American Splendor
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Movie Reviews of American Splendor
Movie Review: thesis = ordinary life, isn't so ordinary
Summary: 5 Stars
this is one of my top ten movies that were theatrical releases in 2003. this is a great story about a man and his life. the whole point of this movie is that everyday life isn't so ordinary. things happen, people change, people grow; and this movie covers those topics with a poignant look into the life of harvey pekar, full-time file-clerk, part-time comic-writer.paul giamatti plays the role of pekar with a high level of poise. he seems to take all of the quirks of the author without trying too hard. his characterization is one of the best of the year. he takes a normal, "boring" man and turns him into an obsessive-compulsive comic-writer with a flare for the ordinary.
this movie will make you think, this movie will make you laugh, this movie may even make you cry. i hope that is does all of the above for you, because it certainly deserves the accolades.
a disclaimer at the end...this movie isn't for everyone. i put it into a category with a couple of other movies (ex. lost in translation, the station agent) in that it isn't the most thrilling or gripping story. but it deserves high marks in the story telling, the presentation, and the acting. i highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys art in film!
Movie Review: Who is Harvey Pekar?
Summary: 5 Stars
I never heard of Harvey Pekar or "American Splendor" before this movie, even though I've been a regular at a well-stocked comic book shop for a decade. But, now, I find Pekar to be a fellow traveller."American Splendor" tells you right up front, this isn't a happy, feel good, fantasy movie. It's a tale of a really homely, depressing, sloppy, and all-around dysfunctional dude working a dead-end job as a file clerk at a VA hospital. He's as about as faceless as you can get. He makes a timely friendship with budding underground comic artist Robert Crumb (who I HAD heard of), and publishes a comic based on his own life, and it becomes an underground hit.
You watch him develop a relationship and marriage with Joyce, a comic shop owner who writes to him for an issue she missed. The chapters on their first date and marriage were a trip, describing her ability to self-diagnosis all her ailments and political food allergies.
Having not known about the individual before the movie, I can't speak to the accuracy to real life or the comic, but you can believe I'll be looking for "American Splendor" at my next trip to my local graphic novel distributor.
Movie Review: Harvey Pekar gets all five stars
Summary: 5 Stars
American splendor stupefied me - this is more than a movie - more than a simple canvas of the life of Harvey Pekar. This is every man's life. Once in a while you come across a movie which just blows you away but mind it not with graphics or special effects but just with the camera work, acting, screen play and direction and this is such a masterpiece. We do not have a hero who is trying to save the world or a bambie racing for money this is just the story of you and me. This is the story of the compulsions and boredom that we all go through in our daily drudgery. so to make that interesting , as interesting that you will watch it for almost 2 hours is relatively difficult but this movie succeeds in doing so.
The plot deals with the simple monotonous life of cartoonist Harvey Pekar and Pear himself acts in the movie in and out. Merging Harvey Pekar and his acting persona has been a tremendous job. If you like "being John Malkovich" then you will enjoy this movie. Giamatti as Harvey Pekar and Berman as his wife have done a tremendous job in bringing out the characters with force and respect. I will highly recommend you to watch this movie or even buy this DVD.
Movie Review: Real life funnies
Summary: 5 Stars
I just love films about malcontents, those people angry at the duplicity and the phoniness of everyone around them. Many of these malcontents are incurable neurotics, but God, you've gotta love them. Such a man is Harvey Pekar, the cranky hero of "American Splendor." Pekar is able to channel his rampant dissatisfactions by writing for an underground comic book aptly titled "American Splendor." Pekar, captured to a tee by Paul Giamatti, adapts in comic book form his life as a file clerk at a Veterans Administration hospital. He also writes about his co-workers and other people around him, many of whom are present in the film along with the actors who portray them. Some of the most comically bizarre scenes, as depicted in the film, are Pekar's appearances on the David Letterman show. I found these scenes funny and a touch harrowing. Hope Davis plays Pekar's equally emotionally flawed wife. Ms. Davis' gives a very funny, almost deadpan portrayal, that is never less than real.If you want to see a non-Hollywood type film about real people, which is also original, hilarious, and not a little inspired, you can select no better film than "American Splendor."
Movie Review: American Splendor
Summary: 5 Stars
I really love this movie. It's just so unique. It's way of breaking the fourth wall and being a sort of Reductio ad absurdum like "Synechdoche, New York" alone makes it interesting enough for me to really dig it and appreciate just how much creativity was put into deciding how this story would be told. It's part documentary and part biopic. It's like watching of "making of" film about itself. Not to mention the subject matter is something that really appeals to me. I'm a huge comic nerd and I've been writing and illustrating my own since I was old enough to hold a pencil. On top of that, everybody knows Paul Giamatti is one of, if not my absolute favorite actor. His performance in this is as good as it's ever been and I love to see him as the leading man instead of just in a supporting role. That said, the movie is not like, life-altering, but you really can't go wrong with it. The characters are so likable and the ending is so rewarding. I highly recommend it to anybody into nerd culture, the art scene, independent movies, documentaries, biopics, or fans of dark comedy. RIP Harvey Pekar.