Chance
Originally Written: September 2002
It’s official- as much as I love watching Sarah Michelle Gellar and the other women of the “Buffy”-verse (including those on “Angel”), I have a new favorite “Buffy” actress; actually, a new favorite actress in general. It isn’t a change I’ve made suddenly; it’s been heading this way for the past few months or so. Nothing against SMG; I can’t wait to finally see her indie flick “Harvard Man” from provocateur James Toback when it hits video stores on October 29, her performances in “Cruel Intentions” and “Simply Irresistible” are still among my favorites, and I might even add the limp but mildly amusing smash “Scooby Doo” to my DVD collection when it hits stores, also in October. But a changing of the guard is in order on the fave actress front after yesterday.
Her name is Amber Benson, and she’s best known for her role of the past three years as Tara, the wicca lover of fellow Slayer Circle magic-maker Willow (Alyson Hannigan). She’s talented, sweet, down-to-earth, and yes, beautiful (her eyes in particular are seductively lovely). But while Tara is the role to be a breakthrough for the 25-year old Benson, she’s been in films since the early ’90s. That list includes “The Crush,” a 1993 “Lolita”-lite thriller that was the breakthrough for Alicia Silverstone; “Bye Bye Love,” a 1995 dramedy about divorced fathers and their children where she co-starred with another future “Buffy” actress, Eliza Dushku, who plays morally-compromised Slayer Faith (another “Buffy” connection, with werewolf Oz actor Seth Green, was in the 1998 teen comedy “Can’t Hardly Wait,” but ended up on the cutting-room floor); a slew of indie efforts- some actually available- like 1994’s “Imaginary Crimes” with Harvey Keitel, 1994’s “S.F.W.” (short for “So F*$&ing What”), 2000’s “The Prime Gig” with Ed Harris and Vince Vaughn, and currently unreleased efforts called “Don’s Plum” (2001), “Hollywood, Pa.” (2001) and “Taboo” (2002), the latter of which is looking at a straight-to-video release after not being received too well at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. However, Amber’s best-known- and most representative from what I’ve seen- film work is on view in “King of the Hill,” the exceptional 1993 Depression drama from director par excellence Steven Soderbergh, where she plays an epileptic young woman who is neighbors with the creative protagonist Aaron.
Still, if you want to get a handle on Amber’s warm talent as an actress, look at “Buffy,” where she turned a controversial relationship into one of the most moving and memorable storylines to be showcased on the show. The Willow-Tara love story was never about the cheap thrill of showing lesbians getting it on (though that angle was accentuated last season a couple of times), but about building the sweetly romantic bond around two people in love, and it’s a credit to Benson and Hannigan that the relationship works beautifully on that level. Sadly for “Buffy” and Amber fans, Tara will now only be seen in syndicated reruns on FX; in one of last season’s most shocking episodes, Tara was accidentally shot and killed by one of the bad guys from last season. I can’t speak for all “Buffy” fans, but I’ll surely miss her. She even contributed to the relationship from a writer’s perspective, co-writing a couple of stories focusing on the Willow-Tara relationship for the “Buffy” comic line, as well as a Slayer story- entitled “The Innocent”- in the graphic novel anthology “Tales of the Slayer.” Her talent as an actress is more than evident to “Buffy” fans; that she’s been able to contribute nicely to the Slayer anthology via her “Tales” story and her enjoyable Willow-Tara stories as a writer should indicate, “Hey, there might be more to this beauty than we think.”
Somehow, this brings me to “Chance,” the first film written and directed by Amber, made on the cheap in L.A.- in her actual apartment no less- with her own money, and contributions by her many fans. The 73-minute film has been in search of distribution since post-production was wrapped in December, and made its world premiere yesterday at the 4th Annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham (of which Amber is a native). Unfortunately, work kept me from going for the entire weekend; I was fortunate enough, however, to make the trip over for the 2pm CST screening at the gorgeous Alabama Theatre, a 2000 seat venue that was the central location at the festival, held in the heart of Birmingham. Maybe not the ideal place for a showcase of independent features (like the Fox in Atlanta, it’s better equipped for 5.1 ear-blasting action events that intimate character pieces sound-wise), but it matters not- for a first-time festival-goer, it’s an experience I’ll likely not forget (I might just try and catch some of the Atlanta Festival next year). It was a long trip, and I- like many fans of Amber- spent a couple of hours out in the rain before the doors opened for the 11am CST shorts program that preceded “Chance,” but well worth it. The shorts program was OK- some very good ones, some not-so-good ones, but not bad overall, and a good warm-up for “Chance.” Amber was on hand to present the film to the hometown audience, and to her fans that came to support her. I wish I had had a camera or tape recorder to capture the experience in a more-tangible form, but my memory will likely not fail me in this case.
