Kevin Smith Paid Tribute To ‘Chasing Amy,’ The Movie That ‘Saved’ His Career, On Its 25th Anniversary

Kevin Smith has directed over a dozen films since Clerks came out in 1994, but his career nearly came to an end after his second feature bombed at the box office. That would be Mallrats, which is a certified cult hit now, but in 1995, it made $2.1 million on a $6.1 million budget. “Believe it or not, Mallrats had been so reviled and ignored that I was nearly exiled from the movie biz,” Smith wrote in a tribute post on Instagram to the movie that “saved my career,” Chasing Amy, which came out 25 years ago today.

“Amy saved my career – but even better, it helped me mature as an artist and a person in the process. A quarter century’s gone by since these ancient indie film kids, then in their 20’s, all felt they all had something to prove,” Smith wrote before praising the cast, including Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, and Ben Affleck with some serious facial hair.

“The surprise sleeper was a tiny hit, earning $12 million, Independent Spirit Awards for me and Lee, and a Golden Globes nomination for Joey. Amy elevated the cast to the attention of storytellers outside of #viewaskew, so it was amazing to see my friends fly. @adamsandler put Joey in #bigdaddy, and @jerrybruckheimer was such a fan, he hired Ben for #armageddon, #jasonlee for Enemy of the State, and me to do a #coyoteugly rewrite.”

If not for Chasing Amy, there would be no Affleck on the Armageddon commentary.

For that alone, it’s a classic. You can read the entire post below.