Review of American Splendor (2003) by Bryan E. W — 28 Sep 2008

A humbled rumination on the prospects of a hero and a celebration of the everyday man, American Splendor is a sweetly bleak tale of life at a simple, base level. For what can be easily perceived as cynical through its drab quirks moulds itself into a form of understanding - Harvey Pekar is the everyman with ideas so relatable, and emotions so palpable. He's a strange man, who's life is more blurred between his comic persona and his real self than he would like to let on, but his unique imagination and outlooks make for film matter that is intriguing on both a thematic and stylistic level.

We are constantly thrust into questions and comparisons. Not only are we relating the real Pekar to Giamatti's portrayal, but we are comparing the documenting of reality with the paintings of the fiction - or what could be considered the other way around. Giamatti's scenes are gritty and drab, while Pekar's are finely pencilled and polished - almost surreal. We witness the character of Pekar in his evolution into the real picture - a shining light of unique substance at the end of what was a very - ordinary - life. But nevertheless, it's an ordinary life that makes for an insightful and strangely captivating film.