American Splendor
Rated NR
Drama
Drama
There are lots of movies about famous
people, and lots of movies about poor
people, but I think American
Splendor may be the only movie about
a poor person who is famous, or at least
about a real poor person who is actually
famous and who worked as a file clerk and
comic book writer and lived in Cleveland
and in the movie is played both by an actor
and by himself. An incredibly engaging mix
of documentary and docu-drama and also
plain-old drama and some comedy, plus
opera, American Splendor tells the
story of Harvey Pekar, low-rent comic book
writer and Cleveland area file clerk. Paul
Giamatti plays Pekar with a perfection
that’s revealed when Pekar himself enters
the film to provide narration and
commentary. As the film moves back and
forth between documentary and dramatic
re-enactment, the humanity and reality of
the characters is almost infinitely
enhanced. It’s heartwarming without being
sappy and artful without being pretentious.
Unlikely Comic Book Hero
'American Splendor' tells the tale of a mundane life with creativity and innovation. »
