Rating: 
Summary: A splendid film about the transfiguration of everyday life
Review: I have to admit with some shame that prior to this movie, I did not know who Harvey Pekar was. But that did not in the least limit my ability to enjoy this movie, which was one of the most interesting that I have seen in a long time. The theme of the movie as a whole is brilliantly summed up in the first few seconds of the film. Several boys go up to a house on Halloween, all of them costumed as Super Heroes except for one boy, who is dressed up merely as himself: Harvey Pekar. The movie as a whole is about Pekar's attempt to tell his own mundane, dull, and disappointing life in a comic book. Instead of a comic book about super heroes, he envisioned a comic book about himself, a file clerk at the Veterans Hospital in Cleveland. The movie tells the story of Pekar's life in varying degree of details, highlighting his meeting R. Crumb in the 1960s and Crumb's inspiring him to start a comic, despite his inability to draw. By taking incidents from his own life, involving his friends and colleagues, designing the frames of the comics, and then hiring artists to illustrate his stories (many by Crumb himself), Pekar manages to create something unique, funny, and, in its own strange way, triumphant and beautiful. The film implies that we can all be the heroes of our own story. Not much happens in the film, but it manages to be riveting despite this. The big events in the narrative are Pekar's meeting R. Crumb, his decision to write his own comic, meeting his wife, a series of guest appearances in the late 1980s on the Dave Letterman Show, and his bout with cancer. Throughout this, there is no attempt to make Pekar look better than he is. He is depicted as physically unattractive, a bit weird, a chronic underachiever, more than a little neurotic, and extremely self-absorbed. But despite all this, there is an honesty in looking at his life and depicting it pretty much as it is, warts and all. The way he deals with everything with an indefatigable sense of humor and his determination to do something to give his life a focus and a purpose is heroic in a very real and concrete way, as opposed to the fake, fictional heroism of Superman, Batman, or the Green Lantern. It would be difficult to overpraise Paul Giamatti in playing Harvey Pekar or Hope Davis in playing Joyce Brabner, the woman who marries Pekar. Both the real Pekar and the real Brabner appear on camera as well, as do most of the real life models for Pekar's characters. In fact, the way the movie narrative flows seamlessly between real life individuals, to actors, to comic book depictions is one of the strong points of the film. In one scene, the Paul Giamatti playing Pekar and Judah Friedlander playing Pekar's friend (and minor MTV celebrity) Toby Radloff are onscreen while the real Harvey Pekar and Toby Radloff have a conversation. In another part of the film, Hope Davis and Paul Giamatti are supposedly backstage at the Dave Letterman show, but when Giamatti as Pekar exits to go onstage with Letterman, it cuts to footage of the real Pekar being interviewed by Letterman. I was reminded of the famous Margritte painting, where he has a painting of a pipe with the words "This is not a pipe" underneath. By moving from the real Pekar to an actor playing him, it is a way of saying "This is not Harvey Pekar" whenever Giamatti is onscreen. Moreover, it intimates that Giamatti is a cinematic equivalent of the various Pekars drawn in the comic books. This is a great movie, and one that I hope gets the attention that it deserves. It is very different than the movie CRUMB, but I imagine that it will especially appeal to those who enjoyed that strange but fascinating documentary.
Rating:
Summary: From Someone Who Knows Mr. Pekar
Review: I'm a Clevelander, and I'm friends with Mr. Pekar. Harvey is a great guy. This movie captured a portion of Harvey's life, but I don't know if any movie, no matter who stars in it, could actually capture Harvey as he really is. The movie left out Harvey's studdered anger, and his depressed gaze. When Harvey ate at a restaraunt with me before this movie opened, someone came up to him and asked for his autograph. Right when he was asked that, he stood up, shook the hand of the person asking for his autograph, signed the piece of paper, and then tore it in two. "There, I wasted some money." He laughed and I didn't truly know what to do. But Harvey and I are friends and I think that this movie captures him very well. But no one, not even Paul G, could really portray this wonderful man like he truly is. I love Harvey. And I love this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Crumb + Ghost World = American Splendor
Review: One of the most highly anticipated films at this year's film festivals, American Splendor sure didn't disappoint. I really liked its part-biopic, part-documentary approach, and it reminded me a lot of Crumb and Ghost World with its wacky characters and funny dialogues. I've never been a big fan of Paul Giamatti and his tendency to overact, but he hits all the right notes in this film, and while combining live-action with cartoon/animation is hardly a groundbreaking technique in today's cinema, it works extremely well here. I felt the 2nd half was a little scattered though.
