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Photo © New Line Cinema
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American Splendor
Drama
1 hr. 40 min.
August 15, 2003
R for language
New Line Cinema
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Starring: Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis
Directed By: Shari Springer Berman
Produced By: Ted Hope
Screenplay By: Shari Springer Berman and Bob Pulcini
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Reviewed
By: Wellington Lee
Rated 2.8/5
American Splendor chronicles what is happening right now to a friend or in a
neighborhood near you: a mundane life of boring work to pay the bills, loneliness and
weird people that we must navigate through most days.
But wait! Put this banality in the light of true irreverent and uproarious humor
through the autobiographical eyes of comic book legend Harvey Pekkar, and you get
an original, 4 star comedy that renders the banal bright and engaging.
Copious Producer Ted Hope("In the Bedroom" '01)picked the unknown married team
of Robert Pulcini and Shari Berman to write a screenplay and direct Splendor. Their
flick chronicles the personal life and to a less degree the professional life of Cleveland
comic book author: Harvey Pekkar(Paul Giamatti: "Confidence" '03). Pekkar is the
archtypical neurotic, grouchy, yard sale addict and hoarder who writes and
designs(stick figures)comics about his day to day life and experiences. Some people
see shrinks or now take designer mood enhancing/anxiety relieving drugs. Harvey
works out his everyday life stresses and failures through his comics.
Ne´ in and Cleveland Ohio raised, and a contemporary of fellow comic book author
and illustrator Robert Crumb(documentary: "Crumb"'95). Harvey stayed in Cleveland
with his love/hate daily life relationship and bread and butter Veterans Administration
file clerk job, while Crumb 'escaped' West to San Francisco and notoriety. Pekkar on
Crumb:"Yeah, he got sick of the whole Greeting Card(writer/illustrator)business and
moved to San Francisco..got the whole underground comic book thing started."
The film is structured as a 'quasi' documentary with frequent cuts to live studio
interviews/comments by the deadpan yet irreverent Pekkar. He is joined by his
longtime 3rd wife Joyce Brabner(feature portion portrayal:Hope Davis "About
Schmidt"'02; "Joe Gold's Secret" '00). Devasted by his 2nd wife's abandonment
despite chronic hoarseness that Dr.'s cannot remedy, he starts a letter writing then
telephone courtship with Joyce(H.Davis). She has been buying his comics for her own
out of town store. When she arrives at the Cleveland Greyhound station for her first
visit, Harvey's blurts out:"Before we get started with this, you'd better know right off
the bat that I had a vasectomy!"
The hilarious lines do not stop there. Joyce's retort later: "I have a lot of eating
disorders that keep me from eating politically(correct)".
The duo marry quickly and share Pekkar's cluttered house. Much light is made of
Joyce's pop psychology knowledge and vocabulary:Joyce to Harvey: "You are the
poster child for the DSM 111 !"( psychiatric diagnostic manual). Joyce laments and
becomes depressed about their lack of children. Harvey balks about vasectomy
reversal, and Joyce travels to the Middle East to work with children. When Joyce
works with the illustrator to Pekkar's anthology, she forms a bond with his daughter.
She comes to live with them and satisfies Joyce's longing
to be a mother.
Pekkar gets a call from David Letterman's producer about appearing on the show.
Harvey's comics about his quirky Cleveland life and friends fit the eclectic
format.
He's invited back several times for just dressing and being himself, ignoring Joyce's
attempts to polish his image. His 'proud to be a nerd' friend Toby Badloff gets a
Letterman shot and later stars in a Rock video, as, what else, himself(archived
footage)! An authentic nerd!
Harvey finds a scrotal lump and fights the serious battle of cancer. All of his
chemotherapy treatments and experiences are 'released' and chronicled in new
comics.
Documentary collaborators("Off The Menu…Chasen's"'02) Springer and Pulcini
capture the fascination of neurotic, compulsive genius, coupled with everyday
routines and give it to us in a clever, engaging structure. Pekkar is quintessential
Americana without the hype. What cult populist would insist on filming his own V.A.
records room retirement party!? And if he is marketing himself at times, it is so
quirky and arcane to be droll. |
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