ith the release of their romantic comedy Chasing Amy, Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams have arrived - as a couple - at a career watershed. Smith, twenty-six, the writer/director known for talky, meandering celebrations of slacker life in his native New Jersey (the wry Clerks and, alas, the sophomoric Mallrats), is venturing beyond independant features. He's currently writing Warner Bros.'s Superman and (whether he likes it or not) he's ready for more big-studio approval. Adams, twenty-nine, the Arkansas-born actress whose high, breathy voice and captivating looks have so far earned her mostly small, sexy-girlfriend roles (see S.W.F., Mallrats, and Bio-Dome), is also garnering Hollywood attention. Her recent cameo opposite John Travolta in Michael and her lead role as a bisexual struggling to understand her identity in Amy prove Adams has the range and emotional intelligence for complex dramatic parts.

Working together seems to have only strengthened the pair's mutual respect. "As his girlfriend, it was great watching him grow as a director," says Adams. Of a stunningly combustive scene
in which Adams fiercly dresses down her onscreen
boyfriend (played by the equally strong Ben
Affleck), Smith says, reverently, "It was a
moment of sheer acting, because I've never seen
the girl yell." In his third film, Smith's choice of subject
matter - dealing with a lover's history - feels truly modern and (dare we say it?) adult. While the potentially polemical film received a standing ovation at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Smith is still nervous about his "core audience" - mostly young bucks with whom he regularly communicates on the Web. ("I've been grooming them for the shock," he says.) But virtual high fives from Internet fans suggest that, no matter what, approval of Adams is fixed. "I get a lot of 'Good Job, man. She's quite a score,'" he proudly reports. -- Louisa Kamps