Chance (2002) Online

To sum up this review, you HAVE to see this film. From start to finish it is 75mins of pure comedic joy. I had to buy a signed photo from the movie from Benson Entertainment to get the DVD as they still haven't got backing to release it yet. This is a terrible shame because Amber Benson is an amazing writer/director/actor and her film should be out on the market for people to see. The film also stars James Marsters (Spike in Buffy The Vampire Slayer) who plays Chance's (Amber Benson) best friend, Simon. The two characters ooze chemistry on screen and dialogue that passes between is nothing short of brilliant. Whether you are a Buffy fan or not, this film is definitely worth a look.

Finally picked up a copy of the DVD, as I'd heard about the film and was curious to see Amber Benson's work. I won't go into the plot beyond saying it's a comedy/drama based around the two main characters, Chance and her friend Simon. Like many Indy films it's a bit rough around the edges, but I enjoyed it a lot. Unlike some of the other reviews I thought the acting was for the most part good, particularly the two lead roles, Amber Benson as Chance, and James Marsters as her friend Simon, with interesting characters and story.

Having said that I can understand why other people wouldn't like it, especially if they are only used to seeing typical Hollywood style films or are expecting the stars to reprise their Buffy roles. Indy film fans, or people who like character based films are more likely to be won over.

Anyway, I'm giving it 8/10 as I liked it a lot.

Chance premiered at the SideWalk Film Festival 22 September, 2002. As of right now, there are no distribution deals and no further plans to show the film, but that could, of course, change. And I hope with all of my heart it does.

Chance is a dark comedy about a chapter in the life of a young woman searching to find herself. It stars Amber Benson and James Marsters as Chance and Simon respectively. Also appearing in the film are Nate Barlow, Andy Hallett (the Host on Angel), Tressa diFiglia (Nicholas Brendon's wife), and Christine Estabrook.

The movie is hilarious! Definitely along my tastes in humour, and Amber did a fantastic job doing everything for this film - a true Indie movie. The soundtrack, provided by Grant Langston (with the beautiful song over the opening credits having been written by Joss Whedon), was awesome, funny, and touching. Pretty blunt, too, which served the story perfectly.

I was so afraid this movie would suck as much as I love Amber Benson. It didn't. It was much better than a lot of the movies I've seen lately. Amber was fantastic and James was so adorable it was scary.

If you get the chance (haha), see this movie. You will not be disappointed.

When you're a mediocre actress with nothing to do, what else is there to do but poorly write a movie? Well, you can badly direct, produce, and star in it.

A furious hurricane of wankalicious self-aggrandizement, Chance utterly fails at being compelling. The only reason a viewer could possibly watch this movie is through being a pre-existing fan of Amber Benson.

I had the vast misfortune of seeing this project, which completely comes across as "it'd be really awesome if this random thing happened..." amateurism.

The characters don't journey anywhere, and the only real acting came from James Marsters, who plays a man as only a woman could write one: emotionally vulnerable and feminine, as opposed to Amber Benson's own character, who fills all the masculinity of the piece.

The editing was horrifying, as well. There is a scene wherein Chance is relating her thoughts about a guy she was seeing. He's dull. This is well pointed out, but then the interminably boring conversation keeps going. For a very long time.

In short, it's a "screwball romantic comedy" that is decent for a class project in high school. But this tripe wouldn't cut it in the professional world.

Currently, to my knowledge, this movie does not yet have a distributor, which makes me sad to think everyone who should see this movie may not get the chance. But I can assure you, it is well worth the effort to seek it out. Hopefully, it will find its way to many more film festivals like the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL, which gave Chance its world premiere. If they have a film festival in your area, tell them they need to get this film!

As a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel, I can almost assure you that if you are a fan as well, you'll love this movie for the actors alone. If you've witnessed the outstanding work of Amber Benson, James Marsters, and Andy Halett, you already know they are amazing to watch. Not only can you see these actors in a completely new element, but there are wonderful moments you can only appreciate if you're a Buffy or Angel fan.

But this is not to say you must be a fan of these shows to enjoy this movie. In fact, you need not know who any of these people are to see that Chance has an air of magic about it.

First of all, I must state what a wonderful narrative voice Amber presented in this movie. When Chance (the title character) comes on screen and talks directly to the camera, you are always right there with her. She is your guide to her own life and what a wonderful guide she is. You're always waiting to hear what she'll say next and to see how she'll react to the situations she finds herself in.

