Review of American Splendor (2003) by Cord M — 29 Nov 2018

Perhaps one of the most criminally overlooked films of the 2000's, American Splendor surrounds the real-life story of file clerk by day and underground comic book creator by night: Harvey Pekar. Fictionally portrayed by Paul Giamatti (with real narration and interviews by Pekar himself cut between), the film captures the essence of a working class artist (Pekar) who wants comic books to illustrate the real life he experiences in Cleveland day-to-day, brushing elbows with heavy hitters in the underground comic industry like Robert Crumb along the way.

What sets American Splendor apart from typical Hollywood biopics is the absence of gaudiness and grandiose set pieces often breathing within films of more well-known celebrities. There is a noticeable absence of Oscar-baiting, and it suits the story of Harvey Pekar quite brilliantly since he's an artist, yet always an unapologetic, normal guy at heart.

The film's adherence to blunt realism in its storytelling-even having the film itself tiptoeing into the meta with real-life Pekar criticizing the film within itself-grounds the narrative and creates an authentic tone.

This authenticity serves as a wonderful companion piece to Pekar's autobiographical comics that focus on neo-realism rather than spandex-wearing supermen. The leap to make comics about ordinary life not only established Pekar as a visionary for the medium, but also attracted new voices and respect for comics as a non-fiction art form.

Harvey is a man who doesn't need nor want fame, strongly resisting the entertainment industry machine that sees him as the butt of a joke, and instead sticks to his roots despite offers to sell out.

The film is in sync with his principles.