American Splendor
Starring:Chris Ambrose, Nick Baxter, Vivienne Benesch, Shari Springer Berman, Earl Billings, Rebecca Borger, Barbara Brown, Cameron Carter, Mary Faktor, Eli Ganias, Paul Giamatti, Danny Hoch, Josh Hutcherson, Sylvia Kauders, Joey Krajcar, Larry John Meyers, Harvey Pekar, Daniel Tay, James Urbaniak
Director: Shari Springer Berman
Studio: HBO Video
Product Type: DVD
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
One of the most acclaimed films of 2003, American Splendor is also one of the most audaciously creative biographical movies ever made. Blending fact, fiction, and personal perspective from the comic books that inspired it, this marvelous portrait of Harvey Pekar--scowling curmudgeon, brow-beaten everyman, insightful chronicler of his own life, and frustrated file clerk at a Cleveland V.A. hospital--is an inspired amalgam of the media (comic books, TV, and film) that lifted Pekar from obscurity to the status of a pop-cultural icon. As played by Paul Giamatti in a master-stroke of casting, we see Pekar and his understanding wife (played by Hope Davis) as underdogs in a world full of obstacles, yet also infused with subtle hope and (gasp!) heartwarming perseverance. We also see the real Pekar, and this multifaceted commingling of "reel" and "real" turns American Splendor into a uniquely cinematic celebration of Pekar's life and, by extension, the tenacity of an unlikely American hero. --Jeff Shannon
Description
Based on the life and work of underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar- a prickly poet of the mundane who knows that all the strategizing in the world can't save a guy from picking the wrong supermarket checkout line.
Average customer rating:
- THE ALL-TIME AMERICAN UNDERDOG
- Movie About A Persistent Egomaniac
- An offbeat movie about an offbeat kind of man
- Pretty good movie
- ordinary hero
|
American Splendor
Starring: Chris Ambrose , Nick Baxter , Vivienne Benesch , Shari Springer Berman , and Earl Billings
Director: Shari Springer Berman
Manufacturer: HBO Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
 General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Comic Action
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
James Cameron
| Action Directors
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Black Comedy
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Feature Films
| Animation
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
All HBO Titles
| HBO
| Television
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
HBO Films
| More HBO Titles
| HBO
| Television
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Billings, Earl
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Giamatti, Paul
| ( G )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hoch, Danny
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $7.49
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
( A )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- Crumb (Special Edition)
- Ghost World
- Sideways (Widescreen Edition)
- The New American Splendor Anthology: From Off the Streets of Cleveland
- Adaptation (Superbit Collection)
ASIN: B0000U0X20
Release Date: 2004-02-03 |
Amazon.com
One of the most acclaimed films of 2003, American Splendor is also one of the most audaciously creative biographical movies ever made. Blending fact, fiction, and personal perspective from the comic books that inspired it, this marvelous portrait of Harvey Pekar--scowling curmudgeon, brow-beaten everyman, insightful chronicler of his own life, and frustrated file clerk at a Cleveland V.A. hospital--is an inspired amalgam of the media (comic books, TV, and film) that lifted Pekar from obscurity to the status of a pop-cultural icon. As played by Paul Giamatti in a master-stroke of casting, we see Pekar and his understanding wife (played by Hope Davis) as underdogs in a world full of obstacles, yet also infused with subtle hope and (gasp!) heartwarming perseverance. We also see the real Pekar, and this multifaceted commingling of "reel" and "real" turns American Splendor into a uniquely cinematic celebration of Pekar's life and, by extension, the tenacity of an unlikely American hero. --Jeff Shannon
Description
Based on the life and work of underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar- a prickly poet of the mundane who knows that all the strategizing in the world can't save a guy from picking the wrong supermarket checkout line.
Customer Reviews:
THE ALL-TIME AMERICAN UNDERDOG.......2007-06-18
PAUL GIAMATTI STARS AS THE OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE HARVEY PEKAR, A WORKING CLASS HERO WHO BECAME A NATIONAL SENSATION DURING THE 80'S WITH HIS REALISTIC CARTOONS DEPICTING HIS OWN DAILY ROUTINE.
