When director Kevin Smith released his first film, "Clerks," in 1994, he was quickly heralded as a young, up-and-coming comic "artiste". The film, shot in stark black and white and featuring all unknown actors, was a cult hit and also just happened to be downright hilarious. "Clerks" earned Smith the Filmmaker's Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival that year, and a director was suddenly born.
All was right with the world until the dreaded sophomore slump reared its ugly head. It hit Smith especially hard. The abysmal "Mallrats" earned enough bad reviews to send a less confident filmmaker applying for a job at the nearest McDonald's, and it tanked at the box office as well. Smith was in a decidedly unenviable position, and his next film would be crucial for his career. He could either re-establish himself as a major comic voice or be sent on the road to "one hit wonder" oblivion.
Smith's most recent effort, "Chasing Amy" was released this spring as the third and final chapter to the director's New Jersey trilogy, and it is now safe to say that Smith is here to stay. The film is easily his best and most mature work to date. In it, a young comic book artist named Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) develops a crush on one of his artist peers, Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), a woman who looks like Jewel and talks like Betty Boop. This would not be a big deal if it were not for the fact that Alyssa is a lesbian and rejects Holden's flirtations. This lady's man's fragile ego is wounded, but Holden still likes Alyssa and becomes friends with her anyway. Here is where things get complicated. Holden falls seriously in love with Alyssa once he gets to know her on a more personal level, and he confesses his feelings for her in a monologue that is sweet, touching, and devoid of any of the smugness that is typically associated with Smith's writing. To Holden's surprise, Alyssa eventually succumbs to his advances and reciprocates his affection.
Other filmmakers may have ended the movie right here, but Smith continues to explore the character's psyches. After the initial pride that Holden feels in having "conquered new territory," he begins to learn that Alyssa had had numerous sexual partners in the past, including many men. He promptly freaks, and makes decisions which threaten to ruin his relationship with Alyssa as well as his friendship with his comic book partner Banky Edwards (a very funny Jason Lee).
This is a challenging film, and Smith's unrelenting honesty makes for an emotionally rich work. He deals with sexuality and love in a frank manner, and his characters are finely drawn and full of stunning contradictions. Adams gives the most moving performance as Alyssa, a woman whose experiences have made her realize the value of commitment and the importance of real love. Despite her tiny voice, Adams captures all of the wisdom and passion of this character, and she manages to be incredibly strong while evoking tremendous sympathy from the audience.
The strongest supporting performance is given by Dwight Ewell, who plays a gay comic book artist with a sharp tongue and kooky wardrobe. Ewell steals every scene that he is in, and his speech at a comic book convention at the beginning of the movie is among the funniest that the film has to offer.
Less impressive is Affleck, who has the difficult job of trying to make an emotionally immature character seem likable. He fails. While Holden may be good at heart, his actions are often selfish, and he hurts those around him.
Affleck is not enough of a presence to make the character's redeeming moments -- like his declaration of love to Alyssa and his final scenes in the movie -- stick and atone for his less appealing behavior. His lack of expressiveness prevents filmgoers from feeling that Holden changes as the film progresses. Instead, the actor simply goes through the motions of his character, and when he gives his "I am aware now" face at the end of the movie, it is not convincing. Some of his final scenes could have been real gut-wrenchers, but he drains them of their energy and dramatic potential.
If Holden's character were not so fundamental to the film, Affleck's poor showing would be less troubling. However, this is a very juicy role, and with the absence of a strong actor to play it, the audience is prevented from witnessing the film achieve dramatic nirvana.
Affleck's performance aside, "Chasing Amy" is quite impressive. Its success proves that Smith has not lost any of his wit since "Clerks." It also shows that he has the ability to craft an actual story, and an intense and fascinating one at that. It will be interesting to see what he does next.
"Chasing Amy" plays today at 6:45 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. in the Spaulding Auditorium as part of the film series, "Shattering the Ceiling," created by the Dartmouth Film Society.
