American Splendor
6 March 2005, late afternoon
American Splendor was the name of a comic book series written by Harvey Pekar. The books were about Harvey’s life, and the things about his life he found aggravating. In this regard, the movie is much like the comic books. American Splendor shows us Harvey’s life from when his second wife leaves him (a hilarious scene) to the present day. The movie is very post-modern; midway through the film the real Harvey Pekar questions how he will feel about watching a movie about himself. The real Harvey Pekar is the narrator in the movie, and several of the real life counterparts of the characters in the film are interviewed throughout the course of the movie. The actors did an amazing job portraying the characters from Harvey’s life. Paul Giamatti who plays Harvey was great. He grimaces throughout the whole film; it’s awesome.