Chasing Amy (1997)

Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer:

Kevin Smith

Stars:

Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Suplee	...	Fan
Ben Affleck	...	Holden McNeil
Scott Mosier	...	Collector
Jason Lee	...	Banky Edwards
Casey Affleck	...	Little Kid
Dwight Ewell	...	Hooper X
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Alyssa Jones
Guinevere Turner	...	Singer
Carmen Llywelyn	...	Kim (as Carmen Lee)
Brian O'Halloran	...	Jim Hicks - Executive #1
Matt Damon	...	Shawn Oran - Executive #2
Alexander Goebbel	...	Train Kid
Tony Torn	...	Cashier
Rebecca Waxman	...	Dalia
Paris Petrick	...	Tory

Storyline

A pair of comic book authors named Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards, who live in New Jersey, have been best friends for 20 years. They spend their time working in their studio, and in the evenings they are going out. But their friendship is about to be disputed for the first time in their life, when a beautiful young lesbian woman named Alyssa Jones enters their life and Holden falls in love with her. Now Holden has to deal with Banky's jealousy, and with his new girlfriend's very rich past.

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Plot Keywords:

silent bob character | jay character | dialogue heavy | shared universe | comic book | 

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Taglines:

It's not who you love. It's how.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic sex-related dialogue, language, sexuality and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chasing Amy

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$52,446, 6 April 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,006,514, 28 September 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Too Askew Prod. Inc., View Askew Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sign for the Manhattan Comic Con notes that the event is presented by "Flanagan Events". This is a reference to Walter Flanagan, who played several roles in Clerks (1994) and Mallrats (1995). He was supposed to be in this film as Walt the fan boy, but his scenes were deleted.

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Goofs

The length of Silent Bob's cigarette when giving the speech about the origins of "Chasing Amy".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Comic Book Writer #1: I don't know. I love Chow Yun Fat. I just don't see him playing Madman.

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Crazy Credits

Jay and Silent Bob will return in "Dogma" ... (promise).

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Alternate Versions

A little bit more between Hooper and his older boyfriend (played by Bob Hawk);

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Ben Affleck Performances (2012)

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Soundtracks

Live Wire
(1969)
Written by Leo Nocentelli, Art Neville (as Arthur Neville), George Porter and Joseph Modeliste
Performed by The Meters
Courtesy of Rhino Records, Inc.

User Reviews

casting couch gone awry again

I thought this was a pretty good film for a first time filmmaker...until I learned it was Kevin Smith's fourth film (three features and a documentary). It continually astonishes me to learn how many of my college "back in the day" friends liked this film. The preoccupation with "lesbians" is something that most men grow out of, say, by the 8th or 9th grade, unless they suffer some sort of arrested development. And what is it with Joey Lauren Adams squeaky voice and the constant use of soft focus with her closeups? I guess there is something to be said for having a relationship with the director. Either the publicity poster for the film was heavily doctored, or Adams went off her Ritalin regimen, but she looks awful in the film. Don't even get me started on Affleck, see my review for "Pearl Harbor". He is a very irritating performer who is clearly in love with the sound of his own voice. The only bright spot in the film is Jason Lee, who I could watch in just about anything, he's one of the brightest new talents to come along in cinema since Johnny Depp had his breakthrough with "Edward Scissorhands".