Born in 1943, actor and writer Chevy Chase became an overnight sensation with the unexpected success of the sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL), thanks to the “Weekend Update” segment he created and headlined. Though he would only stay on SNL for its first season, his star continued to rise with hit movies like Foul Play (1978), Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)—and its sequels—Fletch (1985), Spies Like Us (1985), and Three Amigos! (1986). Unfortunately, with such popularity came the usual pitfalls of sudden fame, in him manifesting as an addiction to cocaine. In I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, director Marina Zenovich (Jerry Brown: The Disrupter) dives deep into the highs and lows of her subjects’ life and career. The result is a thoroughly engaging documentary.
The main character, however, can be downright ornery and unappealing, at times, his trademark arrogance less funny than it was in his heyday. But we all get old—or will, at one point—and so perhaps an open mind is the best way to approach the narrative. It’s certainly refreshing to see a director lean into both the good and the bad. Plus, there’s no denying Chase’s talent in his younger years.
Zenovich populates the frame with plenty of interviewees who can speak to the positive and negative, among them Chase’s brother and half-brother, his wife of the last 40 years, his three daughters, and fellow actors such as Dan Aykroyd, Goldie Hawn, Garrett Morris, Martin Short, and, from a different era, Ryan Reynolds (who has often channeled Chase’s mannerisms and delivery in his own performances). There is also Chase’s former agent, Mike Ovitz, a number of SNL writers, and noted TV director Jay Chandresekhar, who was at the helm of an episode of Community when Chase got into trouble over some kind of racist or racialized comment to a cast member of color (the film is vague about what that may have been). It’s a diverse array of voices to speak to the man’s many strengths and equal number of weaknesses.
He is, above all, a very human being. As we learn, he was physically and psychically abused as a child by his mother and stepfather, which no doubt contributed to his lifelong use of comedy to deflect from pain and difficult topics. Today, following a hospitalization for heart failure in 2021, he suffers from memory issues, which makes some of the conversations he has with Zenovich challenging (even beyond his onscreen assholery). There’s enough of the Chase of yore left, however, to occasionally remind us of why he was a star in the first place (the plethora of archival clips help, as well).
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not—the title comes from the actor’s “Weekend Edition” signoff—is rough around the edges and sometimes seems to simultaneously attack a visibly feeble Chase while also soft-pedaling some of his less savory qualities yet is almost always compelling. Many people love him (most notably his wife and daughters, which is no small endorsement), and for apparently good reasons. If you’ve ever enjoyed any of his TV appearances or films, you’ll find a lot to appreciate in the documentary. For better and for worse, Chevy Chase, now over 80, has earned the right for us to take him as he is, warts and all. I’m ready to go rewatch my favorites of his œuvre (Fletch among them). You will be, too.
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
Chris Reed is the editor of Film Festival Today. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.