‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ Tribeca Documentary Review: Proof That Any Movie Can Change A Life

Admittedly, I did not care for Kevin Smith‘s 1997 romantic comedy-drama film, Chasing Amy, when I first saw it.

While there are elements of the film that I believe are worthy of praise such as the performances, particularly from Joey Lauren Adams, and several smartly-written monologues, overall it is, in my opinion, a very dated, flawed film that does not hold up today. I did not get a lot out of Chasing Amy when I first saw it, and I have rarely, if ever, thought about it since seeing it.

That being said, I completely understand why this film would mean a lot to someone else. I can see how someone could connect with this movie and its characters. I can see how someone could become so inspired by the movie that it not only causes them to pursue their own artistic and creative endeavors but also actively influences their personal life as well.

I’m sure there are millions of people who have been affected by Chasing Amy in this way, but only one person has gone out of their way to make a documentary about the movie and how it affected them. That person is Sav Rodgers, the director of Chasing Chasing Amy.

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For a 95-minute long documentary, Rodgers is surprisingly able to unveil so much information within that runtime, and without it ever feeling forced or manipulative. From the very first frame, you can completely understand why Rodgers loves this movie and why he decided to make a documentary about it. One of the first scenes in the documentary is a recording of a TED Talk Rodgers gave years ago about why he loves Chasing Amy and how much it affected his life, before being shared by dozens of celebrities on Twitter before eventually reaching Smith, costar Ben Affleck and Adams themselves.

Rodgers has a long history with this film, and we can see every step of that history with such a clear view: we watch him geek out at all the film’s locations, the first time he meets Smith, how his relationship with his girlfriend mirrors the relationship between Affleck and Adam’s characters in the movie.

This film bursts with so much love and passion, and I ate up every last minute of it.

Admittedly though, while the film provides so much information and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Chasing Amy, as well as explanations as to why it was critically acclaimed at the time, these are not my favorite parts of the documentary. Those are the moments when the subjects just become incredibly candid, forthcoming and even vulnerable.

Without spoiling too much, there’s a particular section towards the end of the documentary where Adams discusses all the difficulties and hardships that came during the movie’s production. She explains how Harvey Weinstein made her life feel miserable, how making the movie put a strain on her and Smith’s relationship, and how it overall was an incredibly bitter-sweet (airing on the side of bitter) experience.

The way that Adams just simply unloads all these emotions that were bottled up all these years was just incredibly heartbreaking to watch.

While on paper this is a film about the making of Chasing Amy, there is more to it than just that. It’s almost a sort of therapeutic experience for not just the subjects but for Rodgers as well. Throughout the film, we get a glimpse into Rodger’s life story. He reveals the struggles he had when he first identified as queer, how his friendship and romance with his wife changed and influenced both his life and the making of the documentary, and ultimately shares his gender-transition story.

We watch Rodgers grow throughout the documentary, and by the end when he tells his wife, and by extension the audience, that he “doesn’t need Chasing Amy” anymore, it feels earned and fulfilling.

As Smith tells Rodgers in the documentary, “You gave me my movie back,” and as they cry with tears of joy because of this positive experience, I can’t help but shed some tears myself.