American Splendor
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis
Written and Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)

For this review, I thought I would do something a little different.

See, normally, it's just me writing it, sitting alone, and drinking rum and rums to my hearts content. However, this time, Mrs. Naked watched the movie with me, and since she liked it as much as I did, she wanted to make sure that when I reviewed it, I didn't - as she so succinctly put it - "fuck it up". So, as a guest editor, I present the lovely and talented Mrs. Naked!

(Thanks, honey. Now make with the review, already. Jeez...80 words in and you're already rambling! -Mrs.N)

What have I done?

Okay, so the movie here is "American Splendor". It's one of those movies you probably heard about last year, but never saw. And it's a shame, too, because you missed a treat. This could be one of the most original movies made in the last 10 years...and because it's smart and funny and original, it stands to reason that "2 Fast 2 Furious" made tens of millions more at the box office. So the next time you complain that movies suck, just remember that we (society) asked for it.

The movie is really, at its core, about "underground" culture. Now, when I say "underground" I mean it in the truest sense of the word. These days, "underground" tends to mean "that band that I love that nobody has ever heard of, who will make it big in a few months, at which point I'll complain that they've sold out, even though the music is the same, just because I hate that everybody else likes what I like, so I now have to hate it." For an example of this, pick up ANY "independent" newspaper, take a look at what bands they're raving about, and then pick up another copy 9 months from now. "Underground" is only "cool" when "people" hate it.

But this isn't about that kind of "underground". Because the protagonist here, Harvey Pekar, has NEVER been popular. In fact, that's what his whole shtick is about...not being popular. And, as a result, he became somewhat popular...following me yet?

(No. Get on with it. -Mrs.N)

Heh heh...oh, this is going to be fun.

Harvey is the strange, possibly genius mind behind an underground comic, also called "American Splendor". While everyone else was writing about superheroes, or odd, cultural-revolution-like characters, Harvey wrote about him...Harvey. The entire comic was based more or less around his everyday life. What makes this interesting is that the guy worked as a file clerk in a hospital. In terms of "Interesting lives", this ranks right up there with "M&M proof-reader" and "Janet Jackson wardrobe coordinator."

(Or "unpaid drunken internet movie critic"...hey, this is FUN! -Mrs.N)

Ah, so it's like that, is it "honey"?

As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, he's got kind of a boring life, and on top of that, he's kind of a cranky guy. The opening scene is Harvey as a kid, trick-or-treating, dressed as himself. Since nobody else "gets it", he storms off in a huff and rhetorically asks, "Why does everyone have to be so STUPID?" At this point, I thought to myself "I like this kid!"

(Gee, I can't IMAGINE why. Are you sure you weren't watching your old home movies again? -Mrs.N)

Funny. Very funny.

Soon enough, we see Harvey the adult (Giamatti)...who is a shambling, unkempt, kind of tubby wreck of a man. Also, we meet his good friend Robert Crumb (James Urbaniak). They have a lot in common...dead-end jobs, and passions for comics and rare jazz records. Of course, soon enough, Crumb heads to San Francisco, where he becomes the most legendary underground comic artist of the generation...while Harvey continues to sit back and work as a file clerk, getting angry at normal, everyday stuff and writing jazz reviews in his spare time.

(You read it right...Harvey is an angry, bitter, tubby man in a dead-end job who writes reviews in his spare time...does this sound FAMILIAR to anyone? -Mrs.N)

I'm not even going to dignify that with a comment.

One day, Harvey has an epiphany. He cobbles together some scripts, along with crude stick-figure drawings (He can't even draw a straight line) and eventually shows them to Crumb when he comes to visit. Surprisingly, Crumb loves what Harvey has to say, and offers to illustrate them. Now, to put this in perspective, this is like Steven Spielberg stumbling on your online journal and offering to make a movie out of it.

This is where "American Splendor" is born and, surprisingly, is a counter-culture hit. Harvey, being the crank that he is, never fails to have things to say. He even brings his friends and co-workers into the comic, most notably Toby (Judah Friedlander), a man who is possibly the world's biggest nerd.

