Starring: Chris Ambrose, Nick Baxter, Vivienne Benesch, Shari Springer Berman, Earl Billings Directed By: Shari Springer Berman Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Feature: American Splendor is the story of a little-known working-class everyman, and first-class curmudgeon, harvey Pekar. pekar finds love, fmaily and a creative voice through the underground comic books he creates, but still can't manage to find the quicker supermarket checkout line. ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. Pekar, played by Paul Giamatti, is a frustrated file clerk at a V.A. hospital, but Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: February 03, 2004 Running Time: 101 minutes Studio: HBO Video Theatrical Release Date: September 12, 2003
Features:
American Splendor is the story of a little-known working-class everyman, and first-class curmudgeon, harvey Pekar. pekar finds love, fmaily and a creative voice through the underground comic books he creates, but still can't manage to find the quicker supermarket checkout line. ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. Pekar, played by Paul Giamatti, is a frustrated file clerk at a V.A. hospital, but
Product Description: The life of underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar. Genre: Feature Film-Comedy Rating: R Release Date: 7-DEC-2004 Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com: One of the most acclaimed films of 2003, American Splendor is also one of the most audaciously creative biographical movies ever made. Blending fact, fiction, and personal perspective from the comic books that inspired it, this marvelous portrait of Harvey Pekar--scowling curmudgeon, brow-beaten everyman, insightful chronicler of his own life, and frustrated file clerk at a Cleveland V.A. hospital--is an inspired amalgam of the media (comic books, TV, and film) that lifted Pekar from obscurity to the status of a pop-cultural icon. As played by Paul Giamatti in a master-stroke of casting, we see Pekar and his understanding wife (played by Hope Davis) as underdogs in a world full of obstacles, yet also infused with subtle hope and (gasp!) heartwarming perseverance. We also see the real Pekar, and this multifaceted commingling of "reel" and "real" turns American Splendor into a uniquely cinematic celebration of Pekar's life and, by extension, the tenacity of an unlikely American hero. --Jeff Shannon
Original and wholly entertaining ^ A nerdy comic book author's life story, told in an innovative style with mixups of reality, comic book and dramatization. The real Harvey Pekar half narrates this thing, while Paul Giamatti handles the movie role. He is the perfect casting for this character. Many droll moments, if your humor tends toward dark. I'd never heard of the comic book series, nor did I ever see Pekar's many appearances on Letterman in the 80s. This is a small gem and it's well worth watching.
A totally new and exciting way to look at moviemaking... ^ Creating something real, unreal, familiar yet completely original; directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini pulled out all the stops with `American Splendor', one of the most innovative and unforgettable biopics I've ever seen. Ingeniously mixing real life with reel life, `American Splendor' may turn off a few viewers, but for those of you willing to give it some time it will truly open your eyes to the endless possibilities of cinema. With brilliant casting, stunning script work and truly remarkable craftsmanship, `American Splendor' will definitely be an unforgettable cinematic experience.
Who ever thought that comic books could be so influential?
The life of comic book hero Harvey Pekar is told with vivacious tenacity in this multilayered biopic that exposes his human personality as well as his alter ego. With a knack for fleshing out the truth in life, Pekar created something that no one else had even attempted, and in the process he created a following I don't think he even understood. Starting with the conception of his comic and moving forward through his strange marriage and odd social skills, not to mention some inevitable health issues; `American Splendor' never loses its grasp on what makes this film so fresh and whimsical.
Thanks to some inspired casting, this film nails just about every punch.
Let's talk about Paul Giamatti for a minute. I remember in 2004 when `Sideways' was released and everyone started screaming Oscar and talking about how Giamatti's performance was just too good. I remember seeing the film and falling out of my chair (figuratively) because for the first time the hype was correct. He was `that' good. Then the inevitable snub came and it wasn't until the following year when he hammed it up for Ron Howard that he received an Oscar nomination (please note that, while I say `hammed' it up, I am not really insulting his performance, which I enjoyed, but merely stating that sometimes you have to create a caricature for Oscar to pay you any attention). Around that time I started hearing about this film. Personally I hadn't heard anything about it until then, and honestly I didn't see the film until last weekend, but the seed was planted.
This performance, believe it or not, is even BETTER than the one he delivered in `Sideways'.
Capturing this man in all variations of his persona (and brilliantly meshing with the `real' Pekar who appears in the film as well as the animated versions), Giamatti is a full-figured representation of a truly inspired characterization. He understands the lows, the highs and everything in between, completely realizing his characters potential. He's so good that I barely noticed the rest of the cast, even when they were working magic as well (especially Hope Davis, who is criminally underrated in the world of cinema).
As a whole I strongly recommend this film to any fan of the biopic, the human drama, the dramedy, Giamatti or comic books...UGH, I recommend it to everyone since this is really what cinema is all about.
Harvey Pekar is a winner! ^ This film rates as one of the most creative and playful I've ever seen. The way the two versions of Harvey play off each other and the way his comic and his real life intertwine is pure genius. Paul Giamatti is at his finest. Excellent!! Two thumbs up!!
Fascinating Wackos ^ I guess I am sucker for biographies of weird people. This certainly qualifies for that.
What makes this film different from others is the combination of fictional and real people playing the two main characters: Harvey and Joyce Pekar. For most of the film, Paul Giamatti portrays Pekar - the main focus of the film, and Hope Davis plays his wife, Joyce. However, interspersed in the film are comments from the real Harvey and Joyce!
The only thing stranger that the film structure is the story of these actual people. You wouldn't think that two dull introverts like this could be made to look so interesting, but they are. What a testimony to the job the filmmakers did here....and the actors. Giamatti was amazing.
After seeing this movie, I was inspired to go out and obtain several of Harvey Pekar's comic books. Whew! I should have stuck with just the movie. The comics stink!! Don't waste your money on those.
Dull, humdrum movie ^ Imagine your most boring acquaintance. The one you hide from to avoid tiresome stories about his/her humdrum existence. Then imagine a movie about said acquaintance, and you will have captured the essence of American Splendor. You will get to watch amazing scenes about a boring job, a lonely life, and secondary characters with nothing to say. Plus, the Pekar has a very annoying voice. At least they could have added a gratuitous shower scene. Avoid this movie
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