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Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the most acclaimed films of 2003, American Splendor is also one of the most audaciously creative biographical movies ever made. Blending fact, fiction and personal perspective from the comic books that inspired it, this marvellous portrait of Harvey Pekar--scowling curmudgeon, brow-beaten everyman, insightful chronicler of his own life, and frustrated file clerk at a Cleveland VA hospital--is an inspired amalgam of the media (comic books, TV, and film) that lifted Pekar from obscurity to the status of a pop-cultural icon. As played by Paul Giamatti in a master-stroke of casting, we see Pekar and his understanding wife (played by Hope Davis) as underdogs in a world full of obstacles, yet also infused with subtle hope and (gasp) heartwarming perseverance. We also see the real Pekar and this multi-faceted commingling of "reel" and "real" turns American Splendor into a uniquely cinematic celebration of Pekar's life and, by extension, the tenacity of an unlikely American hero. --Jeff Shannon
Special Features
- Introductions to DVD extras by Harvey Pekar
- Group Audio Commentary with Directors, cast & Harvey Pekar
- Harvey at the BBC: Interview with Harvey Pekar
- Featurette: Sundance Channel's Road to Splendor
- Behind the Scenes: mini-featurettes on characterization, title sequence and Robert Crumb
- Trailers
DVD Technical Information:
- Running Time: 96 minutes
- Region Code: 2
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I loved it, showed it to my friends, who also loved it, and then read the comics, which has led me to a whole new genre of good quality writing; on both the ills and highlights of real life. It also includes a healthy dose of sarcasm and to those Brits who say that the Americans lack a sarcastic side, please watch Pekar to prove you utterly wrong.
For those who know the comics, this movie includes Harvey Pekar in the movie and he is even funnier on film than he is in comic-book form. He is ALSO played by Paul Giamatti who seems to have been honing his skills playing a depressive, which he expertly reprises in Sideways. Although I think that Giamatti is actually better in Splendor than he is in Sideways and for those of you who haven't seen him in Duets, I urge you to see it as it is his best role in any movie. If anyone deserves an Oscar, this guy does!
The film covers most of Harvey Pekar's life up until the movie and thus covers highlights of his comic's many years. I feel that it show's the man that I wished Pekar to be and by including interviews with both him and Joyce during the movie (and in the extra's) I hope it at least gave Pekar a voice. Although whether we see the real man is impossible to know as so much is always left out in a 2hr movie.
Overall, the movie made me laugh and is weird enough to be genuinely innovative, especially the comic book format that begins the film, which is so much more effective than the comic-book style used in Ang Lee's "The Hulk".
Here's hoping this movie (and Pekar's comic books) get a wide audience, because they deserve one!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I can't believe that there have been no reviews so far for this excellent movie. Its so audacious in places that I couldn't believe they could get away with it. One scene has the the real life Harvey Pekar and his wife watching the actors playing them watching a dramatised version of his life where other actors play actors playing them. Phew! You don't have to be a comic book fan to watch this and you don't need to be a fan of Harvey Pekars comic books which I confess I've never read. The success of his comic is based I think on his common appeal. Its precisely this appeal that makes American Splendour - the movie, appealing in its own way. Far from being depressing its uplifting,funny and moving and what else can you ask for in a movie?
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film tells the tale of Harvey Pekar, a man disgruntled with the world around him and with unique voice for storytelling, which was put to bizarre use through the chance evolution of his stories into a popular and acclaimed autobiographical comic-book. I had no previous knowledge of Pekar, but the story is told in such an endearing and heartwarming fashion by one of modern cinema's most adaptable actors, Paul Giamatti, that this doesn't matter.
The film itself is short enough to not feel procrastinated and suitably stylish to do the comic-books justice, something which must be credited to the creators Berman and Pulcini. The faithfullness doesn't stop there: the themes of the comic-books are carried on throughout the title menues, the plethora of extra features and also the title menus, and they really do engage the viewer from the moment the disc is loaded. It is an example of a production studio using every tool to hand to convey the effort put in to the project from start to finish, and something which could teach the big studios the benefits of avoiding laziness.
This is not a film that will appeal to everyone, but to those with an eye for great storytelling that can be both hilarious and tragic in equal measures, then this film is a must see. Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis are in their element throughout, and ensure this film truly is an overlooked gem.
The film itself is short enough to not feel procrastinated and suitably stylish to do the comic-books justice, something which must be credited to the creators Berman and Pulcini. The faithfullness doesn't stop there: the themes of the comic-books are carried on throughout the title menues, the plethora of extra features and also the title menus, and they really do engage the viewer from the moment the disc is loaded. It is an example of a production studio using every tool to hand to convey the effort put in to the project from start to finish, and something which could teach the big studios the benefits of avoiding laziness.
This is not a film that will appeal to everyone, but to those with an eye for great storytelling that can be both hilarious and tragic in equal measures, then this film is a must see. Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis are in their element throughout, and ensure this film truly is an overlooked gem.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Really funny film
Had no idea what to expect from the film but was very glad I bought it:offbeat, funny and humane. It showed a side to American social life that I hadn't seen depicted much before:... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Dave Bee
The Splendour of Banality. Or something like that
Based on the life of Harvey Pekar, American Splendour is an extremely unorthodox film about an extremely unorthodox person. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Gigoer
original, funny, banal, pathetic, and uplifting
I was given a copy of Pekar's first anthology in 1985, and I read it so many times I practically memorized it. Read more
Published 8 months ago by rob crawford
A classic but sadly overlooked. Buy, steal or hire it.
I am a avid comics fan but have never been into the alternative underground comiz fad. I knew of Harvey Peckar and had seen his drawings but they didn't appeal. Read more
Published on 27 July 2008 by Graham
Drugs could help do you think
They pulled of an almost challenge; to make a fascinating film about a terminally boring individual. Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2007 by Jay Zee
good movie
I loved this movie and didnt know much about the comic. It was really cool, funny and moving
Published on 16 Aug 2005 by Russell LEAK
Very interesting and funny film!
Paul Giamatti is really really good in this film! He nails the part right on; it's a great story, and the film is really funny. Read more
Published on 19 April 2005 by "averisa"
Spledid biopic
2004 hit the ground running with this inspired biography that says turn to these comics for a taste of real American life and goes on to define just what's real. Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2004 by Stephen Newton
Excellent
I can't believe that there have been no reviews so far for this excellent movie. Its so audacious in places that I couldn't believe they could get away with it. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2004 by moonmoth
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