American Splendor Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)December 18th, 2003
AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2003) / *** 1/2
Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. Screenplay by Berman and Pulcini, based on the comic book series "American Splendor" by Harvey Pekar and the comic book series "Our Cancer Year" by Pekar and Joyce Brabner. Starring Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis and Pekar. Running time: 101 minutes. Rated AA by the MFCB. Reviewed on December 18th, 2003.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: In the Seventies, a pessimistic file clerk named Harvey Pekar (Giamatti) attracted a small following when he began writing a series of comics entitled "American Splendor", which explored the drudgeries of his own existence. Pekar's work continued to gain prominence, attracting the attention of talk show host David Letterman as well as a fan named Joyce Brabner (Davis), who brought to Pekar's life both love and a set of neuroses all her own. This film chronicles Pekar's life through a battle with cancer to an unexpected addition to the family.
Review: One of the remarkable things about "American Splendor" is how real it feels. This being a biopic that might seem like a redundant statement, but it's no secret that a lot of films which profess to be based on actual events often come across as feeling false and fictionalised. "American Splendor", however, is about real people living real lives, enduring the hoary combination of the mundane and the unexpected we all inevitably confront. That grounding in reality owes much to the terrific cast. Giamatti and Davis in particular offer wonderfully nuanced performances, giving a "warts and all" perspective on Pekar and Brabner without turning them into caricatures. But, ironically, what also helps make "American Splendor" feel so real is that way the filmmakers acknowledge its very unreality. Perhaps drawing inspiration from those comic book stories where the scripters and artists write themselves into the action, we actually get to meet the real Pekar and Brabner -- which also affords us an appreciation of just how pitch-perfect the stars' portrayals really are. And Berman and Pulcini have managed to give "American Splendor" a very comic-book-style visual flair without it becoming cumbersome, nicely acknowledging their source material. Like Pekar's comics work, "American Splendor" is both very, very different and very, very good.
Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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