As promised here it comes, the American Splendor review.
Harvey Pekar is a nobody, he said it himself, who thought he could write
comic books inspired by his own life. At first this does not sound like a good
match but ,unless “you’re the kind of
person looking for romance or escapism or some fantasy figure to save the day”,
there might be something for you in this film. Otherwise “guess what? You’ve got the wrong movie”. Once again that’s Pekar
himself who is advising you.
American Splendor is a series of comic books written by the aforementioned Harvey Pekar which
were then illustrated by other artists like Robert Crumb since Harvey couldn’t
draw a straight line. The first number was published in 1976 because Pekar was
sick of the formulaic comic stories and so he turned himself into a comic hero
but with no idealised sh*t. “Ordinary
life is pretty complex stuff”.
2003 was the year his comics were adapted to the big screen with some pretty
good reviews. Peter Rainer got it completely right when he stated that “it would be a mistake to regard American Splendor as an anthem forthe common man. It is the uncommonthat is being celebrated here”. Harvey is a one of a kind character with a
somehow self-destructive aura combined with unshakable conviction and an
endless passion for his jazz records and books collection.
As for Paul Giamatti’s performance, it is unbelievable. The way he mimics
Harvey’s voice and body language is stunning.
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