One of the conceits of Kevin Smith's early films was the insertion of two background characters, the half-baked stoners, Jay and Silent Bob...played by Jason Mewes and the director himself. The two just hung out wherever the movie took place. First appearing in Clerks, then Mallrats, then Chasing Amy, the two were distractions and a stoned greek-chorus (performing solo as Jay was traditionally the only one who talked) and were, at least initially, a way for the director to shoot something if his movie's stars weren't available that day.
One would be tempted to say that they were Smith's version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but one is loathe to give Smith THAT much credit. They are, most certainly, Smith's version of C-3PO and R2-D2, a little more rusty while simultaneously being very well-oiled; one talks, the other doesn't, but the two have no problems communicating, and thus summing up, expositioning, or providing tangential comic relief.
But here, Silent Bob breaks his silence to put in his corked-up well-spring of wisdom to set up the second act of the movie, the director-writer giving himself the perfect opportunity to provide some perspective and sanity in a situation desperately in need of some common sense, as well as giving his production a dramatic goose from an otherwise unheard-from source.
Chasing Amy is widely regarded as Smith's best film, and it just might be for this one scene which cracks through the man-boyishness of the other y-chromosonal denizens of Smith's "View Askewinerverse."
The Set-Up: Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck), creator of the "Bluntman and Chronic" comic book meets Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), another scribe at a comic convention and the two start a friendship that has long odds at the kind of romantic relationship he'd want as he's been told she's gay. He is delighted that she responds to him and he couldn't be happier—until his co-creator and pal Banky Edwards (Jason Lee), feeling that the affair is driving a wedge between him and Holden creatively and personally, informs him that Alyssa has more of a sexual history than previously suspected. This unnerves the immature Holden and he pours out his soul to his "Bluntman and Chronic" models, Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith) over a meal and cigarettes.
Action.
JAY(to Holden)
So, if you're all in love with her,
what's the problem?
HOLDEN
The problem is shit like that. It was
one thing when it was just girls -
that was weird enough. But now you
throw guys into the mix - two guys at
once, no less. All that
experience...What am I supposed to
think?
JAY
You think good; because now she'll be
all true blue and shit. The bitch's
tasted life, yo. Now she's settlin'
for your boring, funny-book-makin' ass.
HOLDEN
Settling for my boring ass. That's comforting, Jay.
Thanks.
JAY
That's what I'm here for.
HOLDEN I don't know, man..
HOLDEN
I'm just having a problem with all of
it I can't get it out of my head these
visuals of her doing all this shit.
And I don't know why I can't let it
go. Because I'm crazy about this girl. I look at this girl, I see the
future. I see kids. I see grand-
kids.
JAY
You're scaring me.
HOLDEN Yeah, well, I'm scaring myself. Because I think
so much of this girl, and then I can't get
stupid shit like 'Finger Cuffs' out of my head.
(shakes his head)
JAY I don't know...I don't know what I'm doing.
Holden looks out the window. Jay continues to roll his
joint. There's silence. Then...
BOB
You're chasing Amy.
Holden's head snaps forward. He stares, wide-eyed at
Silent Bob.
HOLDEN
What..what did you say?
BOB
You're chasing Amy.
Holden stares, shocked. He looks to Jay, who's still
rolling his joint.
JAY
What do you look so shocked for, man?
JAY Fat bastard does this all the time.
JAY He thinks just because he never says
anything, that it'll have some huge
impact when he does open his fucking
mouth.
BOB Jesus Christ, Why don't you shut up? Always
yap, yap, yapping all the time. Give
me a fucking headache.
BOB (to Holden)
I went through something like what
you're talkin' about. Couple Years ago. This chick named
Amy.
JAY
When?
BOB
A couple of years ago.
JAY
What'd she 'Live in Canada' or
something? Why don't I remember this?
BOB Bitch, what you don't know about me...
BOB ...I can
just about squeeze into the Grand
fucking Canyon.
BOB Did you know I always
wanted to be a dancer in Vegas?
Jay and Holden look at him. Silent Bob busts a move with
his hands.
BOB
Hunhh? Bet you didn't know that shit, did you?
JAY
Just tell your fucking story so we can
get out of here and smoke this.
BOB
(to Holden)
So there's me an Amy, and we're all
inseparable, right? Just big time in
love.
BOB And then about four months down the road, the idiot gear kicks in,
I ask about the ex-boyfriend. Which, as we all know is really a dumb
move, I know, but you know how it is -
you don't really want to know, but you
just have to know... stupid guy bullshit.
Anyway she starts telling me all about
him -
BOB ...how they fell in love and how they went out for a couple years, and how they lived
together, her mother likes me better,
blah, blah, blah
BOB - blah blah blah and I'm okay. But
then she drops the bomb on me
BOB ...and the bomb is this: it seems that a couple times while they were goin' out,
he brought other people to bed with
them - menage a tois, I believe it's
called.
BOB Now this just blows my mind, right?.
BOB I mean, I'm not used to that sort of
thing, right? I was raised Catholic, fer God's sakes.
JAY
Saint Shithead.
Silent Bob backhands him. Jay raises his fist as if to
strike.
BOB (to Jay) Do something.
BOB (to Holden)
So I'm totally weirded out by this, right, and I just start
blasting her. This is the only
way I can deal with my feelings, so I deal with it by calling
her a slut, right, and telling her that she
was used -
BOB I mean, I'm out for blood. I really want to hurt this girl -
BOB And I'm like "What the fuck
is wrong with you?" and she's just all calmly trying to tell me that it was that time...
BOB ...in that
place, and she doesn't think she should apologize because she doesn't feel like she's done...
BOB ...anything wrong.
BOB And I'm like "oh really?" That's when I look her straight in the eye and I tell her it's over.
BOB I walk.
JAY
Fucking a.
BOB
No, idiot. It was a mistake. I
wasn't disgusted with her, I was
afraid.
BOB At that moment, I felt small -
like I'd lacked experience, like I'd
never be on her level or never be
enough for her or something, you know what I'm saying.
BOB And what I didn't get was that she
didn't care.
BOB She wasn't looking for
that guy anymore. She was looking for
me. For the Bob.
BOB But by the time I figured this out,
it was too late, you know. She'd
moved on,
BOB ...and all I had to show for it
was some foolish pride, which then
gave way to regret.
BOB She was the girl,
I know that now.
BOB But...
BOB I pushed her
away...
Everyone's silent Silent Bob lights a cigarette.
BOB
So I've spent every day since then
chasing Amy...
(takes a drag from his smoke)
BOB So to speak.
They sit there for a beat. Jay pockets the rest of his
dime-bag.
No comments:
Post a Comment