Ghost World

Rating:
Summary: ". . . I hate my interests."
Review: *Ghost World*, based on a comic book by a fellow named Daniel Clowes, is basically a 21st Century overhaul of *Rebel without a Cause*. And while the updated attitudes and fashions are welcome, one will be surprised to discover just how little we've come in 50 years. The societal concerns have remained depressingly static: How do we deal with misfit teenagers? And how do they deal with the world around them? Then as now, the answer is: not very well. Of course, *Rebel without a Cause* was deeply informed by Salinger's *Catcher in the Rye* -- the original story of the sensitive adolescent horrified by the "phoniness" of modern life --, and *Ghost World* carries on this tradition most admirably. In this film, Holden Caulfield and/or James Dean become "Enid", played with total accuracy by Thora Birch. If most young people are hot-wired to detect B.S., then Enid is the veritable Sherlock Holmes of B.S. detectors. Basically, everything is "stupid": her father is stupid; her high school, from which she has failed to completely graduate, is stupid; her summer-school art-teacher is stupid; the suburban landscape in which she lives is stupid; boys are stupid; Life is stupid. In other words, she's just a kid: definitely NOT someone to model yourself after; not an edgy postmodern heroine; not a cool chick. (Of course, Enid would resist such identities, anyway.) But she has one ally. Rebecca, played by Scarlett Johansson, is a childhood chum of Enid's who has lived in the latter's considerable shadow. But now that high school's over, Rebecca is ready to move on. It turns out that her sourly rebellious attitude, her "oneness" with Enid, was a convenient pose to get her through high school. (Symbolically, Rebecca actually DID graduate from school, whereas Enid has to take a make-up class over the summer.) Securing a job at a "totally normal" coffeehouse so that she can get a "totally normal" apartment, she soon discovers that Enid is unprepared to "grow up" along with her. Their plans to live together in their own place disintegrate when Enid refuses to make the usual concessions to living in a civilized society. Instead, she becomes fascinated with a local loser with the priceless name of Seymour (Steve Buscemi). Seymour is pushing forty, has bad hair, is chock-full of unpleasant personality traits, and has an almost self-defeating interest in old blues and jazz records. (He occasionally sells items in his collection during weekend garage sales, to "pare down my collection to just the essentials".) He and Enid share a lot in common as a pair of misfits, but he's got two decades on her, with the added wisdom that experience brings. Which means that he's old enough to see that his uniqueness may not be all that it's cracked up to be: "I hate my interests," he declares. (Words for thought for those of us who incessantly write reviews for this website!) -- Speaking of reviews, this one's already too long, so let me wrap up by saying that *Ghost World* was probably the best American film of 2001, and is well on its way to becoming a modern classic. Adapted by Daniel Clowes from his own book (fans of the graphic novel can therefore blame the original author for any changes in the translation); co-written and directed by Terry Zwigoff.

Rating:
Summary: Poor adaptation
Review: Thora Birch is very cute, but this movie is weak. The graphic novel was much better. For some reason, Thora's character sleeps with Seymour, which ruins the whole premise of the story. But anyway.

Rating:
Summary: The subtle art of not fitting in
Review: "Ghost World" is a film that champions the struggles of those of us who just never feel like we belong. Every day we see people blindly following the herd without a second thought. We see the world around us drained of character, only to be replaced by cardboard, corporate cutouts and endless miles of Starbucks, Home Depots, Borders and strip malls. Everywhere the lemmings hail this homogenization of American culture as progress. But for the few that simply cannot will themselves into this state of blissful ignorance, there is "Ghost World", a film that chronicles the confusion and frustration that comes with the burden of being an individual.
This film offers intelligent and scathing humor both in the sarcastic and biting dialogue of it's characters and in the film's skewering of modern pop culture. In addition to humor though, "Ghost World" also offers the sadness and loneliness of a life lived on the outside of what is considered 'normal' by the masses. In the end we are presented with doses of both hope and fear. Fear for the amount of willpower it takes to remain an individual in a world that is constantly pressuring everyone to tow the line, and hope that the world is a big place in which to eventually find your niche. After all, it isn't easy when, as Steve Buscemi's characters says, you "...can't relate to 99% of humanity."

Rating:
Summary: Full of sarcastic humor
Review: "Ghost World" is not a horror movie like the title suggests. Rather, it's a comedy for all ages to enjoy. Some may call it a teen comedy, some may call it an adult comedy, but none will call it an ordinary comedy. None will forget its sarcastic lines and cruel humor. However, some scenes become serious and inspirational, giving the audiences the realisms of the characters' behaviors. This proves the cruel humor voiced by the characters, not the writers. The writers combine everything wonderfully and uniquely.

Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi act her characters delightfully, receiving Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. Their chemistry perfects their roles as a critical teaser and an unpopular man. She joking acts as the blonde from his newspaper ad, therefore standing him up on a date. Unexpectedly, they meet days later in his record selling sale. She buys one and soon becomes influenced by more than the music. The scenes beyond this gives Thora Birch's character more conflict and backlash against all of her other aquaintances, especially her best friend. All other character, major or minor, are unforgettably funny, making the movie incomplete without them. Many unexpected events occur, leaving the audience anxious for the next scene. Those who like "Ghost World" should buy the DVD. It will be a classic years from now.

***Note: There is a scene after the credits so don't push "stop" quickly.

Rating:
Summary: Just rent it...
Review: I purchased this DVD after reading the advice of other reviewers, I shouldn't have. While I agree Ghost World is smart and intelligent, the slow pace and often below-average performances (except for Buscemi) take away from what could have been a good movie. I kept waiting for some sort of climax or even something to laugh at, but the movie abruptly ended before that could happen. The only thing that kept my attention was Steve Buscemi's wonderful performance as Seymour, the object of Enid's (Thora Birch) obsessive attention. Don't waste the money on buying this DVD, rent it first.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly witty, perceptive and acerbic
Review: Ghost World is an intelligent, original and funny look at modern life from the perspective of outsiders who don't fit in very well and don't really want to. Director Terry Zwigoff also made the documentary Crumb, which was about offbeat cartoonist Robert Crumb and his oddball family. Apparently Zwigoff has a good understanding and sympathy for people living on the cultural fringes. Ghost World is itself based on a comic book, though I am not familiar with it. Ghost World follows the adventures of recent high school graduates Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlet Johansson). Actually, Enid hasn't quite graduated; she must take a summer school course first. Enid is a witty misanthrope who despises the normal people and soulless suburbia that surrounds her. Her acerbic commentaries are a large part of the movie's wit. Enid and Rebecca play a rather sadistic practical joke on an older man named Seymour (played to perfection by Steve Buscemi). Enid soon regrets this and finds that she likes and is attracted to him. Seymour is intelligent and sensitive but something of a social misfit. He collects old records and, like Enid, feels ill at ease in the world. This new friendship creates a wedge between Enid and the basically more conventional Rebecca, who sees Seymour as merely a nerd. Ghost World is a film that relies far more on characterization and social commentary than on plot development. Apart from the nuanced performances by Birch and Buscemi, the film effectively portrays the barrenness of modern suburban America. I don't know where it was filmed, but it could have been, alas, almost anywhere. There are also some very good supporting roles, such as Illeana Douglas as Enid's art teacher. Her role, though secondary, is typical of the of the film's sublety. At first she seems comically naive, flaky and PC, but she ends up being supportive of Enid when a controversy over a racially sensitive art work arises. Similarly, Buscemi's character at first seems like a stereotype nerd, but is gradually fleshed out. Ghost World shows the world from a perspective too seldom seen in modern cinema. Most outsiders in modern movies are hit men, drug dealers or below normal in some way (retarded, autistic, etc.). Enid and Seymour, by contrast, are alienated by their perceptiveness and sensitivity. They are perhaps overly judgmental and reactionary, but they don't simply consume, conform and passively absorb the world around them. They question everything and find much ugliness, stupidity and imperfection. Ghost World has a fairly dim and cynical view of the world, but in many ways it is right on target.

Rating:
Summary: teen angst at its best
Review: "Ghost World" is a haunting look at a young high school graduate as she struggles to figure out what her next step in life should be. Cynical, intelligent and artistic, Enid (Thora Birch) is an irresistible and endearing character. Hating most of society and humanity that surrounds her, she embarks on a spiritual journey of sorts to find her niche in this crazy world. Enid, who prides herself on her ironic sense of humor, lives with an emotionally inept and cowering single father and spends all of her time with her best friend of ten years, Rebecca (Scarlet Johansson). It soon becomes clear that these two are, however, set on different paths, for while Becky actually has some direction in her life, Enid is lost in the clouds. Then, as a result of a prank pulled by the two girls, we meet Seymour (Steve Buscemi)- a cranky, super-cynical, anti-social hermit who has an unhealthy obsession with old-time records and hasn't had a date in 4 years. Although on the surface they have nothing in common, their friendship blossoms beautifully as a result of discovering that they are indeed very much alike: they are both outsiders, loners.
The dialogue is witty and sarcastic, the mood is quirky and the characters are dead on. Portrayed in this small American town are these hilarious stereotypical characters: the super-nice and annoying girl from high school, the wife-beater-wearing white trash guy, the foreign convenience store owner, the wacky and flaky art teacher. As Enid comes into contact with this variety of characters, her reactions are priceless.
This story about a unique young woman who is trying to figure out what she wants in her world has universal appeal because it could happen in Anytown, USA. If you've ever felt like an outsider, or simply have gotten lost in the shuffle in this high-paced maddening world, this is a must-see. Personally, it hits home for me, as I once felt like an Enid as well.

