Review of Ghost World (2001) by Jaha M — 21 Feb 2012
"I can't relate to 99% of humanity.".
Enid and Rebecca are social outsiders who, after graduating from high school, play a mean prank on a middle-aged geek.
REVIEW.
A really terrific female coming-of-age film that stars Thora Birch (fresh off "American Beauty") and newcomer (at the time) Scarlett Johannson as two high school friends who discover that the ties that bind when you're sixteen don't necessarily translate to the adult world. Both girls relish their dead-pan, us-against-the-world senses of humor and their shared belief that everyone but them is dumb or square or both. But tensions arise when Johannson gets a job, starts thinking about her future and matures generally, while Birch begins to feel more and more stuck, still mad at the world but increasingly bothered by the fact that she doesn't have a place in it. The thing I liked most about the film is that it doesn't pass judgement on either girl. It doesn't try to make us dislike Johannson for "selling out" and it doesn't make a hero out of Birch for her alternative chic. Instead, it addresses frankly the tricky job of developing an adult personality whether or not you're ready to do so. Steve Buscemi does nice work as a middle-aged geek whom the girls are a little too quick to label.
This review of Ghost World (2001) was written by Jaha M on 21 Feb 2012.
Ghost World has generally received very positive reviews.
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