Rating:
Summary: From the streets of Cleveland comes...
Review: ...one of the best films about This American Life in recent memory. Directors Shari Berman and Robert Pulcini pull off a real hat trick with art imitating life imitating a comic strip that imitates life (!). The autobiographical story of sullen file clerk/philosopher Harvey Pekar, living his insular life of "quiet desperation" (even after "making it" as a contemporary of R.Crumb in the underground comic world and becoming a minor cult celebrity on "David Letterman" during the 80's) may sound a bit dry but makes for a compelling biopic. The film benefits from an amazing performance from the under-used Paul Giamatti, who absolutely nails the character (especially evident in several inspired set-pieces that feature the real-life Pekar on-screen with the actor). An unrecognizable Hope Davis is also excellent as Pekar's eccentric wife. The filmmakers keep the visual aspects fresh and engaging with deft and clever mixed-media techniques. Despite the general tone of dark comedy projected through Pekar's somewhat misanthropic world view, the film is ultimately life-affirming and genuinely moving at times. Although it helps if you've read underground comics, and/or seen and appreciated the films "Crumb" and "Ghost World", I can't imagine anyone having a bad time hanging out with Harvey and friends for 100 minutes. A rare commodity these days: a perfect film in every way.
Rating:
Summary: Who is Harvey Pekar?
Review: I never heard of Harvey Pekar or "American Splendor" before this movie, even though I've been a regular at a well-stocked comic book shop for a decade. But, now, I find Pekar to be a fellow traveller. "American Splendor" tells you right up front, this isn't a happy, feel good, fantasy movie. It's a tale of a really homely, depressing, sloppy, and all-around dysfunctional dude working a dead-end job as a file clerk at a VA hospital. He's as about as faceless as you can get. He makes a timely friendship with budding underground comic artist Robert Crumb (who I HAD heard of), and publishes a comic based on his own life, and it becomes an underground hit. You watch him develop a relationship and marriage with Joyce, a comic shop owner who writes to him for an issue she missed. The chapters on their first date and marriage were a trip, describing her ability to self-diagnosis all her ailments and political food allergies. Having not known about the individual before the movie, I can't speak to the accuracy to real life or the comic, but you can believe I'll be looking for "American Splendor" at my next trip to my local graphic novel distributor.
Rating: 
Summary: The Great American Movie?
Review: Dont get me wrong, I've always like the Pekar comics and it's interesting in that respect, it's the story of him and a remake of some of his best works. The problem is that folks have never heard of Pekar loathe this movie. Some of the movie execution is fairly weak but I expect that from an indie movie.
Rating:
Summary: I have 2 words: PAUL GIAMATTI
Review: I'd seen Paul Giamatti around before, mostly in stinkers like "Big Fat Liar", he never gets the roles or attention he deserves. And I'll admit was NEVER impressed with him anyways, but the reason I got this movie, mostly, was because I heard he gave such a great performance.... And well, they were right!!! This movie is about the life of Harvey Pekar, as based on his comic series "American Splendor" which was based from his life. It includes interviews with the real Harvey Pekar and other people that are portrayed in the film as well, like his wife and co-workers. I find it interesting how such an ordinary guy cannot only have not only a sucessful comic book series, but this movie as well. Which is pretty impressive for anybody :D. It was fun to watch Paul Giamatti, I mean he really had Harvey down to-a-T. He not only gets his mannerism and voice, but his emotions as well. He portrays him as a person and not just a character. :D Hope Davis was wonderful as usual, and so was everyone else in this movie. I say, anyone who think their life sucks should watch this. And, hey, anyone who likes to watch good movies with good acting too. :D The acting really elevates this film. Wonderful. God Bless & *enjoy* ~Amy
Rating:
Summary: It's a wonderful life
Review: Disgruntled file clerk and social misfit Harvey Pekar (Paul Giamatti) lucks into a degree of fame, if not fortune, when underground comics legend Robert Crumb (James Urbaniak) collaborates with him on a comic about his life. Pekar lives in a state of existential misery, desperately lonely and angry about his outsider status. His comics, though, make him a kind of hero to average suffering folks and even bring him a little family by the end of the film (his wife, Joyce Brabner, is wonderfully played by Hope Davis). We are left with the sense that life never has and never will be smooth sailing for Pekar, but the struggle has its own worth and nobility and, in the end, will bring you more than mere surrender ever will. This may be a rather sweet, conventional message for a film that aims to be so subversive and counter-cultural, but it is reassuring all the same. Writer/directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini employ a mix of animation, documentary and bio-pic conventions to relate their story, with varying degrees of success. Showing excerpts of Harvey's actual appearances on the David Letterman Show instead of recreating them with actors is a stroke of genius and I appreciated the unapologetic, direct way these sequences were handled: we see Paul Giamatti waiting in the wings, followed by a cut to the real Harvey walking out onto the stage. At other times, such as having the real Harvey comment on the actor chosen to play him, it seems somewhat contrived and echoes a complaint that he makes during the film of having been co-opted by the system. All in all, a very entertaining, interesting film with wonderful performances. PS: I can't end my review without mentioning Judah Friedlander's wonderfully quirky, hilarious, and touching performance as uber-nerd Toby Radloff. Certain key characters also appear as themselves during the film.
