IMDb > American Splendor (2003)
American Splendor
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American Splendor (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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American Splendor (2003) -- An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
American Splendor (2003) -- An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
American Splendor (2003) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   21,910 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers (WGA):
Harvey Pekar (comic book series American Splendor) and
Joyce Brabner (comic book series Our Cancer Year) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for American Splendor on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 September 2003 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Comedy | Drama more
Tagline:
Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff.
Plot:
An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 28 wins & 32 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(58 articles)
Paul Giamatti: 'I'm clearly not Brad Pitt'
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 12 November 2009, 1:27 AM, PST)
Interview: Dean Haspiel on Act-i-vate, ‘Bored to Death’, and Jack Kirby
 (From The Flickcast. 26 October 2009, 9:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
creative biopic more (211 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Chris Ambrose ... Superman
Joey Krajcar ... Batman

Josh Hutcherson ... Robin
Cameron Carter ... Green Lantern

Daniel Tay ... Young Harvey

Mary Faktor ... Housewife

Paul Giamatti ... Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar ... Real Harvey
Shari Springer Berman ... Interviewer (voice)
Larry John Meyers ... Throat Doctor (as Larry John Myers)
Vivienne Benesch ... Lana

Barbara Brown ... Nurse

Earl Billings ... Mr. Boats

Danny Hoch ... Marty

James Urbaniak ... Robert Crumb
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
101 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
Brazil:14 | USA:R (certificate #39761) | USA:TV-14 (cable rating) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Germany:6 | Iceland:LH | Mexico:B | Netherlands:AL | Norway:A | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15
Filming Locations:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA more
Company:
Good Machine more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
All of the "white room" documentary scenes were filmed in one day. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In Joyce Brabner's comic book shop in Delaware, she is looking for the new issue of American Splendor, issue #8. American Splendor #8 was published in 1983. There are several promotional posters on the wall of the comics character Concrete (the black, white, and yellow ones that say "Can't find what you're looking for? Just Ask!"). The first Concrete story was not first published until 1986. (The poster wasn't released until much later.) more
Quotes:
Harvey Pekar: [looking at himself in the mirror] Well, there's a reliable disappointment. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Frame on the Wall: The Making of 'The Door in the Floor' (2004) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Lady Be Good more

FAQ

How does it end?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
42 out of 46 people found the following comment useful.
creative biopic, 27 March 2004
Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States

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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