Chevy Chase Documentary Scores 100% On Rotten Tomatoes

The documentary, I am Chevy Chase and You are Not, has debuted to an ideal Rotten Tomatoes rating. The movie follows the life and profession of Chevy Chase, who rose to fame on Saturday Night time Dwell earlier than turning into a film star throughout the Nineteen Eighties, identified for his slapstick fashion and deadpan supply, although his profession later declined resulting from his troublesome conduct.

Now, following its premiere on CNN on January 1 and forward of its launch on HBO Max on January 31, I am Chevy Chase and You are Not has debuted to a 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The documentary solely has 10 critiques on the time of writing, so it might lose its excellent rating as extra are revealed.

Directed by Marina Zenovich, the documentary movie follows the life and profession of Chevy Chase from his beginnings on Saturday Night time Dwell throughout the late Nineteen Seventies to his string of traditional comedies throughout the Nineteen Eighties, that includes interviews with these closest to him, together with his household, Dan Aykroyd, Beverly D’Angelo, Goldie Hawn, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Brief and Kevin Smith.

Marina Zenovich – who has beforehand directed documentaries about Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, and Lance Armstrong – has referred to as Chevy Chase one of the crucial “impolite” topics she has interviewed. Members of the Neighborhood solid and crew, together with creator Dan Harmon, have been invited to participate within the documentary however declined, with Jay Chandrasekhar being the lone exception.

General, critics agree that the documentary is frank, humorous, and intentionally uncomfortable, as Zenovich’s affected person digicam lets Chevy Chase “squirm underneath the digicam’s gaze,” as Chris Vognar of The Boston Globe places it, who additionally praises its care in exploring how “tortured childhoods” form comedians.

A number of critics emphasize that the movie avoids polemics, particularly round cancel tradition. As a substitute, Zenovich merely asks, as Owen Gleiberman of Selection places it, “What can we take into consideration somebody like Chevy Chase?” As Decider‘s John Serba says, the documentary “lets the details sit out within the open with out judgment or justification.”

Different critics spotlight how the movie balances Chase’s flaws together with his simple expertise. Archival footage showcases his “immaculate comedian timing,” in keeping with Leslie Felperin of The Guardian, whereas unfiltered moments reveal “his capability for cruelty,” per Pajiba‘s Dustin Rowles. General, I am Chevy Chase and You are Not is an “eminently watchable and absorbing portrait of a deeply flawed however enormously humorous man.”