Rating:
Summary: Possibly one of the most amazing movies ever...
Review: Ghost World is one of my favourite movies ever. I absolutely love it. It's hilarious, has a great cast, powerful characters, and teenager dilemas. The movie is entitled "Ghost World", not only after a comic, but it means something. It pretty much means that everyone is progressively becoming the same person, and all that is left are the ghosts of the people that used to be. You can see how people get increasingly more similiar in the movie, and in real society as well. Plus, Thora Birch looks so much better with the extra 20 pounds she put on for the role.

Rating:
Summary: A Charmed and Broken World
Review: "Ghost World" is a sad world, a place for eccentric losers, a visual poem composed to those in the so-called "real" world who want to take a permanent detour.

Those denizens of the "real" world will try to make you feel guilty for not being one of them, for not fitting in. You will be laughed at for your unabashed love for music or a movie no one cares about any longer. You are so out of it, you don't even know who won game 3 of the NBA championships.

Seymour is such a personage: His crime is having his own tastes, not dressing in the socially-accepted fashion approved of by his middle-managment bosses, not paddling his canoe with the mainstream, but not against it, either. He's sitting on the shore, reading a book of his own choosing.

His attempts to find love with a woman from the "real" world only end in disaster. Obviously, the fellow needs psychotherapy.

But, Seymour meets Enid, or rather, Enid meets Seymour, through a cruel prank she plays. Enid has long since given up on the "real" world, but occasionally makes the mistake of so shunning humanity that she can't recognise the victims of the "real" world from its movers and shakers. But then, she finds Seymour. Unfortunately, she never finds herself.

The theme of "Ghost World" is so eloquently simple, yet tragically true: There are no happy endings in the "real" world, and the "real" world rears its ugly head into the reality of those who live by their own standards all too intrusively.

Are there happy endings in the Ghost World? Probably not. Some people don't really know what happiness is. They have been cast out, blackballed and discarded.

Such people are only fooling themselves: They have that mark upon them, the mark of earnestness, of discrimination, of taste, of intelligence. They shall be denied happiness. They are easily exposed, and their pretense at happiness is but a sham and sad attempt to salvage defective thoughts and feelings into a jury-rigged, ersatz worldview.

There is only happiness in the mainstream, a ready-made world in which one need not think too much. Ignorance is bliss. Those who are not ignorant are the true fools, and they need counseling. Medication, perhaps.

Then they will join the great mass of humanity. They will thrill to "The Flower that Drank the Moon." They will eagerly tune in to see Katie and Matt on the "Today" show in the morning, and Jennifer and Courteney on "Friends" in the evenings.

Life can be made so comfortable.

If you've ever felt alone.

If you've ever felt different.

Or, if you've felt like a freak, for no reason at all. A rag doll missing a button eye and the stuffing from your left arm, stranded on the Isle of Misfit Toys.

There's a world for you. An imperfect world, but one that takes on reality on its own terms, and foregoes the soma and sacharrine.

That it is better to be alienated and depressed in the Ghost World than it is to be numbly happy in the "real" world is this movie's tragedy.

Or its redemption.

Find out.

Rating:
Summary: Questioning
Review: You're reading these reviews because you're trying to gain insight on whether or not to buy Ghost World. Just buy it.

If that wasn't good enough, let me explain that I've seen every movie ever made with the exception of about 10 films. Ghost World is definitely in my top ten. I wouldn't call it a traditional movie. It has no clear, defined plot like perhaps the Hulk does. Character building, dialogue, quirkiness, etc... well this film has more than any movie I've seen in a long time. I figured, while watching it, it would fail in the end, but I was happy with the ending... the overall feel of the whole movie. I'm not really describing the movie here, but it's best to let you rent or buy it and find out for yourself.