BY: Fernando de Mello Pimentel
From the streets of Cleveland, OH, emerged the legend of "AMERICAN SPLENDOR", a comic book which faithfully depicted the ups and downs of a man who represented an entire generation of blue-collar workers in an America increasingly dominated by the yuppie ideology of the 80's. Our hero was a former V.A Hospital file clerk named "Harvey Pekar", a middle aged, self-loathing character who suffered from intense depressive compulsions which would constantly keep him in a state of intense negativity. Everything, from his attitudes to his dressing code, would illustrate his total lack of self-esteem. Such careless conditions would lead Harvey to undergo two failed relationships, which would end up taking a severe toll on his personal life.
As of the second rejection, Harvey starts looking at life with different eyes. It's when he has an epiphany and decides that he will make the most out of the ordinary. Tired of the childish thematics of super-hero and animal cartoons, he decides to create a comic book in which the main character is no one but himself. He then starts to narrate his own real life experiences through his stories, using the cartoon media as his vehicle. Illustrations are crafted by underground comic artists such as the legendary Robert Crumb, a personal friend of Harvey's which he met back in the early 60's in Cleveland. Everything which happens to Harvey's life has the potential to become comic book material.
As soon as the comic books hit the street they become a major sensation, and do a great deal to help Pekar's personal life. Through his own gloomy vision of the world which sorrounded him, Pekar was able to generate a very refined form of dark humor which conquered a series of fans throughout the nation. One of these fans ended up becoming his loving wife, Joyce Brabner.
On the screen, faithfully portraying Pekar, is Paul Giamatti. His impersonation is so near perfection, that even when Pekar himself appears in the movie it is quite hard to tell who is who. Giamatti's acting is superb. He fills Pekar's shoes with no difficulty and feels quite comfortable in them. Giamatti demonstrates great easiness in playing the self-loathing, all-time loser type. Similarities between his character "Miles" from "SIDEWAYS" and "Harvey Pekar" are quite obvious. Both share these common personality traits, which Giamatti so authentically delivers through his acting. In a supporting role is actress Hope Davis, playing Harvey's wife, Joyce. Both Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis, in addition to their phenomenal acting skills, are aslo very noticeable for their physical similarities to the original Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner.
Another strong point which comes to the aid of this motion picture is its cartoon-like form of narrative with shots which very much resemble a comic book. Boxes and dialogue balloons are carefully inserted in certain moments through-out the movie as to enhance the look and feel of this cartoon-driven plot. Animated drawings of Harvey himself interact with Paul Giamatti's character, a graphic resource which adds much credibility and interest to the picture as a whole.
With an interesting solid plot and grandiose acting by Paul Giamatti, "AMERICAN SPLENDOR" is destined to become a cult classic. It is one of those movies which so brilliantly deals with the weaknesses of human character and the possibilities of turn-arounds in life. Finally, it also explores a genre which many times can become dull by the exaggerations and misconducts which are so common when exploring biographies. In this case, the theme was sharply conducted by director Robert Pulcini, who did a great job in leveling the characters' virtues and limitations without letting one overshadow the other.
***** A CULT CLASSIC !!!!
All Rights Reserved - 2007 FPimentel Poems & Publishing Co.
Movie About A Persistent Egomaniac.......2007-03-21
Harvey Pekar is a man of marginal talent who, through sheer bloody single mindedness aka persistent egomania, has made something of a name for himself. Working with his significantly more talented friend R. Crumb, Pekar has put out a number of "underground" comic books about his mundane life as a working stiff.
One of the more unusual features of this unusual movie about an unusual man has Pekar writing for his comic book commenting on Paul Giamatti's performance as Pekar. This movie is quite unpredictable and as such is quite unlike anything that you have ever seen before.
An offbeat movie about an offbeat kind of man.......2007-02-17
This is really a great film about Harvey Pekar, the underground comic book writer who created the comic book series "American Splendor". I'm surprised this movie hasn't garnered more critical attention than it has. The movie basically takes you from the end of Harvey's second marriage up to the point of his retirement as a file clerk. Pekar is living a life of quiet desperation - everything in his life is generic. The film lends a dingy quality to Pekar's surroundings that really gives it that "garage sale" look right down to the light fixtures in his apartment. Even the supermarkets and restaurants Harvey frequent make K-mart look classy. Unlike his friends and coworkers though, he is painfully aware of the reality of his life. He has a moment of clarity one day while waiting in line at the grocery store behind a woman who is arguing over why she should pay 1.50 for six glasses that are marked two dollars, when he thinks of a way to strike out at all of this - he decides to document his feelings in a comic. Unfortunately, Harvey can't draw. He comes up with the narrative, but is only able to show stick figures as the actual characters in the drawings. Harvey's big break is that he has become friends with underground comic Robert Crumb before Crumb was famous and the two were just a couple of "ordinary" guys looking for bargains at Cleveland rummage sales. Crumb is impressed with the statement Harvey is trying to make and agrees to do the illustrations, thus the comic "American Splendor" is born.
