I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not, Marina Zenovich’s documentary about Saturday Night Live‘s first superstar cast member, is set to premiere on CNN New Year’s Day.
Named for his signature “Weekend Update” intro, the new feature length doc charts Chevy Chase’s rapid rise during SNL’s landmark 1975 season and the unpredictable career that followed. It’s filmmaker Zenovich’s latest profile of a 20th century comedy legend following Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic and Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind.
“I’ve always loved Chevy’s comedy and have been curious as to what makes him tick. That’s what I’m hoping to find out with this film,” Zenovich said when the project was first announced. CNN calls the film “authorized yet unfiltered,” with Chase participating directly. In his typically dry fashion, he added, “I understand CNN is going to release a documentary about me. I’m delighted and I hope I’m in it.”
A trailer for the film, released Thursday, suggests a deep dive into both the myth and the man, featuring interviews with the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Lorne Michaels, Alan Zweibel, Kevin Nealon, and Martin Short, alongside rare home movies and decades of archival footage.
CNN is billing the flick as an unguarded look at “fame, fallout, and the fine line between genius and self-destruction.”
Chase, who became SNL’s first breakout star before departing just weeks into Season 2, has been a recurring figure in the show’s storied history. With this film, he becomes the third member of the original Not Ready for Primetime Players to receive a dedicated documentary treatment, following Love, Gilda (2018) and Showtime’s Belushi (2020).
The new doc is the latest comedy-related project to come out of the news network. In recent years, CNN has produced documentary series like The Story of Late Night, History of the Sitcom, and The History of Comedy, as well as its own original comedy panel show, Have I Got News For You.
Watch the trailer for I’m Chevy Chase, And You’re Not at the top of this post.