I didn’t get a chance to meet her personally, and I was too chicken to ask a question during the Q&A session after the film, but she’s just as delightful in person as she comes off in all the interviews I’ve read with her- smart, funny, and very passionate about the film, not to mention appreciative of her collaborators both on “Chance” and “Buffy.” Some of the other collaborators on “Chance” were even there as well, including composer Aaron Fruchtman, cinematographer Patrice Lucion Cochet, producers Diane Benson (Amber’s mother) and Mary Brezovich, and actor Jeff Ricketts. The questions varied in topic, everything from whether she’d directed any shorts prior to this (she hadn’t, but was involved with one- “Deadtime”- that won Best Student Film at Sidewalk in 1999), whether she had anything down the pipeline writing/directing (not yet, but was in negotiations to start a project acting in October), whether it was difficult to direct fellow “Buffy” cohorts like James Marsters, “Angel’s” Andy Hallet, and writer David Fury (not too much; Marsters, Hallet, and Fury all had respect for Amber as director), whether a soundtrack album was likely (it wasn’t), and what scene it was Amber shot with fellow “Buffy” actress Emma Caulfield (“Anya”) that had to be re-shot- with another actress- after being lost (it was a scene in a restaurant, that now takes place on a boat). Overall, a very informative session for all in attendance, and fun to listen to in general.
So, after all this hoopla (this one’s really turning into a Harry Knowles/Ain’t It Cool/every last detail essay), how’s the movie? The audience was decidedly not disappointed (it won the Audience Choice Award for Features at last night’s awards ceremony), and neither was I. Quite simply, I wish it was being distributed theatrically- or even just on video/DVD- this year, so that everyone could get a chance to see it. It’s the type of comic blast of fresh air that Kevin Smith’s “Clerks”- good, but his most overrated effort- and David O’Russell’s “Spanking the Monkey”- completely overrated and awful- were hailed as back in ’94, and such a step up from other teen “comedies” like “Van Wilder” and “The New Guy.” It doesn’t follow a formulated blueprint of how the story should be told, it’s just told. The comedy isn’t a result of carefully-conceived gags or set pieces (mostly); the comedy comes from the characters and the situations they put themselves into. It has more in common with classic Woody Allen neurotic romances- not the repetitious post-’94 Allen efforts- than “Animal House” or John Hughes’ classics. Most importantly, the characters come to life in ways that are believable and close-to-home, not in high-concept farcical manners like in many lesser movies about people in that late-teen, early 20s age bracket. “Can she do no wrong?” you may be asking. Well, I’m not usually a stickler about language, but some of it here was pretty unnecessary. Besides that, though, no complaints. Amber does herself proud.
The film stars Amber as Chance, a 20-something woman who’s day-by-day involves slacking around her 2-bedroom apartment and moving from lover to lover- male or female- without making any real connections. Her only real constant relationship is with roommate Simon (James Marsters, Spike from “Buffy”), who works in- of all things- telemarketing. But it seems as though even she’s sick of it (Simon already is), especially after her parents (Christine Estabrook and Jeff Ricketts, both hilarious) drop an unexpected bombshell on her. What it is isn’t important- it’s just another complication in Chance’s life to go with creepy neighbors, cry-baby ex-lovers, O.D.-ing female companions, her anal roommate who needs to borrow money, and a hottie singer she has an actual crush on (Andy Hallet- “Angel’s” Host- being charming and enjoyable in a brief outing). By way of her voiceover, we get into Chance’s head, getting an idea of her blowing-in-the-wind attitude towards life. Will she start to find some direction in her life by the end? Of course (at least, it seems like that). But getting there is more important.
In their description of the film in the Festival program, Sidewalk says the following about “Chance”: “Witty and acerbic writing lays a strong foundation for natural, understated performances from the leads.” Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. I don’t know how “understated” Benson and Marsters are at times, but boy do they work well together. You got glimpses of their chemistry together every once in a while on “Buffy” (especially in one Season Six episode where Tara is using her knowledge of Spike and Buffy’s hot-and-heavy affair to mess with Spike a bit), but rarely did they have a lot to say to each other. Amber makes up for that in her script for “Chance,” which- as implied earlier- is a Woody Allen-like study of neurotic romance by way of Kevin Smith-esque profanity and “Buffy”-style sarcasm. This isn’t your usual 20-something romantic comedy- this is sly and smart adult comedy with a razor-sharp edge to the humor. It’s the liveliest comedy I’ve seen in 2002, an all-around disappointing year for the genre…again. (More on that in this year’s Year-end overview in December.)
Why it works all rests on the shoulders of Amber Benson. Her writing is intelligent and very funny, with wry observational humor about all of the characters as seen through Chance’s eyes. That style of humor even branches into the original songs by Grant Langston, who has an on-screen role as he performs the songs, all well-crafted and many profanely hilarious in their lyrical content. But this is no cute gimmick for cheap laughs, like in the Farrelly’s “There’s Something About Mary.” Like the best film music (cheers also to composer Fruchtman for the seamless integration of instrumentals with the songs), the songs aren’t meant to help with the story but help delineate the emotions Amber’s script explores. (A note on Langston appearing on-screen- during the Q&A Amber mentioned the reason it was done that way was to pad the time of the feature. Maybe, but you know what? It works in the film’s favor in ways beyond mere length.)