To me, the best part of this movie is the love story between Harvey and his third wife Joyce. These two people are just weird enough to make it work. What makes it work is that they have staked out their own individual claims to different enough territories in the land of weird that their respective neuroses don't bump into one another too badly, as had happened in Harvey's past marriages. Harvey is a man who has very un-mundane statements to make about his mundane world, but doesn't have any real illusions about changing it. Joyce is a self-diagnosed depressed anemic who has memorized the DSM 3 and is therefore happy to diagnose people with personality disorders and then pretty much takes them as she finds them, in spite of her claims of being a reformer. Because neither one wants to change the other, the relationship works.
The film is really cleverly done, with comic book illustrations showing what Pekar is thinking in various situations along with narration and a couple of interviews with the actual Pekar and his wife interspersed throughout the film giving it a real feeling of authenticity. Paul Giamatti is simply marvelous as the caustic "warts and more" Harvey Pekar. How often do you see an actor share the screen with the person he is playing, as happens in this film, and not even notice a blip in continuity? His performance is that good. Giamatti certainly deserves better than playing supporting roles in films like "Big Fat Liar". Kudos also to James Urbaniak for his small role as artist and illustrator Robert Crumb. For the small amount of time he is on the screen he really captures the essence of the guy.
Pretty good movie.......2007-01-26
This guy IS my brother. Got it for him for a gift; I hope he likes it.
ordinary hero.......2007-01-25
Based upon the real life story of Harvey Pekar. Pekar spent most of his life as a file clerk in a VA hospital in Cleveland, then became the most unlikely celebrity when he created the comic series American Splendor. Clearly, this quintessential misanthrope could write about what every day people experience. The film intersperses the drama with real interviews with Pekar, his wife and colleagues, along with animated comics.
Average customer rating:
|
Sundance Film Festival Collection: Celebrating 25 Years
Starring: Sundance Film Festival Collection
Manufacturer: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| By Genre
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
( S )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| Boxed Sets
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All Sundance Titles
| Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| By Genre
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
General
| Indie & Art House
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| By Genre
| Indie & Art House
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- Sundance Channel Home Entertainment Collection
- The Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection (Salvador / Platoon / Wall Street / Talk Radio / Born on the Fourth of July / JFK Director's Cut / The Doors / Heaven and Earth / Natural Born Killers / Nixon / U-Turn / Any Given Sunday Director's Cut)
- Sundance Channel Film Series Collection
- Reds (Special 25th Aniversary Collector's Edition)
- Junebug
ASIN: B000BF0DCO
Release Date: 2005-12-13 |
Description
This limited edition, special collectors' DVD set celebrates 25 years of the Sundance Institute. It contains ten ground-breaking films that embody the sprit of independence, creative risk-taking, and diversity that define the Sundance Film Festival. Bonus materials include a booklet and an 11th disc with behind-the-scenes footage from the Sundance Institute Labs and never-before-seen interviews with filmmakers and founder Robert Redford.
![American Splendor [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21F9FCM1GCL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- THE ALL-TIME AMERICAN UNDERDOG
- Movie About A Persistent Egomaniac
- An offbeat movie about an offbeat kind of man
- Pretty good movie
- ordinary hero
|
American Splendor [Region 2]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
( A )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- Crumb (Special Edition)
- Ghost World
- Sideways (Widescreen Edition)
- The New American Splendor Anthology: From Off the Streets of Cleveland
- Adaptation (Superbit Collection)
ASIN: B000216XRQ |
Amazon.com
One of the most acclaimed films of 2003, American Splendor is also one of the most audaciously creative biographical movies ever made. Blending fact, fiction, and personal perspective from the comic books that inspired it, this marvelous portrait of Harvey Pekar--scowling curmudgeon, brow-beaten everyman, insightful chronicler of his own life, and frustrated file clerk at a Cleveland V.A. hospital--is an inspired amalgam of the media (comic books, TV, and film) that lifted Pekar from obscurity to the status of a pop-cultural icon. As played by Paul Giamatti in a master-stroke of casting, we see Pekar and his understanding wife (played by Hope Davis) as underdogs in a world full of obstacles, yet also infused with subtle hope and (gasp!) heartwarming perseverance. We also see the real Pekar, and this multifaceted commingling of "reel" and "real" turns American Splendor into a uniquely cinematic celebration of Pekar's life and, by extension, the tenacity of an unlikely American hero. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
THE ALL-TIME AMERICAN UNDERDOG.......2007-06-18
PAUL GIAMATTI STARS AS THE OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE HARVEY PEKAR, A WORKING CLASS HERO WHO BECAME A NATIONAL SENSATION DURING THE 80'S WITH HIS REALISTIC CARTOONS DEPICTING HIS OWN DAILY ROUTINE.
