Chasing Amy
Miramax Films | Release Date: April 4, 1997 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
4
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Film.comSean Means
What Smith does best in Chasing Amy is write clever, raunchy and emotionally true-to-life dialogue.
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Touching, funny, sweet, and most important of all, real -- a welcome breath of fresh air. Read full review
90
TimeRichard Schickel
A true movie rarity: a brutally honest romance. If you loved "Sleepless in Seattle," you'll just hate it. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
Smith has created the raunchiest romantic comedy in recent American film, and one of the most good-natured. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The hit-and-run outlandishness of "Clerks" was a stunt. With Chasing Amy, Smith has made his first real movie. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Much of the dialogue is good, and Smith does a decent job of presenting the emotional fallout from every major participant's p.o.v. Read full review
70
SalonCharles Taylor
The only romantic comedy in quite a while that acknowledges, even celebrates, the fact that love and sex are emotional anarchy. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunAnn Hornaday
Smith shows the grasp of character and offbeat humor that really registered in "Clerks," and a subtler mastery of film fluidity and professionalism than anything in the cheesy, amateurish "Mallrats."
70
Film.comMary Brennan
Has a squawky, endearing, pugnacious angst about it, like Adams. It's too loud, sometimes, and it's always pushy, but it's got heart.
88
Chicago TribuneMarc Caro
This small-scale, low-budget movie is defined by an honest searching quality.
80
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Smith's knowing humor and unruffled style make a good antidote to gender chaos. Music by David Pirner contributes to the film's loose, inviting mood. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
An ingratiatingly sincere attempt to deal with the complications and contradictions of modern romance. Read full review
80
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Smith startles us with raw emotional honesty. Read full review
70
Film.comJohn Hartl
Its honesty and insights are refreshing.
100
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A little movie with big truths, a work of such fierce intelligence and emotional honesty that it blows away the competition when it comes to contemporary romantic comedy. Read full review
80
TNT RoughCutWendy Wilson
Funny, profane and surprisingly painful at times.
70
Dallas ObserverPeter Rainer
The film is about how much you're willing to give up for love--a tune that has been played many times before, but never with quite this much slacker brio. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
While the surface of his film sparkles with sharp, ironic dialogue, deeper issues are forming, and Chasing Amy develops into a film of touching insights. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Neither PC nor crudely anti-PC, this tough and tender movie, like its characters, is prepared to take emotional risks, and the comic book milieu is deftly sketched in. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
More emotionally complex than even I had thought possible, Chasing Amy is the sound of burgeoning genius on the fast track to maturity. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
For all its inconsistencies, this is Smith's most provocative outing yet and certainly the toughest to forget. Read full review
80
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
Smith makes it crackle, with various aggressive honesties and wit. [May 5, 1997}
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