American Splendor

2003

Action / Biography / Comedy / Drama

14
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 94% · 185 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 86% · 25K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 54479 54.5K

biography based on comic v.a. hospital junk sale jellybean greeting card

Director

Shari Springer Berman Photo
Shari Springer Berman

Top cast

Josh Hutcherson Photo
Josh Hutcherson as Robin
James Urbaniak Photo
James Urbaniak as Robert Crumb
Paul Giamatti Photo
Paul Giamatti as Harvey Pekar
Daniel Tay Photo
Daniel Tay as Young Harvey
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
931 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
R
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 41 min
Seeds ...
1.87 GB
1920*1072
English 5.1
R
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 41 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Buddy-51

creative biopic

In `American Splendor,' Paul Giamatti plays Harvey Pekar, the comic book creator who became famous as a recurring guest on the David Letterman Show. A resident of Cleveland, Pekar was a socially backward man who found he had the talent to translate the pain, loneliness and frustration of his own unhappy life into universal truths, writing material that other artists would then illustrate in comic book form. He began a series entitled `American Splendor,' which was really an ongoing autobiographical narrative, drawing on people and events in his own life as his source of inspiration. The film, a pseudo-documentary of sorts, tells his life story by cutting back and forth between both staged reenactments of the events in the stories and interviews with Pekar himself commenting on those events.`American Splendor' is an offbeat little gem that, in many ways, approximates the look and style of a comic book. As the story plays itself out, captions often appear on the screen, as well as illustrations from Pekar's actual work based on the scene we are witnessing. Robert Pulcini and Sheri Springer Berman, who wrote and directed the film together, create a surrealistic tone by having Pekar and his real friends and companions frequently appear on screen next to the actors who are portraying them (some of them dead ringers for the originals). This technique brings a homespun, homey sweetness to the film. `American Splendor' is a paean to all the social misfits in the world, people who, for whatever reason, can't seem to fit into society's prescribed mold but who often develop strong, meaningful bonds with similar individuals. The movie is also a tribute to the power of art, both for the artist who finds purpose and release through his work and for those to whom his work speaks on a personal and emotional level. The people who inhabit Pekar's strange world – both in reality and within the borders of his comic strip boxes – are seen in the film as warm, good-natured individuals, not socially astute, perhaps, but not losers either.The emotional focal point for the film is Harvey's relationship with his wife, Joyce, beautifully played by Hope Davis. Despite the somewhat bizarre nature of their marriage, Harvey and Joyce forge a lasting commitment based on reciprocity and devotion. In fact, in the latter sections, the film achieves an emotional depth one doesn't expect it to early on, partly because Harvey is dealt a cruel blow of fate that he and his wife are forced to navigate through together. Yet, the film as a whole is filled with a sly, deadpan, mischievous sense of humor that demonstrates a keen grasp of the absurdities of life.As Pekar, Paul Giametti turns in a flawless performance, capturing the nebbishness, cantankerousness and ultimate likeability of the man he is portraying.In both style and content, `American Splendor' is aptly named.
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Reviewed by blanche-2 8 / 10

Wonderful story, another gem of a performance by Giamatti

In the list of people who were cheated out of an Oscar - well, forget the Oscar, how about not even a nomination - Paul Giamatti should be near the top of the list for "Sideways." Here, playing "American Splendor" comic writer Harvey Pekar, he gives earlier evidence for his gift of characterization.

The film is done in an interesting way - it's interspersed with the real Pekar and his real wife Joyce, and where it normally would be intrusive, it isn't in this case. Pekar is a file clerk who started writing comics about his miserable life. His stories caught on with the public, and he found himself invited on "Letterman" several times. A lonely man, he also found a wife when Joyce wrote to him to get a copy of the latest comic book. On meeting her for the first time, he said, "I need to tell you now. I've had a vasectomy." Yet during a bout with cancer, he and Joyce wound up with Danielle, a friend's daughter. A man with nothing who wanted to leave a footprint ends up with fame, a family, and a cancer cure, all of which he has chronicled in his comics.

The performances are right-on, very real, and very much like the characters the actors play. As Joyce, Hope Davis is excellent and manages to keep a poker face. In the almost scary scene of Joyce and Harvey's first date, she throws up her dinner and has to face Harvey's trashed, overcrowded apartment. She then says, "Harvey, I think we should skip the courtship and just get married." She's a quiet riot. Judah Friedlander is great as Pekar's work friend Toby, a nerd among nerds who gets a bit of fame himself through Harvey when he has a gig on M-TV.

And Giamatti is an amazing Pekar - shleppy and miserable. Definitely one of the best actors we have today.

Excellently made film.

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