BY: Fernando de Mello Pimentel
From the streets of Cleveland, OH, emerged the legend of "AMERICAN SPLENDOR", a comic book which faithfully depicted the ups and downs of a man who represented an entire generation of blue-collar workers in an America increasingly dominated by the yuppie ideology of the 80's. Our hero was a former V.A Hospital file clerk named "Harvey Pekar", a middle aged, self-loathing character who suffered from intense depressive compulsions which would constantly keep him in a state of intense negativity. Everything, from his attitudes to his dressing code, would illustrate his total lack of self-esteem. Such careless conditions would lead Harvey to undergo two failed relationships, which would end up taking a severe toll on his personal life.
As of the second rejection, Harvey starts looking at life with different eyes. It's when he has an epiphany and decides that he will make the most out of the ordinary. Tired of the childish thematics of super-hero and animal cartoons, he decides to create a comic book in which the main character is no one but himself. He then starts to narrate his own real life experiences through his stories, using the cartoon media as his vehicle. Illustrations are crafted by underground comic artists such as the legendary Robert Crumb, a personal friend of Harvey's which he met back in the early 60's in Cleveland. Everything which happens to Harvey's life has the potential to become comic book material.
As soon as the comic books hit the street they become a major sensation, and do a great deal to help Pekar's personal life. Through his own gloomy vision of the world which sorrounded him, Pekar was able to generate a very refined form of dark humor which conquered a series of fans throughout the nation. One of these fans ended up becoming his loving wife, Joyce Brabner.
On the screen, faithfully portraying Pekar, is Paul Giamatti. His impersonation is so near perfection, that even when Pekar himself appears in the movie it is quite hard to tell who is who. Giamatti's acting is superb. He fills Pekar's shoes with no difficulty and feels quite comfortable in them. Giamatti demonstrates great easiness in playing the self-loathing, all-time loser type. Similarities between his character "Miles" from "SIDEWAYS" and "Harvey Pekar" are quite obvious. Both share these common personality traits, which Giamatti so authentically delivers through his acting. In a supporting role is actress Hope Davis, playing Harvey's wife, Joyce. Both Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis, in addition to their phenomenal acting skills, are aslo very noticeable for their physical similarities to the original Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner.
Another strong point which comes to the aid of this motion picture is its cartoon-like form of narrative with shots which very much resemble a comic book. Boxes and dialogue balloons are carefully inserted in certain moments through-out the movie as to enhance the look and feel of this cartoon-driven plot. Animated drawings of Harvey himself interact with Paul Giamatti's character, a graphic resource which adds much credibility and interest to the picture as a whole.
With an interesting solid plot and grandiose acting by Paul Giamatti, "AMERICAN SPLENDOR" is destined to become a cult classic. It is one of those movies which so brilliantly deals with the weaknesses of human character and the possibilities of turn-arounds in life. Finally, it also explores a genre which many times can become dull by the exaggerations and misconducts which are so common when exploring biographies. In this case, the theme was sharply conducted by director Robert Pulcini, who did a great job in leveling the characters' virtues and limitations without letting one overshadow the other.
***** A CULT CLASSIC !!!!
All Rights Reserved - 2007 FPimentel Poems & Publishing Co.
Movie About A Persistent Egomaniac.......2007-03-21
Harvey Pekar is a man of marginal talent who, through sheer bloody single mindedness aka persistent egomania, has made something of a name for himself. Working with his significantly more talented friend R. Crumb, Pekar has put out a number of "underground" comic books about his mundane life as a working stiff.