And funny! I did not expect to laugh so much. Amber conveys such a quick and biting wit that you can't help but sit back and laugh. Chance is not afraid to say what others wouldn't dare, and you love her for it.

Not to give anything away, but I also have to comment on the movie's delightful balladeer. The songs wonderfully mirror the action, and much like Chance herself, they help bring to light those things we all think but would never say aloud.

This movie is the journey of one girl to make sense of the things in her life. From the moment you meet Chance, you quickly get on board to see where she'll take you and the discoveries she'll make. You get to meet a lot of interesting characters on the way, and in the end, you just may make a few discoveries on your own.

Getting to see the world premiere of this movie was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life. This movie is a complete joy to watch, whether you're a devoted Buffy or Amber fan, or just a person who likes to watch a great movie now and then.

Until this movie is picked up by a distributor, it may be hard to find, so I urge you to check other film festivals and the official website for more information, and don't miss your chance to see this movie.

Christal

...because, unfortunately, that's probably the only way you'll see it--by buying it on DVD. The film deserved a broader distribution; pity it didn't get it.

Amber Benson may just be a female Kevin Smith--what a concept! Smith fans would certainly find a lot to like here, especially the smart, funny, salty dialogue, the wonderfully low-budget production values, as well as the f****d-up but very likeable leads. Add the movie's very funny but ultimately touching treatment of modern relationships, and it reminded me of Chasing Amy, one of my favorite films.

I look forward to watching Amber's career; buy and watch the film now so when she makes her own "Lost in Translation" in a few years, you can say you were there at the beginning.

So I came on here, saw a 9.1 rating, and thought, wow!

Was I ever disappointed.

This movie rates somewhere around a 3 out of 10. I've seen worse, granted, but never in a film I had recommended to me. I've never seen a film called "good" yet contain such horrid acting until now. The feinting scenes were an exceptionally poor nightmare, and I really, really wanted to stop watching. The only reason I did not was so I could legitimately advertise how horrible the movie was without feeling guilty for not having finished it.

Highly recommended that anyone with a brain, or anyone looking for a movie to enjoy, avoid this. I can't get over the fact that it was recommended, considering its lack of quality. Buffy the Vampire Slayer actors or not, they couldn't do anything with this lame, going-nowhere, unbelievable (literally, not in a *wow* way) script. The cinematography was bad, the acting was bad, the script was worse, and most of all, they seemed to try to get places with cross dressing, a lesbian scene, etc and all it did was make it that much *worse.*

If you like yourself, save yourself one hour and seventeen minutes. Avoid this.

I'm sorry, I really am, it took me forever to finally get to see this movie, I waited for it for a long time, but seriously, I'm sorry but it sucks. I study movies and all sorts of things connected to them, and this looks like a very juvenile attempt that should appear on you tube rather than be made into a film. I love Amber Benson, and I love the story, but you can glance at this and within the first few minutes understand what's wrong. As(or at least wishfully hoping that I could be) a director I present the failures in this movie as the poster children for the fact that not everyone can and should be a director. Somebody compared this to Clerks and really, you should shut your mouth and go watch it again, because lots can be said about Clerks but not that it's a poor attempt. First off: this movie, because of its many dialogues and the general speaking, needed a good director that could have avoided making it look like filmed theater. It did not have that, and the result is that it looks like neither Amber nor James can act in the slightest, which is something far far from the truth. Secondly, what can't be corrected while filming can be eventually saved while editing,and that didn't happen. The timing is completely off, and it dwells on what should have passed unnoticed. Third, most of what I said can be considered style, but it's not. You can kinda see the style, but it needs to be refined and once again I'm sorry but you can clearly see Amber is not a director. What I hate is that the idea is good, the script also is very good, and for the first few times I saw this movie I let it convince me and bring me in. But when after knowing the story by heart I was able to step out a bit and stop condoning the errors and it was just then that I finally noticed that this movie is a mere 3 out of a potential 10... And it makes me sad to say this, but really... I wish Amber would have given it to a director, her performance would have been 100 times better and the film also. Sorry.

