In the 1960s, Cornelius Crane Chase attended Bard College in New York. During his time there, he played drums in a cover band called The Leather Canary before leaving the band post-graduation. His former band members went on to start a band called Steely Dan, while the other became Chevy Chase, one of the most influential comic performers in American history. This is a remarkable fact that is mentioned only in passing in the brand new CNN documentary, I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not, about Chase’s life. Charting his entire career and personal life, not shying away from confronting the difficult subjects, this film paints the picture of a man idolised by millions.
Director Marina Zenovich is no stranger to comedy documentaries, having previously made factual films about Robin Williams and Richard Pryor, and she has said that Chase is one of the rudest people she has ever interviewed. This is made clear throughout as we are shown B-roll of Chase telling the director that she doesn’t know what she’s doing, with him even calling her a bitch at one point. This behaviour shows an unpleasant man who tries to hide behind his comedy persona, a tactic that may have worked during the height of his career, but comes across as all too desperate in the modern day. It is unclear how much involvement Chase had in the making of this film, as it appears to take quite an equal stance on making him seem kind and nasty at the same time, leading to the question of how much material for the latter was left on the cutting room floor.
Chase has always been a star with a bad reputation. In fact, the one common thread through all the talking head interviews with his former colleagues is that everyone agrees Chase can be a bit of an asshole. You’d be hard-pressed to deny that after viewing this documentary. Chase describes getting his comedic start through Christopher Guest, the comedic genius behind some of the greatest mockumentary films, with the creation of the National Lampoon’s sketch comedy-meets-music festival spoof live show Lemmings, from which NBC poached many of its stars for the first season of Saturday Night Live in 1975.
This allows for a rare interview with Lorne Michaels, the mastermind behind SNL since its inception. He supports what initially seems to be a simple Chase ego theory, claiming that the incredible success of the show never would have happened without Chase’s star appeal, as well as his creation of the show’s iconic Weekend Update segment. It is during this moment that the audience is led to first feel sympathy for the film’s subject, as we hear of his retrospective regret over his early departure from the show to pursue an ultimately loveless relationship. While there is always an allusion towards Chase’s unpleasantness, it is not until we get through the section dedicated to his success that it is truly broached.
These controversies and comments are brought to Chase’s attention in one of his own interviews, and his complete lack of remorse is clear as he chuckles away at it. Terry Sweeney himself, who refused to be interviewed for the documentary, is even killed off by Chase, who acts surprised to find out Sweeney is still living. Similarly, when the topic of Chase’s sacking from the hit American sitcom Community is explored, all but one of the cast and crew are absent from the interview segments. While not the fault of the filmmakers, this does create a sense of doubt from an audience’s perspective, as only one opinion from the situation is presented, and unfortunately, that is the opinion of the accused.
I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not does its best to build an opposing narrative as well, though, detailing Chase’s dedication to his fans, and his difficult childhood and addiction troubles. The documentary serves its purpose in documenting the life of Chase, but it doesn’t seem to do much more than that. While the insights from friends, family and the man himself have much to offer, you can’t shake the fact that this is a man with moral ambiguities. Whether you judge him for that, or simply accept him for the comedic genius that he is, depends on the viewer and their connection to his considerable comedy works.
