So wassup with this flick?  Well, in true Smith style, favorite actors are recycled into different roles for each film, so Ben Affleck, Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams return from Mallrats, albeit as different characters.  Affleck is Holden McNeil, comic book artist, and Lee is Banky Edwards, his inker (sometimes called a tracer by derisive fans).  Holden gets the hots for Alyssa Jones, another comic book artist, who turns out to be a lesbian.  Well, sort of.  Holden is crestfallen, but hides it well and manages to cultivate a close friendship with Alyssa.  All goes well until he breaks down and admits his love for her.  She goes histrionic on him before giving in to her own feelings, and they end up dating.  Needless to say, Alyssa's fellow lesbians are bummed about this.  Things seem to go well until Holden finds out what her old nickname "Fingercuffs" means.  It has to do with her very experimental past, sex-wise.  Holden can't handle the truth, they both flip out at each other in a parking lot, and nobody's happy.  Well, except Banky, who never liked her to begin with.  Holden, who only seems to be intelligent, tries to solve it all by proposing a 3-way with Alyssa, Banky and himself so they can get all their tension out of their systems.  Fortunately the other two reject this proposal, and Holden loses her.  They meet a year later at a comic book convention, where Holden shows her his autobiographical comic book called Chasing Amy (the title coming from a tale told by Silent Bob).

Curtain.

The verdict:

This is my least-loved of Smith's films, which goes against the general consensus that this is his best film.  I vote for Dogma in that category.  Some misunderstand me and think that I hate this film.  I don't.  I just like half of it.  Specifically, the half that includes Banky, Hooper, Jay and Silent Bob.  Who are those last 3?  Hooper is the creator of a super-militant black superhero, and who projects a super-militant persona at conventions, but who is in reality a gay liberal.  The whitey-hating front is to sell copies.  As for Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith himself), these are the only characters who are in all of Smith's Jersey films.  He reuses actors all the time, but not necessarily characters.  To get all Star Wars about it, think of C-3P0 and R2-D2 being the constants in those films.  That's as good as a comparison as any, considering that 3P0 talks constantly (Jay), and R2 communicates nonverbally and does all the work (Silent Bob).

What I Liked:

• Every scene with Hooper and Banky.  Together or individually.  Not exactly comic relief, since they're both far too intelligent for that, but the sassiness, the cynicism, the witty repartee - they all add up to the half of the film I wish had been THE core.
• Jay and Silent Bob.  That probably goes without saying.  Relegated to little more than an extended cameo here, they still are far more interesting than Holden McNeil... put together.  And since Bob has at least one line per film, he gets a long speech this time and gives the reason for the title Chasing Amy.  We also learn that Bob has always wanted to be a dancer in Vegas- knowledge of which I made great use while dressed as Bob for a costume party.

What I Didn't Like:

• Joey Lauren Adams' voice.  With all due respect to her as an actress and Smith's taste in women, I have a real sensitivity to high-pitched sounds, and the woman almost made my ears bleed.  It didn't help that Smith wrote so many scenes for her to be screeching at Holden about some damned thing or another.
• Holden.  Although I enjoy looking at Affleck, it's too bad his character is such a moron.  A 3-way, indeed!
• The histrionics.  The real reason I only like half of this film.  I don't handle intense feelings very well, so I avoid experiencing them.  A film like this smashes white-hot intense feelings down your throat, which I don't particularly find entertaining.  It depends on what attitude one has about movies.  Some want to see films that enthrall, or educate, or move, or... whatever.  Stuff that dramas do.  Me?  I want escape from reality.  I read stuff on Smith's board about how someone just got out of a bad relationship, so he watched Chasing Amy to make himself feel better.  Make himself feel better?  Watching a movie about a doomed relationship?  This makes people feel better?  Is this some kind of human thing, because I don't get it?
• The omisson of a wonderful scene involving Holden and Banky at a comic book store, where Banky gets revenge on his archenemies, Steve-Dave and Walt.  C'mon, man, put it back in!