I took a 'chance' and bought this film, but know that others may be wondering whether it is worth a view. Amber Benson does an admirable job here as writer/director/lead actor and her casting of James Marsters was inspired, if very understandable as a result of the Buffy link. He has obvious pedigree and audience appeal, which will immediately reach a greater range of viewer. But one soon realizes that you are not watching 'Spike' and that his role as Simon, the love interest, is rather engaging in it's own right. For those huge fans of James - I know there are many - this film allows him to shine ever brighter,whilst exploring a very different character. And there is sufficient romance to please. It is a real shame this film does not have a distributer. They are missing a huge market if the James Marsters web sites are to be believed. Give it a go if you can get hold of a copy. Well worth a look.

I just saw this movie today at its world premiere (at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham, AL) and it was absolutely amazing! I mean, I was expecting good things, with all the wonderful actors participating, but I was blown away by Amber Benson's brilliant and inspiring script. The dialogue--including some hilarious direct commentary by Chance herself--was quick, witty and entertaining, while at the same time insightful. Even though Chance's character is nothing like me (I'm more of a Simon myself), I could completely relate to her, simply because of the raw and realistic (in a surrealistic way, at least) of her.

This movie was also HILARIOUS. The entire audience laughed constantly, and not AT the movie. All it takes is James Marsters wearing ... Well, I'll leave that for when you see it (because you must). But his outfit is not the only thing that's laugh-worthy, I guarantee. The flashback within a flashback within a forward flash format leaves plenty of flexibility for humor and seriousness alike.

As far as acting goes, the performances were right on. Amber Benson and James Marsters work really well together. Then throw Andy Hallett into the mix and you've got magic. I mean, we've all seen them on Buffy/Angel, but never like this. If you ever had doubts about their abilities (not that you ever did, I'm sure), this will clear it up. The other characters were beautiful as well, particularly the creepy neighbor (Nate Barlow? I think that's right) and the former fling (Rayder Woods? once again, I think).

Go see this film! If you aren't touched by it (not to mention holding your side from laughing so hard), then you have some serious issues....or maybe you just need to find a different hobby. =)

It's clear that anyone who recommends this movie does so only because they are such fans of Buffy/Angel that they are blind to any chance that their heroes could make something that is incredibly awful. And so, they interpret crap as art and extol it to anyone who will listen. I myself love those shows (pretty much anyone who has heard of this movie does), and I wanted to like this movie, but, unfortunately, I have eyes and ears.

The camera work, visual quality, and sound are all forgivable because it is a low-budget movie (about $25,000, rather than the $150,000 someone else here quoted), and I've worked on low budget movies before. There are some limitations to movie-making that simply cannot be overcome without a decent amount of money. However, writing and acting are not two of those limitations. Chance has its moments, but the majority of the acting is sub-par even for the actors that I know can do better. The writing isn't horrible; occasionally, it's even good, but the dialogue often falls far short of anything remotely realistic and the scenes with the walking/singing guitar man should be burned. And, again, the actors' poor deliveries don't help fix any of the problems that the script does have.

If you're interested in Amber's project, rent it if you can find it; support the artists you like and maybe someday she'll be able to make something better. But don't buy this movie unless you just have money to burn. It's not worth it.

Rating - 2/10

I bought this film based upon the facts that (a) I'm a huge Buffy/Angel fan (b) James Marsters fairly permanently occupies the wallpaper on my PC (c) I was heavily influenced by the other reviews here on IMDb (d) I think Amber Benson is a talented girl and I've followed other projects like The Ghosts of Albion (UK's BBC Online)

Anyway, I digress - is the film actually any good? I think so.

It's not perfect, maybe periodically a little contrived; at times I found myself wondering if Jay and Silent Bob might just appear from somewhere, as some of the characterisations aped early Kevin Smith a little too closely, although I wouldn't blame Amber for looking in that direction for inspiration, the guy is a great writer/director.

I found the principal characters of Chance and Simon likable and easy to relate to, it took me a while longer to feel comfortable with the idea and structure of some of the other characters. Maybe that was intentional, I don't know. It was fun to spot all the Buffy/Angel-related people out of context :) Amber certainly doesn't typecast...

Some of the writing was laugh-out-loud funny and quotable, and the acting was first-class in all departments. I find it hard to believe that Chance has not been able to find a distributor to date. This film, and Amber Benson, show a hell of a lot more talent than the average Hollywood offering, and coming across as a "small film" in terms of budget and production style, has all the hallmarks of a cult hit given the opportunity of more than a just few thousand getting to see it.

I wasn't disappointed in the $68 (£39) I spent getting the movie over from the US - you buy an Amber signed poster and 10x8" print and get the DVD for "free" - the system seems to work, Benson Entertainment were very efficient and I got the film in 2 weeks from start to finish - pretty impressive!

