We all have our problematic faves. Especially if you’ve been watching movies for longer than, say, yesterday. The #MeToo reckoning didn’t just reveal the monsters in Hollywood’s closet, it also made it impossible to ignore the pervasive sexism, misogyny, and power imbalances permeating every aspect of the industry. So pervasive, in fact, that very few projects weren’t touched by the stench. In the case of Kevin Smith, his career is directly tied to Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax, which produced and distributed four of his early films, including one of his biggest hits, “Chasing Amy.”
Released in 1997, “Chasing Amy” followed on the heels of Smith’s debut hit “Clerks” and the sophomoric flop “Mallrats.” The film stars Joey Lauren Adams as an effortlessly cool lesbian and Ben Affleck as the persistent straight man who falls in love with (and eventually seduces) her. Funny, romantic, and a total straight man’s fantasy,...
Released in 1997, “Chasing Amy” followed on the heels of Smith’s debut hit “Clerks” and the sophomoric flop “Mallrats.” The film stars Joey Lauren Adams as an effortlessly cool lesbian and Ben Affleck as the persistent straight man who falls in love with (and eventually seduces) her. Funny, romantic, and a total straight man’s fantasy,...
- 6/13/2023
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
With the unfortunate history of portrayals of many marginalized communities, the first films to kick open the door to mainstream representation were often made outside of a community, resulting in work that is deemed problematic in today’s environment. Chasing Amy being one such example: though the third film from Kevin Smith met some controversy, it did not have picket lines that his fourth, Dogma, would invite.
For Sav Rodgers, a kid growing up in Kanas who adored Ben Affleck, Chasing Amy became a gateway into understanding themselves and, ultimately, who they wanted to become. In his highly personal feature film debut, the trans filmmaker expands upon his viral Ted talk, unpacking multiple problems with Chasing Amy and the ’90s independent film scene. It was a time of gatekeepers that often, intentionally or not, suppressed mainstream LGBTQ films made from within the community, bankrolling and elevating voices like Kevin Smith––in his sheer provocation,...
For Sav Rodgers, a kid growing up in Kanas who adored Ben Affleck, Chasing Amy became a gateway into understanding themselves and, ultimately, who they wanted to become. In his highly personal feature film debut, the trans filmmaker expands upon his viral Ted talk, unpacking multiple problems with Chasing Amy and the ’90s independent film scene. It was a time of gatekeepers that often, intentionally or not, suppressed mainstream LGBTQ films made from within the community, bankrolling and elevating voices like Kevin Smith––in his sheer provocation,...
- 6/12/2023
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
This month sees the theatrical release of the documentary about Midnight Cowboy that made the festival circuit last year. At the same time, a new doc about another controversial gay-themed movie has its world premiere at Tribeca. Chasing Chasing Amy will also close next month’s Outfest in Los Angeles. This picture has a backstory as fascinating as the tale told in Kevin Smith’s 1997 romantic dramedy, Chasing Amy.
Filmmaker Sav Rodgers, a transgender man, recounts his own obsession with Kevin Smith’s movie, which played a crucial role in his coming out and later transitioning. Rodgers grew up in Kansas and, like many gay teenagers, felt like a freak and outsider in a conservative community. When he saw Chasing Amy on video, it was his first exposure to a proud lesbian character (played by Joey Lauren Adams), who eventually has a love affair with a male comic book artist...
Filmmaker Sav Rodgers, a transgender man, recounts his own obsession with Kevin Smith’s movie, which played a crucial role in his coming out and later transitioning. Rodgers grew up in Kansas and, like many gay teenagers, felt like a freak and outsider in a conservative community. When he saw Chasing Amy on video, it was his first exposure to a proud lesbian character (played by Joey Lauren Adams), who eventually has a love affair with a male comic book artist...
- 6/9/2023
- by Stephen Farber
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Do you understand why I love this movie so much?” asks Sav Rodgers, the director whose adoration of Kevin Smith’s 1997 rom-com Chasing Amy has led them on a pilgrimage to parts of New Jersey so ungentrified that, 25 years later, they’re — seriously — almost all still there. “No,” says Shana Lory. Which is a bit of a shock, given that she was the casting director.
Although it set out to be a love letter, Rodgers’ never-less-than-engaging film always was facing an uphill struggle, and it’s to their credit — to prevent spoilers, they/them pronouns will be used here just for the purposes of this review — that they’re even prepared to debate such “problematic” material at a time when pop culture is cheering on the cancellation of major artists such as Pablo Picasso by people with less gravitas than the UK’s Princess of Wales, who at least can...
Although it set out to be a love letter, Rodgers’ never-less-than-engaging film always was facing an uphill struggle, and it’s to their credit — to prevent spoilers, they/them pronouns will be used here just for the purposes of this review — that they’re even prepared to debate such “problematic” material at a time when pop culture is cheering on the cancellation of major artists such as Pablo Picasso by people with less gravitas than the UK’s Princess of Wales, who at least can...
- 6/9/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
The first clip has been unveiled for “Chasing Chasing Amy,” which will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival.
In the feature documentary, Sav Rodgers takes a journey of self-discovery while making a documentary about Kevin Smith’s 1997 film “Chasing Amy” and its polarizing reputation among LGBTQ+ people. The film explores the transformational impact of the rom-com on a 12-year-old queer kid from Kansas, coming of age and to terms with his identity. For young Sav Rodgers, the cult classic became a life raft. As Rodgers examines the film and its making as a cornerstone of LGBTQ+ cinema, he finds himself at a complicated crossroads.
Participants in the film include Smith, “Go Fish” screenwriter Guinevere Turner, “Fire Island” director Andrew Ahn and “Chasing Amy” stars Joey Lauren Adams and Scott Mosier.
Rodgers said: “The journey of making ‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ has been eye-opening in so many ways. When I was younger,...
In the feature documentary, Sav Rodgers takes a journey of self-discovery while making a documentary about Kevin Smith’s 1997 film “Chasing Amy” and its polarizing reputation among LGBTQ+ people. The film explores the transformational impact of the rom-com on a 12-year-old queer kid from Kansas, coming of age and to terms with his identity. For young Sav Rodgers, the cult classic became a life raft. As Rodgers examines the film and its making as a cornerstone of LGBTQ+ cinema, he finds himself at a complicated crossroads.
Participants in the film include Smith, “Go Fish” screenwriter Guinevere Turner, “Fire Island” director Andrew Ahn and “Chasing Amy” stars Joey Lauren Adams and Scott Mosier.
Rodgers said: “The journey of making ‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ has been eye-opening in so many ways. When I was younger,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
I like when a director knows what he/she wants from his/her film — even if the goal is to entertain on a level that ensures its legacy falls short of cinematic greatness. Some of my favorite movies are those that demand to be re-watched not for comprehension’s sake or to acknowledge metaphor underneath formal expertise, but because they’re fun. Horror/comedy is ripe for delivering exactly that result with its ability for work to simultaneously excel as an example of the genre’s common tropes and a subversion of them. Director Peter Ricq knows this and decides to lay everything on the line with cowriters Phil Ivanusic and Davila LeBlanc in Dead Shack. They clearly separate good and evil, letting each loose within a contained setting to battle to the death.
So they start things off with a rousing prologue playing with the zombie motif as lark before revealing it as truth.
So they start things off with a rousing prologue playing with the zombie motif as lark before revealing it as truth.
- 7/23/2017
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
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