There’s something I saw in a social media post years ago that went something like this – “You’re always going to be the villain in someone else’s life story.” It’s a variation of another saying that goes – “Everyone has their own devil they’re chasing.”
The entertainment world is full of people who confuse an ounce of success with universal greatness. Yet, I’ve found that in other professions and fields of work. But I think it’s just because we’re just animals at the end of the day. I’ve had cats that could buddy up with each other after first meeting and those that were enemies the moment they locked eyes. If you’re ever had betta fish, you know never put the males in the same fish bowl together.
Over the years, Chevy Chase has been the subject of numerous stories of how awful he is. But the journalist in me has always looked at the one pointing the finger. As one of my former colleagues once said, “I’m not getting in the middle of a pissing contest.” Also, most of the recent posts on social media and YouTube that seem to be reminding us of Chase’s are just rehashing what someone else has reported. And it was probably previously reported by another source from that.
It’s no doubt that John Belushi and Chase didn’t along. Yet, Belushi wasn’t an angel. By today’s standards, he would be considered lower than Dane Cook. Belushi was very sexist and prejudiced toward working with women who he didn’t find funny at all. The reason he was often paired with Jane Curtain on Saturday Night Live was that Lorne Michaels would do it because they didn’t get along behind the scenes. His drug problem was more than the regular addiction, especially since he was married while leaving his wife alone to do a lot of hard drugs.
And Bill Murray’s exploits over the years are almost as worse as Chase. I think Aziz Ansari doesn’t have a lot of things nice to say about Murray. Then, there’s that footage of Murray on The Arsenio Hall Show of him getting way too close with Geena Davis. Richard Dreyfuss has also had a lot of bad things to say and still can’t stand his What About Bob co-star. When you put two or three people together who all want to get the biggest laugh, you’re going to run into a lot of animosity and tension.
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not is a great example of what documentaries used to be. It’s seems we’ve gotten an oversaturation of these documentaries about celebrities’ lives that seem more like a collage of talking heads speaking praise. It’s a good thing that filmmaker Marina Zenovich says she didn’t have a good experience interviewing and following Chase around because true documentarians aren’t supposed to be their subject’s publicist.
While many talking heads like Johnny Galecki, Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Smith speak highly of him, Jay Chandrasekhar doesn’t hold back. The actor is known for his Broken Lizard movies (Super Troopers, Beerfest) but has much as a bigger name in TV directing. Chandrasekhar acts as the sole witness for the scandals that happened on Community. But then again, Dan Harmon, is a control freak with his own set of problems. To be honest, his other show, Rick and Morty, has created its own fanbase of people who made Chase look like a choir boy. A lot of people don’t have nice things to say about Joel McHale either and Donald Glover had more success once he left.
The documentary touches a little on Chase’s upbringing and many comics had horrible childhoods. I know it seems cliche but comedy is often the only outlet for them. Also, when a comic is with other comics, they’re going to act a certain way but if you’re going to be on a show like SNL, you can’t have thin skin.
There is a very intimate look as we see Chase’s family and friends talk about him very well. He’s been married to his wife, Jayni, for over 40 years and his three daughters are still speaking to him and love him so he must be doing something right. Also Garrett Morris and Beverly D’Angelo speak highly of him as does Martin Short.
I think it all goes back to the first season of SNL in which Chase on the Weekend Update used the catchphrase “I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not.” His departure in the second season angered others who probably wanted to see him fail. And to be honest, we all know the people who want to see us fail at everything. Nothing is ever going to be good for them.
The show has been on for now over half a century and each season there’s only one or two cast members who truly stand out. So, it’s only natural that Chase would’ve become the most famous one as he was also the first to ever say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
And as his film career exploded in the 1980s, he became a huge star. So, the higher up you become successful, the more people want to see you crash and burn. To defend Chase, some of his movies bombed beyond his control. He only did Nothing But Trouble as a favor to Dan Aykroyd as he knew that’s the only way Warner Bros. would’ve made the movie. And Memoirs of an Invisible Man was a mess because the studio wanted a comedy instead of a serious movie. Even Murray didn’t do so well in his first serious role in The Razor’s Edge.
And to be honest, John Carpenter is another control freak who is pompous. He directed that Suburban Screams episode by remote from the comfort of his coach many, many miles away so again you have to look at who is pointing the finger.
And to be honest, some of Chase’s drug-fueled days led to some rowdy behavior and an attitude that rubbed people the wrong way. It’s doesn’t condone it but it does possibly explain it. However, Chase tells the camera that he doesn’t really remember things and there’s speculation now at 82, it’s only on par with his aging. I mean, let’s face it, some people may not see a comment said or even a gesture as something offensive to another.
I don’t really want to excuse his behavior and what we see of Chase being pleasant with his family and aides may be for show. But one thing is for certain, he’s still popular with a lot of people even after so many years who watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation each year where he and Jayni meet with fans at showings.
Yes, The Chevy Chase Show was a disaster but so was The Magic Hour which only lasted a few weeks longer in 1998.Also Fox in 1993 was still trying to be taken seriously and Chase’s people say he was listening to the wrong people during this time.
For the most part, Zenovich manages to make the first documentary I’ve seen in a very long time that had a very objective view of its subject. Just like Errol Morris, she’s a documentarian who believes the best way to get her subjects to say things they may not say to entertainment reporters is just to let them talk. And since he is still a celebrity liked by many, Chandrasekhar admits he would like to work with Chase again if they had the opportunity.
Several people are absent such as SNL cast member Terry Sweeney and the entire Community cast but maybe because celebrity gossip is different than saying something in a serious documentary that might end up being litigious.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 