One of the more unusual features of this unusual movie about an unusual man has Pekar writing for his comic book commenting on Paul Giamatti's performance as Pekar. This movie is quite unpredictable and as such is quite unlike anything that you have ever seen before.
An offbeat movie about an offbeat kind of man.......2007-02-17
This is really a great film about Harvey Pekar, the underground comic book writer who created the comic book series "American Splendor". I'm surprised this movie hasn't garnered more critical attention than it has. The movie basically takes you from the end of Harvey's second marriage up to the point of his retirement as a file clerk. Pekar is living a life of quiet desperation - everything in his life is generic. The film lends a dingy quality to Pekar's surroundings that really gives it that "garage sale" look right down to the light fixtures in his apartment. Even the supermarkets and restaurants Harvey frequent make K-mart look classy. Unlike his friends and coworkers though, he is painfully aware of the reality of his life. He has a moment of clarity one day while waiting in line at the grocery store behind a woman who is arguing over why she should pay 1.50 for six glasses that are marked two dollars, when he thinks of a way to strike out at all of this - he decides to document his feelings in a comic. Unfortunately, Harvey can't draw. He comes up with the narrative, but is only able to show stick figures as the actual characters in the drawings. Harvey's big break is that he has become friends with underground comic Robert Crumb before Crumb was famous and the two were just a couple of "ordinary" guys looking for bargains at Cleveland rummage sales. Crumb is impressed with the statement Harvey is trying to make and agrees to do the illustrations, thus the comic "American Splendor" is born.
To me, the best part of this movie is the love story between Harvey and his third wife Joyce. These two people are just weird enough to make it work. What makes it work is that they have staked out their own individual claims to different enough territories in the land of weird that their respective neuroses don't bump into one another too badly, as had happened in Harvey's past marriages. Harvey is a man who has very un-mundane statements to make about his mundane world, but doesn't have any real illusions about changing it. Joyce is a self-diagnosed depressed anemic who has memorized the DSM 3 and is therefore happy to diagnose people with personality disorders and then pretty much takes them as she finds them, in spite of her claims of being a reformer. Because neither one wants to change the other, the relationship works.
The film is really cleverly done, with comic book illustrations showing what Pekar is thinking in various situations along with narration and a couple of interviews with the actual Pekar and his wife interspersed throughout the film giving it a real feeling of authenticity. Paul Giamatti is simply marvelous as the caustic "warts and more" Harvey Pekar. How often do you see an actor share the screen with the person he is playing, as happens in this film, and not even notice a blip in continuity? His performance is that good. Giamatti certainly deserves better than playing supporting roles in films like "Big Fat Liar". Kudos also to James Urbaniak for his small role as artist and illustrator Robert Crumb. For the small amount of time he is on the screen he really captures the essence of the guy.
Pretty good movie.......2007-01-26
This guy IS my brother. Got it for him for a gift; I hope he likes it.
ordinary hero.......2007-01-25
Based upon the real life story of Harvey Pekar. Pekar spent most of his life as a file clerk in a VA hospital in Cleveland, then became the most unlikely celebrity when he created the comic series American Splendor. Clearly, this quintessential misanthrope could write about what every day people experience. The film intersperses the drama with real interviews with Pekar, his wife and colleagues, along with animated comics.
Description
A discussion of the film American Splendor with writer/directors Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman, creator Harvey Pekar, and actor Paul Giamatti. Next, political consultant Raymond Strother talks about his book Falling Up: How a Redneck Helped Invent Political Consulting. Finally, Eugenia Zuckerman introduces her book, In My Mother's Closet.
DVD:
- Ultimate Vacation Collection (Vacation / European Vacation / Christmas Vacation / Vegas Vacation)
- Where the Boys Are
- Live Nude Girls
- The Great Outdoors
- The Secret of My Success
- Rock Hudson & Doris Day Romance Collection (Pillow Talk / Lover Come Back / Send Me No Flowers)
- Senseless
- Without a Trace (Sin Dejar Huella)
- Billy Madison/Happy Gilmore Collection (Full Screen Edition)
- The In-Laws
DVD List
DVD
DVD
Hell House
Romance : Beaches, Dirty Dancing, Moonstruck : Video
Macho Bionico (REGION 1) (NTSC)
DVD: Kingdom Come
Sunshine