Benson’s direction is also key. Her first effort isn’t a visual feast- though I must say the crisp, well-composed cinematography by Patrice Cochet (shooting the flick on the ever cost-efficient digital video) is much easier to take compared to the grainy, low-budget experimentation in Soderbergh’s high-profile “Full Frontal”- but it doesn’t need to be; it’s an actors’ showcase, and they deliver. I’ve already mentioned Hallet as Chance’s singer crush Jack and Estabrook and Ricketts as Chance’s parents, and they- along with the remainder of the supporting cast (Lara Boyd Rhodes as “Personal Assistant” Heidi, Tressa DiFiglia- fianc�e to “Buffy’s” Nicolas Brendon- as Chance girlfriend Sara, and many others)- are delightful and etch memorable performances, but in all honesty, it’s the performances by Amber and Marsters that are the centerpiece of the film. Marsters- finally giving “Buffy” fans a listen to his true American accent after years of playing the British vamp Spike- gives a dazzling, breakthrough performance that’s every bit on par with his work on “Buffy.” I’ll never be able to look at Spike the same way again. It’s shocking how well Marsters is able to embody a “nerdy” sort of character like Simon, but he’s no characature; by the film’s end Marsters brings out-of-left field romantic longing to Simon after the beginning sarcasm and anal retentiveness that defines his character at the beginning, but staying completely in character throughout. Like everyone in “Chance,” it’s not a big, flashy fast-paced comic performance- it is very naturalistic and nuanced, something that Amber’s obviously taken from “Buffy,” putting her experience on that show as an actor to great use as a director.
And Amber? What can I say- I love her in this. She’s not just playing Tara or any other character she’s played in the past (something she said was the whole idea in taking the lead role, which she didn’t want to do at the time). Like Sarah Michelle Gellar in “Cruel Intentions,” it’s a bit odd hearing her swear and basically being bitchy…but she’s good at it. And she finds a way to let feeling shine through- as much as Chance complains, as much as Chance acts like she can’t stand Simon, as much as her parents drive her up the wall, she can still be reached. And the surprising thing about this? It doesn’t feel like the usual writer’s manipulation; it feels like that’s who she is. For the characters- and likely some in the audience- it’s tough love to like Chance. For the rest of us, it’s not that hard, and the reason is Amber’s smart, appealing, and attractive performance.
“Chance” is the realization of a life-long dream for Amber Benson, who’s wanted to make films about all her life. According to her mother, “Chance” is more of an “educational experience” for Amber, and hopes that, “If nothing ever happened to it, it was a calling-card for her in Hollywood, because they don’t think women can do anything. And we wanted to show them that a young actress could also direct and write and produce.” Amen to that. Beautiful young actresses seem to be a dime a dozen. Granted, a lot of them have a definite talent as actresses (the wealth of talented actresses on “Buffy” and “Angel”- Gellar, Benson, Alyson Hannigan, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amy Acker, Charisma Carpenter- proves that), but how many can really sustain a career? Let me put it this way- when did you last see Julia Ormond- remember her from “Legends of the Fall”- in a major movie? What about Catherine McCormack, from “Braveheart?” Or Mira Sorvino, Oscar winner for Woody Allen’s “Mighty Aphrodite?” Or even Geena Davis, another Oscar winner and the co-star of “Thelma & Louise?” Nothing against any of them- all have talent to be sure- but the Julia Roberts, the Susan Sarandons, the Diane Lanes, the Jodie Fosters, and the Michelle Pfieffers are rare, and they’ve sustained because they’ve chosen smart roles (for the most part), they’ve avoided- mostly- overexposure, they’ve taken chances of smaller roles (especially true in Diane Lane’s case), and in the case of Jodie Foster, they’ve expanded their horizons by directing and producing projects. Penny Marshall is another example of a fine actress-director, although she went the Ron Howard route, and bypassed acting altogether and is now just a director. I hope Amber doesn’t go that route and continues to take roles, and not just because she’s easy on the eyes- there’s a natural, well-nurtured acting talent there as well. Like many of the “Buffy”-verse women, Amber has a smart eye for film projects to take on to where she should be able to sustain a long, rewarding, and hopefully recognizable career. Sure she’ll make some unwise choices; even Julia Roberts has (anybody think “I Love Trouble” was a smart move?), but regardless, she’s shown nothing but promise so far, and risk in taking small, unconventional projects to cut her teeth on. I don’t see her becoming the next Julia or Meg Ryan- though you never know- but you know what? It’s not the only option. Look at Diane Lane- she’s been working- like Amber- since she was very young, taking projects that are not always commercially viable (and not always in theatrical release; she’s done a lot of TV work over her career), but she’s never really been overexposed, although she’s continued to keep herself visible to her loyal fans over the years. She’s focused more on longevity than on stardom; it might pay off this year. Her high-profile, high-heat performance in the adultery thriller “Unfaithful” has high Oscar buzz, and the film was a sleeper hit the first couple of months of the summer. Nothing against Julia or Meg or Susan or Michelle, but that wouldn’t be a bad model to follow for the lovely Ms. Benson. “Chance” is a step in the right direction, and it shows Amber’s not afraid to take one.
