Ghost World

Rating:
Summary: A Real Sleeper
Review: Extremly entertaining movie. Not your usual toilet humor teenage coming of age movie. I've rented so many times I decided to buy it. One of my favorites of the last couple of years.

Rating:
Summary: Great Dark Comedy!
Review: I love this film. It mixes together comedy and drama really well. Steve Buscemi was great in his role as the nerdy record collector. The movie was about an 18 year old girl, Enid(Thora Birch), who just graduated high school and doesn't quite know what she wants out of life. Her best friend, Rebecca(Scarlett Johanson), keeps nagging her about moving into an apartment with her. While playing a prank on a lonely middle-aged man, Seymour (Steve Buscemi), Enid becomes very close to him and learns that he is very interesting. Although this film stars teen actresses, it is not a teen movie. I highly reccomend this to everyone, it was THAT good!

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Just as the recent trend of sardonic-teen movies are threatening to grow as stale as the clichés they mock, Ghost World comes as a welcome curveball that smashes through everything in its path; it delivers something fresh. It's not a "teen movie"--it's a movie that happens to have teenagers as its main characters, and for once they're played and written to be as intelligent as many are in real life. Enid (the extraordinary Thora Birch) is an aimless high school graduate adrift in the world with no plans or goals for the future; when she meets Seymour (Steve Buscemi, looking like R. Crumb), a scrawny loser in his forties obsessed with old music, she becomes exactly the kind of lovesick romantic that she once laughed at. It's only the first film Zwigoff has ever made that's not been a documentary, but he shows sheer, undeniable skill (his Crumb was the best film of 1995) and a natural directorial ability to let loose on his own, to create something original with his fingerprints all over it. Zwigoff gets a little more inventive here than with his documentaries (which were as formal and restrained as they should have been) and the result is lovely. Ghost World is brilliantly funny and strangely uplifting in the purest sense; the result is lovely and hilarious. Illeanna Douglas is delicious as a loony art teacher meant to be a hysterical send-up of phony new-age intellectualism at its most fervent.

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Achievment for both Actor and Director
Review: This film is simply stunning, and I want to emphasize the word simply. There is not a movie in recent memory that I have seen that has packed such a dramatic punch without being as simple as Ghost World. No pretensiously complicated storyline, just an excellent film. The amazingly beautiful and talented Thora Birch gives her best performance as Enid in this movie. Yes, I loved her in this movie even more than in American Beauty. Steve Buscemi also puts on his best performance as the reclusive, yet likeable Seymour. This movie really makes you care about the people you are seeing on the screen. Terry Zwigoff really captured true suburban life for many characters - an eccentric art teacher, a troubled father, a class full of mundane art students, a phony high school friend, a waiter nicknamed "Weird Al" - all people of which you wish you could know more of in this movie. Going back to the simplicity of this film, Ghost World tells you a whole lot without showing you everything. A tip: watch it with a friend, you might feel lonely after the movie if you're by yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: One of the few teen films to adequately capture the paralyzing emptiness of the post-high school blues (and most of Western pop culture). Thora Birch is particularly convincing as the too-cool-for-school teen coming to terms with her future and her friends. But it's the minor players like Illeana Douglas as Roberta the art teacher and Dave Sheridan as Doug the crazy Sidewinder customer, who'll you'll remember forever. Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff's script is pitched at precisely the right level. It's brutally real without losing its sense of humour, and ultimately hopeful without slipping into sappiness: that's a fine line to walk, but they do it to perfection. Quite an achievement.

Rating:
Summary: Simplistic and Down Right Funny
Review: Alright When you watch the movie it doesn't seem funny but the sarcasm that's there is so prominent that you can't help but laugh. This movie doesn't have so much a substance issue but it shows not every story has a faerie tale ending. It's a movie whose point is to have no point. It shows that not everyone can improve their life situation even if they want to. Its a simple movie about a girl who is unhappy with her life and ultimately goes to find her "Ghost World"

Rating:
Summary: YAWN!
Review: It's ashame that American Beauty star Thora Birch was apart of this movie. The movie dragged on and had no substance to it. Thora Birch's character was an annoying brat who needed a slap in the face of real life. I don't recommend this movie to anyone with taste.

Rating:
Summary: Ghost World: What a film!
Review: This has got to be one of the most thought provoking films ever. Thora Birch, Steve Buschemi, and Brad Renfro all give memorable performances. It was so funny in it's own little sarcastic way! Any teen who watches this movie, or any adult for that matter, knows that they have been through the same situations before in life, or atleast have felt that way before..all alienated, like the world just hates you. The writer of this film new how to find humor in these situations, and pulled it off!

All together, a very moving and funny film that all should see! Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Ah, Teenage agst. Where would we be without it.
Review: 3 1/2

It's very typical for these kind of film's to be more liked by the "underground" anti-everything crowd then main stream audiences. It appeals more to the teenager who feels the same way Enid does. (Love her name btw) Thora Birch truly brings out the "Daria" like depressing charm in this not-so-unique but well done role. BTW-She looked absolutely cute through out this whole film, I totally fell for her with that short black hair, bold glasses, and perky outfits. She is such a doll! Too bad it seems like she lost all that weight now. ANYWAY

The movie has some great comedic moments following our pal Enid through her pessimistic look at life. Like when she get's a job at the theatre and the art class scenes to name two. While at first it seems creepy that she likes this old dude Steve Buscemi they each have a charm that makes them perfect for eachother. Steve plays the dud like no one else can, but he always has a dignity about him. The movie is colorfuly and is really nice to watch it has a 50's charm in the decor and feel of the sets. The supporting cast is a riot and makes for an all round good 2hrs of film.

The film is not flawed though, while I'm all for endings that one can discuss with others. I feel that the Enid character didn't have any sort of redemption at the end. She talked about dissapointing everyone, and yet does nothing to fix this. I felt so bad for Steve at the end that I just couldn't appreciate what happens at the end. I know it's supposed to symbolize that their ARE NO certainties in life, and there will always be things that suprise you. Enid realized this and went for it, BUT she should have fixed things with Steve before she left, I cannot forgive her for this.

Well if you like these Village-type movies or anti-everything Art house films check out Waking Life, Fight Club, Mulholland Dr., or Vanilla Sky

Rating:
Summary: the best movie ever
Review: this is the best movie to ever exist. there is nothing more to be said.