Review of Ghost World (2001) by Japheth R — 16 Dec 2010

The 2001 adaptation of Daniel Clowe's acclaimed comic book of the same name accomplishes something I wish more comic book adaptations attempted to do: respecting the source material and going in a different creative direction that contributes as much as it borrows. Zwifoff's Ghost World is LIKE the comic book, thanks largely to Clowes' involvement in the film as script writer. There are familiar scenes, familiar characters, familiar tone and themes, but there are slight alterations that allow the adaptation be a movie and not simply a retreading of the comic.

Buschemi's Seymour, a frighteningly relateable character, is a composite of two very minor characters in the book and is handled effectively to help tell a more cohesive story while still remaining remarkably true to the book. The addition of the summer art class (granted, the teacher is from Clowes' other comic, Art School Confidential) and a few random original characters and scenes help move the story along - since this isn't a story someone can just read at their own pace from panel to panel, page to page - and still FEEL like they are a part of the world Clowes had created some years ago in his comic; new, yet familiar. My only issue was the mishandling of Josh, but that's a minor thing.

Birch and Johansson seem to encapsulate Enid and Rebecca's teenage indifference as portrayed in the comic. Cynicism, sarcasm, apathy, and boredom seem to be the only emotions they're able to consistently communicate in the comic, which makes the more intimate and empathetic moments that more important, and this is translated effortlessly on to the screen.

While the ending isn't nearly as bittersweet as the comic, the film is still easily one of the better comic book adaptations Hollywood has done in a while and stands as a testament that comics can be a solid source of inspiration if handled with enough care and competence.