American Splendor
“American Splendor”
Written and directed by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini;
A Fine Line Features release;
Running time:
Harvey Pekar - Paul Giamatti
Joyce Brabner - Hope Davis
Toby Radloff -
Robert Crumb - James Urbaniak
Himself - Harvey Pekar
Herself - Joyce Brabner
Review by Jade Sharma
It is widely said that one of the primary functions of cinema is a means of escape. People go to the movies, to get away from the monotony of there daily lifes, to laugh, to cry, to visit another world. At the price of ten dollars a ticket, it is one of the cheapest drugs. And when you get a good hit, it is one of the best highs you can get.
Most
Then there are those movies, that serve to make you feel better about your life. American Beauty showed us that even in the suburbs you can find beauty, like a bag blowing in the wind. Seabiscuit proved once again that anyone, no matter what obstacles are in their way can still attain the American Dream. And now American Splendor is here to say, yea, even a file clerk in
American Splendor is about the real life story of Harvey Pekar. The movie starts with
I think in some ways this innovative style proved successful, and in other ways it seemed sloppy, and intrusive. For instance, there were times where watching the narrative absorbed in the incredible performance of Paul Giamatti as the lack jawed squirrelly eyed Pekar, then all of a sudden, it cuts to the real life Pekar sitting in a white room talking. Although in this way, it may give you a more expansive understanding of Harvey Pekar, it also can be jarring. Getting absorbed in the narrative, and then being pulled out. It was like someone tapping your shoulder saying,”It’s not real, it’s not real.” It detaches you from the narrative.
What I think is it’s most redeeming quality is nothing that happens to
The movie ends, with the actor Paul Giamatti fading, replaced with the real Harvey Pekar walking home from dropping off his daughter on the school bus. He says, that it’s no happy ending, and that his wife still don’t work, and his kid got ADD and is a real handful, and that every day is a major struggle. Although