- Release Date: 2003
- Runtime: 101 min
- Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
- Starring: Chris Ambrose, Joey Krajcar, Josh Hutcherson, Cameron Carter ... see all
- Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
- Plot: Harvey Pekar is file clerk at the local VA hospital. His interactions with his co-workers offer some relief from the monotony, and their discussions encompass everything from music to the... Read more
User Reviews
Not for everybody...
Aug 22, 2008
stanthejeep - yahoo.com
Aug 22, 2008stanthejeep - yahoo.com
But some will really enjoy it! I am now lenghtening mt review because yahoo automatically tells me I have to... take care... and remember to brush your teeth.... Full review
Really good but kinda factitious
Dec 23, 2007
zhuomk - yahoo.com
Dec 23, 2007zhuomk - yahoo.com
It's a good movie. Paul looks like Mr.Simpson! Cartoon-like face and acting. hehe,the director picked a good character. However,I somehow feel that both the movie and actor are kinda of factitious and arty but not really artistic. I'm not criticizing it... Full review
American Splendid
Aug 13, 2007
iamnarc - yahoo.com
Aug 13, 2007iamnarc - yahoo.com
This to me was the most ambitious film of 2003. It was very original. Originality is very important to me when you consider hollywood is filled with lots of unoriginal clones of crap.This film was a mixture of dockumentary and biopic.... Full review
Nerdo-O-Rama
Aug 13, 2007
tiggerandtaz2000 - yahoo.com
Aug 13, 2007tiggerandtaz2000 - yahoo.com
This movie is watchable. I don't know why, but it is. I guess part of it is because nerds are fun to laugh at. Whatever the case, it's worth a look.... Full review
Brilliant and also very funny!
Jul 10, 2007
film_fan_484 - yahoo.com
Jul 10, 2007film_fan_484 - yahoo.com
American Splendor tells the true life story of Harvey Pekar who was a file clerk who made comics about his own life. He didn't draw them but he had a friend of his draw them since he was not that great... Full review
Quirky Enjoyable Film.
Jun 27, 2006
crumping - yahoo.com
Jun 27, 2006crumping - yahoo.com
If you like different quirky movies, this ones for you. Paul Giamatti is good as Harvey Pekar and this is part bio, part documentary. Don't go if you expect the same old crap they throw at the screen today. The movie... Full review
One of the best docu-comedy-dramas.
Jun 09, 2006
southlabrea - yahoo.com
Jun 09, 2006southlabrea - yahoo.com
A dark, but funny look at the larger slice of American life that is sandwiched between LA and New York.... Full review
Great Comic Book Movie
Mar 09, 2006
eavery92 - yahoo.com
Mar 09, 2006eavery92 - yahoo.com
This movie American Splendor is great. It has great special effects and acting. The movie was funny at some parts,but usually a real life movie about every day life. This movie is about a man named Harvey Pekar(Paul Giamatti)who is really... Full review
Fascinating Wackos
Nov 15, 2005
ccthemovieman-1 - imdb.com
Nov 15, 2005ccthemovieman-1 - imdb.com
I guess I am sucker for biographies of weird people. This certainly qualifies for that.What makes this film different from others is the combination of fictional and real people playing the two main characters: Harvey and Joyce Pekar. For most... Full review
Excellent!
May 30, 2005
shadowfactz - yahoo.com
May 30, 2005shadowfactz - yahoo.com
Have always been a fan of R. Crumb and various underground comix of the 60's and 70's. Didn't know much about Harvey Pekar but found the film fascinating. Went out and bought the American Splendor compilations and was amazed at how... Full review
Critics Reviews
| Jun 21, 2009Urban Cinefile
Don't worry, while there are abundant complexities, the film is confusing in a stimulating way....we intuitively discover things, while listening to a great soundtrack.....Yet it does confront a man's many moments of despair.....Besides, the laid back jazz score offers an enticing backdrop on this unexpected ride of insanity..... ... Full Review
| Sep 04, 2008Urban Cinefile
American Splendor is the true story of the man most unlikely to succeed, who uses his everyday life and experiences as fuel for the narrative of his comic books.
Two bad marriages behind him (we only get a glimpse of the last moments of the second), Harvey is a sad basket case and this is the glue that holds our interest.
... Full Review
| Sep 21, 2007associatedcontent.com
American Splendor is a Brilliant Adapation of Harvey Pekar's Work....Giamatti has the extra burden of having Harvey appear in the movie alongside him.....I have enjoyed Paul Giamatti since Private Parts and once again he delivers an amazing performance.....They are both character actors with star talent, who cast aside ego and dive right into their parts, not caring how they appear....This is another ingenious storytelling element.... ... Full Review
| Apr 29, 2005Bigpicturebigsound.com, NY
Splendor" is an unconventional movie.....the wonder of the film....the best performances.... ... Full Review
| Dec 20, 2004The Onion A.V. Club
Harvey Pekar's working-class, ordinary-palooka autobiographical comic American Splendor has been earning enthusiastic critical acclaim for decades without scoring much mainstream popularity.
He came closest in 2003, through Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's innovative film version of his work: Part biopic, part comics adaptation, and part narrative experiment, American Splendor sparked an wave of interest that carried Pekar around the world for publicity appearances and conventions.
... Full Review
News
Women Directors Rule Toronto Film Fest
film.com –
2009-09-15
Book Roundup: Graphic titles
usatoday.com –
2009-09-09
Josh Neufeld, a longtime artist for comic artist Harvey Pekar 's American Splendor series, spent three weeks as a Red Cross volunteer in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. ... Full Article
Slice of life
buffalonews.com –
2009-03-27
Lost: Four Video Clips from "Namaste"
buddytv.com –
2009-03-18
After taking last week off, Lost returns tonight at 9pm on ABC with a brand new episode, "Namaste." The last time we saw the Island, Sawyer and Jin met up with Jack, Kate and Hurley after spending three years living... ... Full Article
Harvey Pekar, opera star?
ew.com –
2009-01-31
Sam Kinison Biography To Be Scripted For HBO By AMERICAN SPLENDOR Movie Masterminds!!
aintitcool.com –
2008-11-18
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the duo behind the big-screen version of "American Splendor," are adapting for HBO "Brother Sam," a biography of hard-living maverick comedian Sam Kinison written by his brother Bill. ... Full Article



