Review of American Splendor (2003) by Maud J — 07 Jul 2011

This is a charming little gem of a film. Fragmented with documentary features and ably dramatised and performed by crew and cast, Splendor follows the intriguing life of Harvey Pekar, a renowned comic-book writer with a less-than-caring attitude about the world.

I found myself drawn in to this guy's story (no pun intended) mainly because Giamatti is an engaging actor, but also because Pekar himself who frequently appears is equally engaging as a real-life character.

He makes a lot of credible points and through his comics made a necessary off-beat commentary on life and all it's downfalls. The way in which he lambasts Letterman live on TV after making several previous appearances where he was made out to be nothing more than a 'comic-book' character, made an astonishing impression on me.

This guy was not going to be exploited, even with all his flaws on view. There's a remarkable contrast here with Crumb, who drew some of his earlier comics (see review of that film). He's much more likable and that's what this film is - likable.

..and funny too.