar ground. That the main characters are comic-book artists is no surprise. Nor are the many "R"-rated discussions of sexual practices. (One, ah, cunning linguist cites CNN and the Weather Channel and his need for "constant updates.") What's new for the Smithster-- who also reprises his role as Silent Bob, for one scene-- is a poignancy that creeps into the characters and their situations. (The subject of a young man trying to accept his partner's sexual past is, indeed, heart-breaking.) Alas, the downside to this wonderfully written (and side-splitting funny) work is that it's also *directed* by Kevin Smith. He's getting better with tone, I'll give him that, but his choice of actors still leaves a lot to be desired. The worst offender, by far, is lead actress Joey Lauren Adams. With her Joker grin and Jennifer Tilly voice, she's instantly off-putting. Bring cotton for your ears.
Grade: B
--
Mike Legeros - Movie Hell http://www.n-vision.com/hell/
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