Starring: Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis.
Written and Directed by Robert Pulcan and Shari Springer Berman
101 minutes.
Rated R
American Splendor won the top award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2003. It also won the Critics Award at the Cannes Festival. The story is based on the comic books “American Splendor” and “Our Cancer Year” which are in turn based on the life of Harvey Pekar. Pekar worked as a hospital file clerk in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. On the side he sold records and comics. In the sixties he met up with underground comic legend Robert Crumb and soon after Pekar decided to write his own comic book, based on his everyday life. The comic, illustrated by Crumb, was a huge success. The film follows his life through the decades and shows his personal ups and downs. The real life Pekar, and his wife Joyce, appear in the file almost as tour guides.
The film is very funny and has a lot of heart to it, but at times it can also be pretty depressing. The film, much like the comic, shows Pekar’s life, as it was, nothing more and nothing less. That is something that most films just don’t do. There isn’t a happy ending. There isn’t anything truly exciting that happens. It’s just about life and living. As Pekar says, “Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff.”
The film is shot well and using the location of my hometown very well. The self-reflective nature of Pekar and Joyce commenting on the action is a real treat. This postmodern approach is very refreshing and really adds life to the fictitious versions of the characters. The film touches some very interesting themes including how the mainstream media, especially David Letterman and MTV, used Pekar for their own good. It can be seen as a microcosm for society at large.
The film is very entertaining and for that I would recommend it to others. However, I can see where most people would find the film to be a waste of time. This is really for people who like to see a slice of life on the screen, a well-made film with a solid story and nothing that blows up. The acting and direction is top notch, which adds to the enjoyment of the film. Clevelanders might also enjoy learning a little more about a local underground success.
Grade: B+
Written by David Bohnert
Copyright 2004.