I wish Amber Benson every success in any further attempt to get Chance distributed properly, and any future productions - based on the projects she's done so far, she's got a real chance(sic) to be a big Hollywood player in the not-so-distant future.

I am, like most people who will see Chance, a big Buffy/Angel fan. I also think Amber Benson is one of the more interesting and creative members of the cast.

However this is not a good movie. It states somewhere here that the budget was $150,000. Frankly, I'm at a loss as to where that went. It was shot on DV, the main actors are former Buffy/Angel colleagues who probably didn't try to cause her financial ruin and as for the rest of the production values, well, there weren't any.

There was no flair, no visual ingenuity, no cinematic moments. Of course, this is forgiveable if the plot and dialogue compensate. Sadly these are just as pedestrian. Long time friends get together after dramatic event, pull apart then end up together. There's no twist, no catch, no drama. The whole film is relentlessly on the nose, right down to having Chance state basic facets of human behaviour to the camera. In fact, the movie reminds me of nothing so much as catching up with an old friend from high school who you used to have a good time with but then they spent two hours boring you about how they got into their current relationship and you're now looking for the Exit sign.

Nobody is going to pick this up for distribution (even though there are much worse movies out there) and it will remain a curio purely of interest to us hardcore Buffyverse fans. I do hope Amber's next film will be more interesting.

I was so excited about seeing this film at the Sidewalk Film Festival and was not let down. Watching it made me laugh out loud and that is uncommon with most movies. The storyline is so entertaining and the actors are wonderful. Seeing the characters with such great skill was wonderful. I know, any sane distributer would love to distribute this movie. Amber Benson proves with this movie that is possible to be successful and shows her multi-talent as a wonderful director and actor in this film. I recommend this film to everyone. I know everyone can enjoy it. :)

This movie was not only highly entertaining, amazingly clever, but it was silly while being poignant. That is a hard feat to pull off! You followed the life of the main character, Chance, and watched her go through the same things we all have gone through, and watched her react just a little differently than you'd expect. I loved this. The casting was great, and now the movie has been distributed by Small Planet Pictures. Amber Benson wore a lot of hats for this production, and I think she wore them all perfectly. If you are the type who only buys films that you know will be great, then trust me and buy this one. You won't be disappointed!

When I found out that Amber Benson directed a movie, I didn't expect it to be that great, but then I found out that James Marsters was in it. If anybody deserves to be an A-list, 20 million a movie actor, its James Marsters, so I decided, "Hell, why not?"

And yeah, James was incredible. Even if he had horrible BO, I wanted to jump right in the screen and make him my own. Amber Benson was mediocre as an actress, but she definitely needed a script doctor to fix the occasional lame, unrealistic dialogue. Though the movie eventually makes sense at the end, the time-jumps aren't defined and just serve to be annoying. For its budget, its not bad, but the camera angles and shots need work too.

Watch it, pay to support poor, poor Amber Benson.

I'm a huge Buffy and Angel fan. When I heard that Amber Benson wrote and directed her own film, I went crazy. Even crazier when I saw the crazy high rating on IMDB. After looking for it for over a year, I finally found it and watched it.

What resulted is a movie which is very cheap and filled with bad acting. Okay, no offense to the Buffy and Angel lovers, but that's just the truth. The film's storyline was good but the directing Job was terrible and the acting was even worse.

In summary, it was cool to see Tara, Spike, and Lorne together. But hey, just because I'm a fan of Buffy and Angel, it doesnt mean I'll automatically like a movie which has relations to them. Those who gave Chance such a high movie rating here on IMDB are blatantly full of bias, which is understandable. But honestly, this movie aint that great.

I had the opportunity to see the world premiere of this film at the Birmingham Festival in September of 2002. I must say, it was probably the worst movie at the festival. The dialogue was completely contrived and not natural. The characters were flat and blatantly overdone archetypes. Amber Benson plays a twenty something year old young woman that is looking for "the one". Even with the unoriginal plot, she could have made something meaningful out of the film, but she really didn't. There is nothing in this movie that hasn't been done better in other movies.Jokes came off as pathetic attempts to be "cool and urban", while the melodrama was filled with angst (the bad kind). It seemed to me that the romantic relationships of Chance were created to please Amber Benson-in-Buffy fans. The plot of the movie was nothing new, and nothing even interesting. I am certain that this only won the audience award because of the utterly devoted and sometimes maniacal Amber Benson fans at the festival. This film doesn't deserve distribution as it is contrived, humorless, and a pathetic attempt to move Amber Benson past the realm of television. She deserves better than this movie.

