I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
For those of us with enough years behind us to remember when Chevy Chase broke out in the first Season of SNL, it's fascinating to go back and relive those early years.
I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU'RE NOT delves into all things Chase, from his TV debut, through his leap to the big screen in "Foul Play" with Goldie Hawn, all the way to modern day.
Chevy is front and center with a direct to camera interview in which he comes across in turns as arrogant, nostalgic, rude and aging w/regrets. You have to give it to Chevy for being this transparent, offering up an unfiltered view of who he is today. His total lack of giving a crap what anyone thinks is pretty refreshing on the whole, but sure to offend modern sensitivities. Who cares.
A parade of famous co-stars offer up their memories of Chevy in their lives and careers. For me, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and "Vacation" are the highlights of his film career, alongside "Foul Play" and "Fletch". The film doesn't skimp on behind the scenes thoughts and his co-stars in "Vacation" share warmth and nostalgia. Some other directors and stars, not so much.
Chevy's children share frank memories of him when they were growing up. It's through their current eyes that I saw a current, 82 year old Chevy who seems to sense that he wasn't always kind and that some of his words carried more weight than he intended in the moment.
His brothers share details about their home growing up that paint many of the drivers of Chevy in college and beyond.
Aging isn't for the weak. Introspection and reevaluation is a major part of all of our lives as we hit our later years and Chevy is clearly no exception.
He's legendary in Hollywood for many years for basically being a prick.
Something he fully acknowledges and doesn't dispute in the documentary. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say.
There are plenty of tidbits along with way that I loved, my favorite being that Chevy was a drummer in a college band that he left to pursue comedy. That band is Steely Dan. Impressive!
Chase burst on the scene with an insulting, caustic wit that was perfect for the seventies. We were a much tougher lot then, with ability to laugh at ourselves. It was very hard to offend the majority of us. It still is, for that matter.
Chase was hilarious the first season of Saturday Night Live. His Weekend Update anchor set the tone for every decade since. His Gerald Ford impression, which basically was him falling off ladders and down stairs was something we ALL talked about at school the following Monday.
He burst into film with an amazing run of huge box office hits like "Foul Play" in 1978, "Caddyshack" and "Seems Like Old Times" in 1980, "Vacation" in 1983, "Fletch" in 1985, "Three Amigos!" in 1986 and "Christmas Vacation: in 1989.
The man hosted the Academy Awards back when that was a MUCH bigger deal and one of the most watched events each and every year.
Chase had addiction issues and was an absolute misery to John Carpenter on the set of "Memoirs of an Invisible Man". Carpenter's recalling those times is hilarious.
Then you pile on Chase's ill conceived late night talk show and things hit bottom. This is the first time Chevy has really talked in depth about those failures, and his perception is pretty clear on why he hit bottom. He's not hiding from the truth.
Dan Harmon, the creator of TV's "Community" recalls his trials dealing with Chevy in his starring role in the series, which cemented his status as an impossible to work with diva whose abrupt humor and caught a younger generation of cast members very far off guard, leading to accusations of racist comments that were damn ugly.
There are moments here where Chevy seems genuinely remorseful for some of his history, but this isn't a morose documentary. It's fast and pretty funny, especially looking back at his film hits. Folks like Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short and Lorne Michaels serve up some great stories and personal recollections.
Chase's agent Michael Ovitz shares some killer behind-the-scenes stories of pivotal moments in Chevy's career, good AND bad!
I enjoyed the film, especially in the personal moments and scenes from Chevy's current everyday life, in which he carries a deep gratitude and appreciation for his fans. He comes from a vastly different emotional place than he did in his younger decades and it's a fascinating perspective.
Chase isn't perfect, he admits it and is unabashedly who he is.
Well done, Chevy.
Clark Griswold, Ty Webb, Dusty Bottoms and Fletch will love forever.
I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU'RE NOT gets a B.
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