Wicked funny: “I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not”

Cinema | April 20th, 2026

By Greg Carlson

Veteran documentary filmmaker Marina Zenovich has chronicled a number of powerful men in entertainment, politics and popular culture, including Roman Polanski (twice), Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Lance Armstrong and Jerry Brown, so neither her most recent subject nor her methodological approach should surprise any viewers who have enjoyed her consistently watchable work. In “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not,” Zenovich continues her pattern of grappling with a complicated and divisive personality. Now in his early 80s, Cornelius Crane Chase has seen as many peaks and valleys as any seasoned mountaineer.

Coinciding with the film’s New Year’s Day premiere on CNN and eventual streaming home on HBO Max, a clip of Chase insulting Zenovich made the rounds. When the filmmaker remarks, “I’m just trying to figure you out,” Chase responds, “No shit. It’s not gonna be easy for you.” Zenovich replies, “Why not? Why is it not gonna be easy?” and Chase retorts, “You’re not bright enough. How’s that?” The moment sets a tone for the entire movie: Chase’s legendary cruelty and meanness is matched by his fearlessness and self-confidence, even if the former seems to mask some amount of deeply submerged pain or even self-loathing.

From the earliest days of Chase’s national profile as one of the original “Saturday Night Live” Not Ready for Prime Time Players, the performer’s mercurial career decisions left both industry professionals and fans scratching their heads. The initial breakout star of the series, Chase quit early in the second season. Several bridges were set on fire, but did not burn all the way through. Soon enough, Hollywood success would seem as effortless as the man’s ability to keep selling physical and verbal comedy that delighted millions. Blazing chops and a quick wit fit hand in glove with WASPy elitism and libidinous come-ons (as was the custom of the day). But Chase was just as adept at projecting frustrated middle-class dad energy, turning Clark Griswold into an all-time great.

Zenovich will later button up the movie with footage of Chase basking in the adulation of an enthusiastic crowd at one of the many semi-regular, victory-lap screenings of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” where the actor participates in a moderated conversation and audience Q & A. Curiously, the irascible old clown appears to enjoy it. Before we get there, however, the director plays Chase’s greatest hits and biggest bombs. Celebrity pals, wife Jayni and their three daughters bear witness to all manner of celebrity misadventure and hubris, from box office disaster and talk show-hosting embarrassment to longtime cocaine addiction and near-death hospitalization.

Chase’s infamous and tasteless homophobic bullying of Terry Sweeney during the former’s SNL hosting gig in the 1985-1986 season sets the table for another elephant in the room: the narrative surrounding Chase’s departure from “Community,” linked to an outburst in which he reportedly used the N-word. Since Zenovich was unable to convince Dan Harmon or any cast members to speak on camera, the segment is somewhat unsatisfactorily represented by Jay Chandrasekhar. Zenovich’s movie certainly isn’t the last word on its polarizing subject, but it is a sturdy enough exercise in showbiz portraiture.

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