Rating:
Summary: An accuracy uncommon in Hollywood
Review: This isn't an "everyman" film, as I've seen it commented on. It's a film about a very dysfunctional man, living a sub par existence, who, upon realizing that he wanted to leave an indelible mark on the world much as his friend did with the Crumb strips, reached down and found something to comment on. What did he comment on? Everyday circumstances in the dysfunctional world he lived in. "Everyman" is your average man. Harvey Pekar was far from average.
That said, this was a terrific film. Giammati was amazing as Pekar, and really captured his essence on film. And if we wondered how well he did so, the film showed us the real Harvey Pekar, and the real people that surrounded him. And the real people that surrounded him were sensationally dysfunctional. Yet amidst this lack of functionality, Pekar somehow *did* leave an indelible mark. Many admired him for his writing, but for as many people that admired him for his writing, the same amount - or more - found fun in mocking him. Let's face it - David Letterman had him on his show for comedic effect, and nothing else. Pekar was nothing more to him than a "stupid pet trick", and when Pekar finally told Letterman off I applauded.
In the early parts of the film I wasn't sure whether or not I liked the back and forth of the "fictional" world - the film world - and the real world: the real Harvey Pekar and his band of dysfunctional compatriots. As I watched, however, I grew to appreciate it. I knew that if the real life segments hadn't been included, I would have second-guessed the film. How could someone really live such a disastrous existence and make a name for himself? It seems implausible. Yet it happened. And, as I said, if not for the real life segments, it would have been difficult to imagine.
I was so pleasantly surprised to see all of the real life characters represented so accurately. Rarely does a film do this. A typical Hollywood film would have had someone much more attractive than Giammati playing Pekar, and thank god this wasn't a typical Hollywood film. This brought us into his world, into his house, into his mind, into his soul.
Frankly, while Giammati is receiving well deserved accolades for his performance in Sideways, this was the defining performance of his career.
Rating:
Summary: Multi-Leveled Greatness
Review: Documentaries have been getting more and more creative in the last several years, and "American Splendor" is one of the most creative and engaging. It superbly mixes dramatization and documentary, such as when Paul Giamatti plays Harvey Pekar preparing for his first David Letterman appearance, and then we see the actual Harvey Pekar on a television set being interviewed by Letterman. Also very effective is when we see a scene involving his friend Toby, being played excellently by Judah Friedlander: during the scene with Friedlander, I remember thinking "this character is so over the top, it must be an exaggeration", but then we cut to the actual Toby, who is even more of a character than the one portrayed by Friedlander.
The film also very ably captures the essence of the underground comic, and at least as far as the comic itself would indicate, the personality of its creator, Harvey Pekar. A gruff man with genuine emotions and simple needs, he comes across as a misfit hero that anyone can sympathize with. Neither is it hard to sympathize with wife Joyce (played to a `T' by Hope Davis) who has to take care of Harvey and all of his angst-ridden demons.
As a final testament to how well the subject matter of them film is handled: there is a scenario involving a life-threatening illness, and the filmmaker and actors do a great job of treating it with appropriate gravity without falling into the trap of over-sentimentality that most filmmakers are prone to these days.
An excellent film that deserves far more than an underground audience.
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