Author/director Kevin Smith says 1997’s Chasing Amy supplied a shot at redemption after Mallrats flopped as a Clerks follow-up.
When Kevin Smith made Clerks, he was on prime of the indie comedy scene. With that, he had some clout to get his subsequent film going with out a lot of a wait. Sadly, it was about as well-received as a stink palm, forcing Smith again to the drafting board — or the comedian e-book panels, returning with Chasing Amy in a go-for-broke transfer.
Chasing Amy nonetheless stays one of many bravest movies of the Nineties, not just for its content material however for the way Kevin Smith used it as a technique to present he nonetheless had a spot within the enterprise. As he remembers in the brand new documentary Chasing Chasing Amy (through Folks), “Clerks began my career. Mallrats killed it. So you got me needing to do something to stay in this business, or else we were out. That’s a big part of where [the movie] comes from.”
With Chasing Amy, Kevin Smith concluded what is usually referred to as his Jersey Trilogy. He, too, redeemed himself and confirmed he might combine lowbrow humor with real maturity. Actually, in a 12 months that had movies like Boogie Nights, L.A. Confidential, Good Will Searching, Jackie Brown, and so many extra, I’m not towards Chasing Amy being within the dialog of one of the best movies of 1997.
Whereas Chasing Amy is ideal as a standalone movie, Kevin Smith has gone again to the properly for the primary motion pictures within the Jersey Trilogy, giving Clerks its personal trilogy and making an attempt to get a Mallrats sequel out of the meals court docket — one thing that’s as shut as ever to occurring.
Chasing Amy would find yourself being a essential favourite and garner quite a few awards, successful two Impartial Spirit Awards for Kevin Smith’s screenplay and Jason Lee’s flip as Banky. But it surely wouldn’t be lead Joey Lauren Adams that Smith would reward essentially the most, saying, “And then, of course, Joey. Chasing Amy without Joey would’ve been a soulless husk, like an idea.” Adams can be nominated for the Golden Globe within the Musical or Comedy class, dropping out to Helen Hunt for As Good As It Will get.
The place would you rank Chasing Amy in Kevin Smith’s filmography? Do you suppose he redeemed himself with that film?