But he's still alone...or at least he is until he gets a letter from Joyce (Davis), a comic store owner and fan of his work. The two start talking and develop a sort of long-distance relationship. Finally, Joyce comes to Cleveland to visit Harvey and there's an immediate connection. This is partially because Joyce is kind of a nutcase herself...she's a hypochondriac with more neuroses than a barrelful of Woody Allens...gee, honey, does THIS sound familiar?

(Brave...so very brave when you're hiding behind your column -Mrs.N)

Uh oh. I'm in shit now. Well, let me sum up this portion of the review by saying that between the two of them, they're positively meant for each other, and that you root for them throughout the rest of the movie. They're personality quirks compliment each other to the point where you cannot imagine one without the other. And that sounds VERY familiar to me. There...is that better?

(Nice try, but the buffet's closed now. -Mrs.N)

Damn.

Okay, so you're probably asking yourself WHY I'm hailing this movie as so brilliant. After all, it seems like a regular biopic about a regular guy. But trust me, my friends; this is FAR from a regular movie.

What will grab you first about "American Splendor" is its originality. For starters, it's not narrated by Giamatti...it's narrated by Pekar himself. Pekar also appears extensively in the movie as himself, as do other key characters. These are usually in the "behind-the-scenes" parts...but that doesn't take you out of the film at all. There's one scene that stands out (and I'm not spoiling anything here) where the real-life Harvey and Toby are just chatting around the craft-services table while the ACTORS playing them look on in amazement. This is when it hits you...these guys ARE as unusual as they're being portrayed.

With Pekar and Giamatti, you'd expect it. After all, Pekar is an odd dude, and Giamatti is a brilliant actor. But when you see the "fake" Toby versus the "real" Toby, what initially seems like a caricature becomes a spot-on performance.

Speaking of the acting, it's some of the best you'll see. I've been a fan of Giamatti ever since I saw him as "Pig Vomit" in "Private Parts"...and he's in top form here. As far as I'm concerned, he was robbed of an Oscar nomination, if not the Oscar itself. It's truly brilliant. And Hope Davis as Joyce is almost as good. You see these two together, and it's like they've been acting together their entire lives...you rarely see two actors who work this well together.

There's one more brilliant - or ballsy - thing that the directors do here. They incorporate real-life footage as part of the story. If that's confusing, I'll explain: at one point, the "movie" Harvey is in the green room at the Letterman show. The next thing you know, you're watching the REAL Pekar in his REAL Letterman appearance. Cut back to the green room, and it's Giamatti again. This is nervy...it has the potential of taking you right out of the movie, but instead, it feels even MORE real.

On top of all this, the movie is visually exciting to watch. There's one scene that stands out in my mind, when Harvey first comes up with the idea for "American Splendor". You'll know it when you see it, but it's a wonderful blend of physical comedy and live action juxtaposed with animation. It ain't "Roger Rabbit", but it's effective, funny, and entertaining.

The only minor problem I have with the DVD is the fact that I wanted more. A nice documentary about the life of Harvey, and some of the other characters in his life, would have been nice. But, since that's not there, I may just have to go hunt down issues of the comic. There are a couple of nice featurettes about the movie itself, though, as well as a comic by Pekar himself called "My Movie Year", which is a fun read. One other minor thing...the menus are great, especially the Special Features menu. It's a little thing, but it's fun.

If you're going to rent - or buy - one DVD this month that ISN'T "Lost In Translation", this is the one to get. It's original, it's exciting, and it's brilliant in many different ways. If you like quirky, original films, this is one to check out. And, if you're not sure, I'll put it this way...if you liked "Ed Wood", you'll like "American Splendor." And that, from me, is high praise indeed.

One other thing...that comment Mrs. Naked made earlier, about me being brave when I'm hiding behind my column? That's just Mrs. Naked being funny. I'd say the same things to her in person. In fact...

(Don't do it, honey... -Mrs.N)

Whoops.

Gotta go.