Customer Reviews

Clerks and Chasing Amy: Two Screenplays

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're here considering buying the screenplays in the first place, and are just looking for a little assurance that it's OK, then I say go on! Do it! If you haven't seen the movies and are going to just buy the script, well... we all have our little absurdities. Take for granted that you need to see the movies, it's meant to be seen that way. If for some reason you hate movies... well I think you might still find reading the script rewarding. The humor is still quite evident. In fact some of it was so plainly ridiculous that I find myself ready to spurt out with a laugh just thinking about it. Mr. Smith is uncannily refreshing with his lack of a strong superego - many people will find some of the dialogue gross. If you can get past that, and you should, you will discover a very warm, ironic writer who, in this writers opinion, is having a great impact already on this generation, and hopefully will continue on through the years. Three Cheers for Smith!

As a footnote, I should add that there is a fairly worthwhile introduction by the writer. Furthermore, there is (Especially in 'Amy') quite a bit of dialogue that is cut or altered, and even sometimes added to. And, of course, the comics.

Kevin Smith sells himself a bit short with that comment (through one of his characters) because behind the obscenities in both works, Smith makes intelligent commentary about youthful angst. In addition to the razor-sharp wit, Smith's other great gift as a storyteller is the ability to deliver social insights through his characters. In Clerks, when Randall reprimands Dante for constantly shirking personal responsibility for Dante's actions, Smith is talking to all of us. Smith's characters in both works are immature but by the end have hopefully learned something that makes them grow, even if just a bit. Maybe we could be so lucky.

This book is a great read AFTER you have seen the movies. It contains enjoyable scenes that unfortunately did not make it into the films. If you haven't had the pleasure of viewing the movies, I won't disclose the plot here even in summary as I would not want to spoil your enjoyment of the films. And if you've seen the films, no summary is necessary.

Clerks- a great script.

Chasing Amy- excelent script, even better on paper than on screen.

One book.

Really, if you are into Smith work, or just want a sure fire way of delving into his world, this is the book for you.

It also has an introduction that explains how Kevin came to be what he is today.

MUST READ

The CLERKS/CHASING AMY screenplay is just as insightful and provacative as the flicks themselves. Having seen the movie too many times to count makes the reading all the more side-splitting. Loveable Randal seemes to come to life in your head while as you now "hear" him say, "I don't appreciate your ruse" or Banky's, "What's a Nubian?" The work also leaves out little bits of dialogue cut from the film but still perpetuates a smooth transition from scene to scene. If you ever watched Chasing Amy or Clerks and said to yourself, "Something's missing from that scene," then I recommend you purchase this masterpiece of lewd humor to fill in that void of lost dialogue. You'll soon discern the cut material from the theatrical release as you read.

This book which is the screenplays for clerks and chasing amy is better then the movies for one reason. The screenplays contain events which where cut out of the film some of which was never evan filmed.The pictures are good as well for those who have not seen the movie. All in All this is a great book to read. I easily recommend this to kevin smith and movie fans alike.

This is a great buy. This book shows you how they wanted the movie to look like or what they wanted the characters to say, but didn't say in the movies. This is a must for kevin smith fans. It also show pictures from the 2 movies. You could be laughing very hard while reading this script. It has smart talk in it and it also shows the bluntman and chronic comic. You will laugh your ass off out of that comic. This is a must but I like reading clerks instead of chasing amy. I just like clerks better. This is a definate must buy if you love the movies.

The film scripts known as Clerks/Chasing Amy are separated yet both relate to the same subjects: long-term friendships and love lost/regained. In Clerks, we see that Dante and Randal are good friends, suffering together in a world of monotonous register jockeying, seeking a way out of their perdition and, in Dante's case, trying to redeem themselves in the eyes of love lost. It is a sure thing to say that this genre-redefining movie/script has plenty of jaded optimism and jokes for all, but it is the depiction of life in the slow lane and the underlying question of "Where do I go from here?" that grabs the attention of all audiences. Entertainment wise, it is a fun movie; production wise, it is a great film. Chasing Amy is a story that everyone has heard before: Guy meets Girl. Guy falls for Girl. Guy finds out Girl is a lesbian--that's right, a lesbian. Set once again in Smith's hometown of Red Bank, New Jersey, this film revolves around, once again, two friends that work together. This time around the characters are Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards(fans of The Catcher in the Rye should note that Holden is named for the pre-existing character Holden Caulfield, and that his cohort, Banky Edwards, is named for the fellow mentioned having a car in the classic, Ed Banky), two twenty-something men that have been best friends since Catholic grade school who work has comic book artists and writers on their independently produced Bluntman and Chronic title. While at a convention promoting said comic book, Holden meets and falls for Alyssa Jones, a cute yet somewhat abrasive woman who is trying to make her own way into the business. What follows are serious questions on the basis of relationships, the past's importance in them, friendships, and, naturally, homosexuality. In the midst of it all, the character who is the most easliy understood is the man known as Silent Bob, who offers up an anecdote from his past in a sincere fashion, showing that Holden isn't the first to have problems in a relationship, all the while displaying the fact that all that needs to be done is to be honest and have something personal to say. This script is not as well ended as Clerks was, but what it lacks in climax it makes up for in humor, realism, and two pot-smoking/dealing John Hughes fans showing up at the approach of the closing. Entertainment wise, it is a decent movie; production wise, it is a good film.

CLERKS and CHASING AMY are two intelligent, highly funny stories that are brought to life by independent filmmaker Kevin Smith. I love his work, because his two stories are bold, real, and the dialouge is halarious!

"Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" are the two intelligent comedies that have made Kevin Smith one of the premiere independent filmmakers of our generation, and I feel that anyone who likes Kevin Smith, anyone who likes film or theatre, or just generally anyone who thinks they could use a little insight into a world of characters so bizarre, they can only be referred to as realistic...Read this book. I give it ten or twelve stars!

First off, anyone who sees Kevin's movies realizes that they are raunchy and disgusting, so if you go out and see one of his movies because it happened to be a commercial success, then I feel sorry for you. I personally find the Jersey Trilogy to be the greatest set of movies ever, and this book covers the best (Clerks) and the different one (Chasing Amy). Different? you ask, well if you think about it, it is unlike his other movies. Kevin's movies are great. Not just for the dialogue but for the whole thing. Kevin Smith rules the world of directors in my eyes and I am definitely looking forward to Dogma, especially since Jay and Silent Bob are almost the main characters.