American Splendor (2003)

Very disappointing...

Overrated

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's 'American Splendor' is one of the most unique and quirkiest biopics I've seen. It is one of a kind in terms of its execution especially in how the film moves in and out of Pekar's comic book world to the film where the actors portray the characters to the live footage of Pekar himself and the people in his life. This is very cleverly done. Not only does it enrich the viewing experience of the viewer but also allows the viewer to appreciate the artist and person that Pekar is. I hadn't known much about Pekar before nor heard of 'American Splendor' his underground comic book series but I am fascinated by comic books, the world therein that is created by the artists, the creativity and inspiration of the artists.Here the depiction of Pekar and the people in his life feels genuine and Pekar himself doesn't seem to have any objections. Moreover, what I also liked, is that he's brutally honest. He doesn't shy away from saying what his intention is with the film, what he expects to get.The theme is psychology is also crucial here and is well used. Joyce's preliminary diagnosis are amusing and not bad conjectures either. Pekar shows classic signs of depression and there's the lingering risk of relapse as he's, almost always, unhappy.The directors really bring out Pekar's amusingly weird yet likable world that is inhabited by awkward characters. The humour is a fine mix of dry, satire, somewhat dark and situational. The performances are superb. Even the presence of the people the film is based on does not intrude nor diminish the appreciation of what the actors have done. Giamatti, Davis and Friedlander are great as Pekar, Joyce and Toby's film counterparts. They're spot on. Pekar himself is great.Overall, 'American Splendor' is a delightfully quirky film and, in addition to being entertaining, it provides a splendid glimpse into the life of an unhappy man.

This movie has to rate as one of the poorer biopics. First, this is not one of Paul Giamatti's better performances. Maybe that has something to do with the material. Second, the movie is about the wrong guy. It should have been about Robert Crumb, the real driving force who created and marketed a new genre of comic book. Harvey Pekar was a fellow with issues; the movie suggests that he represented the "everyman," the "nobody," and that he caught the essence of the human condition by noting down the conversations of those around him. However, it was Mr. Crumb who brought Mr. Pekar's jottings life and without Mr. Crumb, Mr. Pekar's jottings would have remained what they were: doodling. The movie also provides an uncomplimentary portrayal of the operations in the Veterans Administration, portraying the employees as quirky, marginal bureaucrats who were completely alienated from their work and couldn't care less about the veterans. All in all, this was not a good movie.

I had wanted to read a couple of autobiographical graphic novels like Perseipolis , Fun Home and the like. So I decided to check out American Splendor. Through the novel I found the movie and I read many reviews praising it so I decided to check it out . The main difference between the series and movie is that while the series is pretty funny the movie is poignant and a bit sad.Maybe it is the music or maybe it's the people or both. Harvey Pekar lives a sad life. He works at a dead job because his comics do not make money. He lived quite a part of his life in gut wrenching loneliness and there is nothing good happening to him.Harvey Pekar died this year in early July. I actually felt very sad without having known him . Maybe because this was a real human being. He wasn't pretending to be anyone else. He was trying to reach out to people like him who are struggling in life. And that is what the movie does. Harvey Pekar narrates and Paul Giammati plays the role. One thing has always come to my mind when I see Paul act. He is not that great looking but incredibly talented. This helps him get unconventional roles like this one or American Splendor. In that way he is actually luckier than Tom Cruise who will never get unconventional roles because of his looks.These are fractured souls. They can barely make sense of the society or the environment they live in yet they struggle and soldier on. In that sense it might be actually called a feel good movie.American Splendour is a great movie. Maybe when I am older a lot of things in the movie will seem clearer and more relatable but even now it seems like a great movie that I might have to see a couple of times.

Within American comic books there are two types of comic books, the mainstream which includes famous superheroes like Batman, Spider-man, Superman, etc… which aim to appeal the wider audience possible, and then there are underground comics like Ghostworld and American Splendor, which are aimed at a smaller adult audience and tackle more grounded issues. This can also be seen in American cinema, with Hollywood films which too also aim for a wide audience, whilst indie cinema is more adventurous. With American Splendor, underground comics and American Indie cinema are combined.American Splendor is based on the comic book series by Harvey Peker which is a an autobiographical account of Harvey Peker's (Paul Giamatti/Harvey Peker) regular life. Harvey is a regular man living in Cleveland which most American would descript as an industrial hole. Harvey is a middle aged man who has two failed marriages under his belt and works a dead-end job as a file clerk in a hospital. He is a bright man with a typical American left-wing attitude against big business and mainstream culture. He decides to become a comic book writer, writing about his own personal life. He quickly becomes a hit writer and gain critical recognition: but he continues to work his clerk job. His life takes a turn when one of his fans, Joyce Brabner (Hope Davies) sends him fan-mail and the two meet his home city. They quickly fall for each other and marry each other. But their marriage is fall of struggle whilst Harvey's fame rises, and Joyce goes through a rut. The two also have to go through one of the worst experiences imaginable, when Harvey discovers he has cancer and Harvey and Joyce write a graphic novel to overcome the experience.This is a fine example of indie cinema at it quirkiest. This is a comic bio-pic, made by people who obviously who are fans of the series. The directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini do not want to tell a conventional film: telling the story of one man's adult live, about original live, and the creative process. For the most part they keep a fun energy going throughout the film, and their experience as documentary film-makers show, particularly when their interview Harvey Peker. They are moments of style like when the cartoon versions of Harvey are shown, keeps a quirky, feel to the film. The character of Cleveland and it's industrial scene is present throughout the film, and it influence the hero.A mate of my joked that Paul Giamatti on the DVD cover looked like an older version of another friend. Character wise they weren't much different. Giamatti and Davies are convicting in the main roles, are two intelligence, ordinary people who become writers. But Peker at times can be a bit annoying with his pessimistic outlook and his counter-culture viewpoint to the extreme.However this is a funny film, a good example of American Indie cinema.