NEW YORK – Insulting the director who made a documentary about you might not be the most diplomatic option. Then again, Chevy Chase has never been very diplomatic.
Comedian finds satire on top of filmmaker Marina Zenovich “I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not,” Which airs Thursdays on CNN. During their first meeting, she warned him that it would not be easy to recognize him. She asks him why.
“You’re not talented enough, how come?” He answers.
The film created by the exchange says a lot about Zanovich and also about Chase, a talented physical comedian who starred in classic 1970s and ’80s comedies such as “Fletch,” “Three Amigos,” “Caddyshack” and National Lampoon’s “Vacation” franchise.
“He’s one of those people everyone thinks they know,” says Zenovich. “They have a reputation that precedes them and underneath that there’s something you want to achieve. So it was a big challenge to try to get there.”
“I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” follows Chase’s life and career, from his dark childhood to his days on “Saturday Night Live” and then his Hollywood debut, ending with his tumultuous time in the TV series “Community.” The perspectives of Dan Aykroyd, Beverly D’Angelo, Goldie Hawn, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Short, his wife Jenny Chase and three daughters, and brother Ned are presented.
The image emerges of a quick-witted and often bitingly satirical comedian who enjoys a huge fan base but who can rub some people the wrong way with his blunt rudeness. “I’m complex and I’m deep and I’m easily hurt,” he tells the filmmaker.
The documentary features footage from home movies as well as her film and TV work, including her hugging a cat, playing the piano, playing chess, reading fan mail – including a birthday card from Bill Clinton – and visiting a flower shop.
The film has the support of one tough critic: Chase himself. “It’s just like a massage. I think about it this way: I love massages. Sometimes it hurts, but the massage is so sweet,” the comedian told The Associated Press.
Chase is the latest profile of two-time Emmy-winner Zenovich, whose previous documentary subjects include Roman Polanski, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams and Lance Armstrong.
“I make movies about these complex people,” she says. “I’m just fascinated by human beings and their behavior, and Chewie fits perfectly into my work.”
Zenovich points to Chase’s early years to help explain how he came to be. Chase, as a boy, was held in the basement for several days, beaten in the face, and locked in a cell as punishment at the hands of his stepfather and mother.
“I think the whole key to Chewie is his childhood. I hate to use the word trauma, but I think he’s traumatized,” she says. “Humor is their way of dealing with it.”
Chase famously feuded with several comedians, including “Community” co-star Joel McHale, “SNL” co-star John Belushi and Bill Murray, who replaced him on “SNL.” He left “Community” following reports that he directed racist comments and insults at co-star Donald Glover. He also feuded with the show’s creator Dan Harmon, who was briefly ousted.
Writer and actor Alan Zweibel says in the film, “The old Chevy could make you laugh by knocking it down and there was a little wink, so you were in on the joke.” “Now it just seems mean.”
The film argues that Chase’s darkness was exacerbated by his drug use. “In his mind he doesn’t think he’s mean,” says Zenovich, who interviewed Chase twice and then followed him for a few days.
“The really interesting thing about Chewie is that he really wants to try to know himself. He wanted to go there, but then something stops him,” she says. “He goes up to a certain point, and then something stops him.”
Chase, now 82, says he knows there is a long list of people who despise him, but insists he doesn’t care. “It’s just Hollywood stuff,” he says. “It never really bothered me.”
The film is based on his short-lived TV talk show and his first and only season of “Saturday Night Live”. He admits leaving “SNL” was a mistake and reflects how hurt he was at not being invited onstage when the show celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year.
The documentary also shows him enjoying the applause of fans while attending a recent screening of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and also reveals that his three daughters are insightful, funny, and sweet.
“I think one of the things that he really did was he was able to break down that generational trauma,” Zenovich says. “There I am using the word again. But it’s quite a feat, isn’t it?”
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.