re: Favorite Chevy Chase movie(s)

Chevy Chase would be a HUGE star if he wasn't horrible at picking roles and movies.

Turned down:

Animal House - Who got it: Tim Matheson
- had just left SNL and was selecting his first movie project, choosing between Animal House and the crime comedy Foul Play. Without Chase, Animal House became the biggest comedy of all-time, breaking all sorts of box office records. Foul Play was still a hit, cracking 1978’s top 10

Forrest Gump - Who got it: Tom Hanks
- Believe it or not, Chevy Chase was offered Forrest Gump early in the project’s development. Chase turned the part down, and Tom Hanks, who had won an Oscar the previous year for Philadelphia, used the film to complete his transition from comedic to dramatic actor.

American Gigolo - Who got it: Richard Gere

Raiders of the Lost Ark - Who got it: Harrison Ford
- The Indiana Jones series became one of the decade’s most lucrative movie franchises and allowed Steven Spielberg to recover from the failure of his previous film, 1941, starring Chase’s SNL cohorts Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

The Santa Clause - Who got it: Tim Allen
- Chevy Chase was offered the starring role in The Santa Clause, but he had to turn it down due to a scheduling conflict. Sitcom dad Tim Allen stepped in to take his place. The Santa Clause ended up being Allen’s breakthrough film role and the movie’s runaway success is mostly the reason we’re stuck with Tim Allen now.

Toy Story - Who got it: Tim Allen
- Tim Allen’s other famous movie role (no offense, Wild Hogs!) was also turned down by Chevy Chase. According to IMDb.com, Allen was enthused about taking the role of Buzz Lightyear after hearing that Chevy Chase, whom he considered his biggest influence, had also been offered the part.

American Beauty - Who got it: Kevin Spacey
- After Chevy Chase passed up Forrest Gump, the movie won Best Picture at the Oscars and Tom Hanks won Best Actor for the role that Chase could have had. The same thing happened all over again, just five years later, when American Beauty and Kevin Spacey won these two top prizes for a part that could have belonged to Chevy Chase.

Splash - Who got it: Tom Hanks
- Chevy Chase turned down the role of Allen Bauer in the mermaid rom-com Splash. Because Chase and others like Bill Murray, John Travolta, Michael Keaton, and Dudley Moore weren’t interested in the project, director Ron Howard went with Tom Hanks. Splash became a breakout hit with Hanks as the lead. It was his first starring role in a feature film and established him as a bankable movie star.

Alvin and the Chipmunks - Who got it: Jason Lee
- Jason Lee, who was coincidentally supposed to be the heir to Chevy Chase’s Fletch throne. Alvin and the Chipmunks was a monstrous hit, spawning two sequels and a ton of merchandise, but the titular chipmunks were the movie’s star

Bonfire of the Vanities - Who got it: Tom Hanks

Roles he wanted but didn't get:

The Fabulous Baker Boys - Who got it: Either Jeff or Beau Bridges

The Player - Who got it: Tim Robbins
- In the early 90’s Chevy Chase was interested in starring in this adaptation of the Michael Tolkin novel of the same name. Oddly enough, Chase’s father, Edward “Ned” Chase, was a well-known editor and writer who was responsible for publishing the original book.

Hosting Saturday Night Live (1997-Present)
- Chevy Chase’s backstage behavior when hosting Saturday Night Live throughout the 80’s and 90’s was so bad that Lorne Michaels allegedly won’t let him host the show anymore. In Live From New York, various castmembers recall Chase making lewd remarks to a female writer, yelling at the staff, and making fun of the career of castmember Robert Downey Jr.’s father to his face.

https://splitsider.com/2011/09/the-lost-roles-of-chevy-chase/

Chevy made role decisions that helped the movie careers of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen more than than his own. He could have been the #1 Hollywood star if he made better choices during his career. Even though the article does point out that some of the movies probably would not have worked out near as well if Chevy had taken or gotten the roles and I agree.