Dear lord! What a waste of my valuable time! And James!! What were you thinking?? Bad career move! Everything about this movie was wrong. Boring dialogue, terrible acting, lousy camerawork and a pointless story that lacked any sense of direction. And what's with the Hallmark 'artwork'? Definitely one of the worst movies I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot.

First of all, while I don't consider myself an expert on the technical aspects of film-making, this film is colossal failure in every sense of the imagination. Amber Benson can't direct or edit films. Period. The shots are framed badly, the transitions are jarring and lighting is blown out. The actors break the fourth wall badly and way too often. The acting is flat and uninspired, and the script they are acting out is filled with poor dialog. The random breaks to a guy playing bad acoustic guitar songs just makes this even more unbearable. If this were submitted to a film school, they may not even accept it. To summarize, Chance is shallow, badly directed, acted, edited and written. Now I understand that some think that giving this a 1 out of 10 in unfair for an independent student project -- and I would disagree. It's on IMDb, in the same category as classic films such as Annie Hall, and has a rating fueled by Joss Whedon fanboys. This irks me. I would give it a 0 if I could. If you haven't seen this, understand that this is a student-quality rush job that tries to ride the coat tails of a television series that reached its prime in 1999. Chance makes those God-awful Asylum Films rip-offs seem like cinematic gems.

This movie had a lot of talking to the camera, and sometimes, a guy with a guitar and the world's most horrible lyrics ("take me down, to the ground") pops in from nowhere and summarizes the story. I thought these things (besides bad acting and nonexistent plot) were essential in order to avoid making a turkey.

I really should have known what this was when I saw the name Buffy mentioned in positive context. It was like an Friends episode, except all the characters were more ... eh, "alternative" than that Phoebe girl.

I just cannot recommend this to anyone I know. It's the most immature movie I've ever seen, in short: The least funny love story ever made.

I didn't like this film much mainly because i couldn't identify with it. I thought the acting poor and it seemed like the Buffy cast was bored. It had it's moments though. The characters seemed to have the maturity of 14 year olds over all, and that bothered me.

I was one of the people who had the chance.....okay, opportunity to see Amber's movie at its premiere at the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama in September of 2002. I traveled from NY to see it. And it didn't disappoint. It wasn't easy to be 'open-minded' and an impartial movie-goer when you are a registered Amberholic, and are surrounded by other Amberholics. I knew I'd like it. I just didn't realize how much, until it was over. This is one Independent movie that has to be released either in the theaters, on Cable or on DVD. Amber is a talented actress. This I knew, watching her almost every week on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "Chance" introduces us to Amber the screenwriter, Amber the director, Amber the producer. The movie is lighthearted fun, but not like the mass produced mainstream Hollywood version of a romantic comedy. The character of "Chance" couldn't be portrayed by the Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullocks of mainstream Hollywood. Hence the independent venue. There was one minor disappointment: Not enough of Andy Hallett.

I wish there could've been one more scene with Amber's 'Chance' swooning over Andy Hallet's 'Jack'. Well worth the few hundred dollars it cost me to travel to Birmingham to see the movie.

I will start by saying I don't really fancy low budget movies, I like my movies well produced (as in production, not advertising). Still, I appreciate a good plot when I see one. I'm sorry but this movie wasn't at all what I expected. I guess I got myself worked up over the "female Kevin Smith"-thing I read here somewhere. Honestly, this movie, or perhaps project is more suiting, should never be compared with Kevin Smiths masterpieces at all. The plot was messy, no thread to hold on to really, the characters was not convincing or interesting, and the acting was bad, except for James Marsters. But you should consider that it is a low budget movie, so perhaps I just had to high expectations. Personally, I understand why they have a hard time finding someone to ship this movie. I wouldn't recommend this project to anyone really. Go watch tv instead. 4/10

I watched this movie because it had Amber Benson and James Marsters in it,who both star in Buffy and although i expected it to be good i didn't expect it to be this good.Chance (Amber Benson) is desperate to find the right guy and she goes through dead-end relationships in the process.I won't say more so i don't spoil it but i HIGHLY recommend anyone who does or doesn't like Buffy go and see it. 9/10