American Splendor
Few people have led more banal lives than file clerk Harvey
Pekar but that didn’t stop him from sharing. Inspired by the underground comics
movement of the mid-’70s and his close friend, illustrator R. Crumb, Pekar began
writing vignettes about his life: conversations with a co-worker, his fight
with his partner, his allergies. He told his tales in “American Splendor,” a
comic book that gained a devoted fan base and was embraced by literary critics.
Even David Letterman was intrigued, inviting Pekar for several appearances.
Documentary filmmakers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini took on the
task of adapting Pekar’s tales for the big screen and the result is one of the
most innovative and introspective films of the year. American Splendor
recreates Pekar’s trials and tribulations adapting the format of Pekar’s comic
book while simultaneously using archival footage, standard bio-pic recreations,
interview segments with Pekar and his partner Joyce Brabner and a narrative
twist that shatters all illusions about how film biographies can be told.
The plot of American Splendor? Not much happens in a standard narrative
sense and yet the events that occur to Pekar are highly dramatic and moving.
As he is fond of saying, “Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff” — and he should
know. Failed relationships, battles with depression, the drudgery of work, the
promise of new love and a bout with cancer make up the life and times of Harvey
Pekar and it is drama of the highest order because of its genuine nature.
Hope Davis and Paul Giamatti provide marvelous portraits of Brabner and Pekar,
capturing the nuances of their characters to perfection, something we can gauge
when we see their real-life counterparts on screen. Davis conveys Joyce’s compassion
for her husband and does a fine job during the film’s lighter moments. And Giamatti
taps into Pekar’s humanity and giving voice to his simple hopes and dreams.
What other critics are
saying…
Cold Creek Manor A
couple buys a house with an evil past. “The only things haunting this movie
are cliches.” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) “Emphasizes character and
psychology over plot.” (Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times) Chuck’s grade:
B. ShowPlace West
The Fighting Temptations. An unethical exec must
assemble a gospel choir to receive an inheritance.”Exuberant musical numbers
and comic characters bolster the film’s time-honored premise.” (Sheri Linden,
Hollywood Reporter) Chuck’s grade: C. ShowPlace East
Good Boy!An
intergalatic dog from the dog star Sirius visits Earth to verify the rumors
that dogs have failed to take over the planet “Occasional laughs try hard but
can’t salvage the tired storyline and pat conclusion.” (Jeanne Aufmuth, Palo
Alto Weekly). ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
The House of the Dead Teens arrive on an island
for a rave — only to discover the island has been taken over by zombies. They
try to survive the night. Parkway Pointe
Intolerable Cruelty A revenge-seeking gold digger
(Catherine Zeta-Jones) marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer (George Clooney)
with the intention of making a killing in the divorce. Directed by Joel and
Ethan Coen. “A thoroughly entertaining comedy about love, lawyers and fat divorce
settlements.” (David Rooney, Variety). Parkway Pointe, ShowPlace East
Kill Bill: Volume 1 A female assassin (Uma Thurman)
attacked on her wedding day by her group leader, Bill (David Carradine), wakes
up from a coma and seeks revenge. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. “This is the
ultimate movie for kung-fu drive-in geeks.” (Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper). ShowPlace East, ShowPlace West
The Magdalene Sisters Set in Ireland in the ’60s,
four women are given into the custody of the Madgalene sisterhood asylum to
correct their “sinful” behavior. The women work in the laundry under the supervision
of sadistic nuns. “A harrowing look at institutional cruelty.” (Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times). Parkway Pointe
The Rundown LA street toughs must travel to Brazil
to clean up some underworld business. “The wildly asinine crack-up derby that
XXX should have been.” (Scott Brown, Entertainment Weekly) ShowPlace
West
School of Rock Jack Black gets kicked out of a
band and starts substitute teaching. “Funnyman Jack Black was born for this
role.” (Jeanne Aufmuth, Palo Alto Weekly) ShowPlace West, ShowPlace
East
The Secret Lives of Dentists A dentist has a strange
dream that blurs the boundaries between fantasy and reality. “A compassionate
view of marriage and its stressors. But the filmmaker and actors do their jobs
only too well. Watching Secret Lives can be as uncomfortable as sitting
in the dentist’s chair.” (Jami Bernard, New
York Daily News) Parkway Pointe
Under the Tuscan Sun An American writer battles
writer’s block by moving to Italy. “It purports to make love all over us, but
not without laying down lots of paper towels first.” (Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com)
“It may be a fairy tale, but it’s one worth believing in.” (Terry Lawson, Detroit
Free Press) ShowPlace West
Underworld Female vampire movie with a little Matrix
thrown in. “It takes a premise that should have made for primo goth froth
. . . and renders it (forgive me) bloodless, even when the corn syrup flows
by the gallon.” (Alex Pappademas, Village Voice) Parkway Pointe
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2003.
