American Splendor
Cast
Chris Ambrose .... Superman
Joey Krajcar .... Batman
Josh Hutcherson .... Robin
Cameron Carter .... Green Lantern
Daniel Tay .... Young Harvey
Directed by
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
Rater #2 has description and review.
Rater #1
Has Not Seen Movie
Rater #2
7/10. American Splendor is a hard movie to rate. On the one side, there's
superb performances by both Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis. On the flip
side, the unique direction by co-directors Shari Springer Berman and
Robert Pulcini is so imaginative that they don't know how to use it.
American Splendor is based on the underground comic book life of
Harvey Pekar, whose job as a file clerk has been chronicled in the
comic book American Splendor.
Berman and Pulcini brilliantly bring together the real, fake, and
drawn Pekar through odd sequences. Sometimes the real Pekar narrates
what the fake Pekar is doing; sometimes the real Pekar is being
interviewed documentary style; sometimes the fake Pekar turns into a
drawn Pekar, etc. It's this style that makes American Splendor so
interesting; if it was told in a basic format, it wouldn't be half as
good. In addition for that, at times the fake Pekar walks across a
comic book-type background, mixing the worlds even more. Sometimes
cartoon thought bubbles pop above characters' heads, and instead of
usual title cards, it looks exactly like a comic book.
Soon after Pekar (Giamatti) and his friend R. Crumb (James Urbaniak)
publish their first issue, American Splendor fever catches on.
Devoted fan Joyce Brabner (Davis), after running out of copies in her
comic book store, writes to Pekar for an issue from him. A friendship
and marriage eventually evolves.
What makes Pekar such an intriguing character is how ordinary, how
shlubby he is. In the opening scene, a young Harvey Pekar, out trick-
or-treating, doesn't go as a superhero, he goes as Harvey Pekar.
Pekar doesn't try to be anything he isn't. When he goes on the
Letterman show (with archive footage of the real Pekar), everyone
makes him out to be a big celebrity, while he's just a regular
Cleveland Joe.
It's becoming a real problem with many modern movies: the directors,
whenever doing something original, they have some real trouble being
consistent. As I said above, Berman and Pulcini really created
something original, but have trouble keeping with every original
thing that they brought in at the beginning. If they brought it in,
they should have kept with it.
Giamatti is not really a household name, but hopefully his role here
in American Splendor will make him more famous. When the high point
of you career is starring in Big Fat Liar, you need help. This movie
is the help that Giamatti needs. Davis, in her huge glasses and even
larger wig, does a great job, and seems to be making a name for
herself after About Schmidt (she also starred with Campbell Scott in
The Secret Lives of Dentists).
American Splendor is a groundbreaker. However, once it began to break
it, it stopped.
Rater #3
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #4
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rated R for language.
Running time: 101 minutes
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