Books, Movies, Music & Entertainment - American Splendor

A new favorite of mine, a semi-documentary about Harvey Pekar. Anyone who has been introduced to Pekar via the comics he began writing in the '70s through his association with Robert Crumb should find much to appreciate here. I've only read a compendium of the comics illustrated by Crumb but am now itching to find them all (subsequent issues were illustrated by other artists). Pekar as his own character, a work-a-day slob in a dead-end file clerk job at a VA hospital in Cleveland, is a fascinating guy and perhaps the most sympathetic anti-hero I've ever discovered.

Terrific film. By the end of it you may not love Harvey, but you may very well be captivated by him.

Make it a triple feature! Find Terry Zwigoff's documentary Crumb and his feature film Ghost World, sit back with a bag of Cheetos and enjoy life.

This docu-drama is one of my new favorites.

"Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff"

A very good movie. Even if you don't read comics.

Find Terry Zwigoff's documentary Crumb .....

This is an absolutely fine film. Disturbing stuff in it, really disturbing, especially the string-swallowing brother, but a masterwork.

American Splendor probably won't be to everyone's taste, but I loved it. I like the way it plays between "reality", the movie and the comix. Judah Friedlander's dead-on portrayal of Toby Radloff is astounding. The "Who is Harvey Pekar" monologue is worth the price of a rental. And I was impressed with the director's use of framing and camera angles to visually suggest the style of a comic book.

Good flick.

Great movie

I must check that out. 'Crumb' was a terrific film - oddly inspiring.