Comic book fans enter the summer months with either trepidation or uncontained giddiness: it's superhero blockbuster season, and their favourite comic book series may be coming out on the silver screen. Comic book movies are certainly successful in the box office and there are plenty of titles that have yet to be reworked. Unfortunately, these film adaptations by and large fall far short of what comic book readers expect. An exception to this trend is American Splendor; although it was made in 2003 and set in the 1970's and '80s, American Splendor is a comic book movie that, for once, audiences can truly identify with.
American Splendor: Unconventional Comic, Unconventional Hero
Unlike other comic book-to-film adaptations, American Splendor is definitely lacking in superheroes. In fact, it opens with a disclaimer: “If you’re the kind of person looking for romance, or escapism, or some fantasy figure to save the day, guess what? You’ve got the wrong movie.”
It’s a pretty petulant introduction, but given the very real worries of the average movie fan (economic recession, job loss, swine flu, making the next mortgage payment, etc.) and the increasing popularity of graphic novels and alternative comics, the film version of the American Splendor and its eccentric protagonist are all the more relevant.
A Graceful Transition from Comic Book to Film
The Oscar-nominated film gets its title from that of Harvey Pekar’s semi-autobiographical comics. Set in 1970's Cleveland, the movie focuses on Harvey and the origins of American Splendor. It’s not always easy to watch: Harvey methodically blunders through his problems with little grace and a lot of screaming. But like he says, “Everyday’s a brand new deal, right? Just keep on working and something’s bound to turn up.” And so, our hero soldiers on despite a troubled marriage, wavering commercial success, and a devastating illness.
The film doesn't capture every moment of the original series, focusing instead on Harvey's experience as he writes and promotes American Splendor. Directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini cleverly blend comic-book illustrations, scenes from Harvey’s life, and commentary by the real-life Harvey Pekar (as opposed to Paul Giamatti who plays movie-Harvey). More than just a biopic, the film uses these liminal moments to explore the tension that Harvey feels between his fictional and real selves.
Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis & Judah Friedlander Shine in American Splendor
Giamatti (Sideways) is amazing as the curmudgeonly Harvey, shredding his vocal chords to recreate Harvey's distinctive Mickey Mouse-voice and vitriolic rants. Hope Davis (Proof, The Weather Man) plays deadpan wife Joyce Brabner, while a pre-30 Rock Judah Friedlander rocks the geek look as “genuine nerd” Toby Radloff.
Brilliant performances from these actors combined with on-site filming in Cleveland and an authentically retro wardrobe (the jacket that Giamatti wears to the David Letterman show in the movie is the one that Harvey Pekar actually wore in his 1982 Letterman appearance) recreate the '70s and '80s without beating the audience over the head with cultural references. The soundtrack is another scene-stealer, full of low-key jazz and melancholy blues that perfectly compliment the life of a flawed man with good intentions.
Conclusion: American Splendor
Ultimately, Harvey Pekar is kind of a jerk, and a depressing one at that. “Well, you know, I’m just a gloomy guy, that’s all. That’s my perspective: Gloom and doom,” he says at one point in the film. But he's also a working-class guy with a realistic attitude; his musings in American Splendor also reveal a surprisingly optimistic perspective: "Life seemed so sweet and so sad, and so hard to let go of in the end. But hey, man, every day is a brand new deal, right? Just keep on working and something's bound to turn up."
We all love to lose ourselves in the latest CG-filled blockbuster movie, watching a muscled and spandex-ed hero save the planet again and again. But for once it’s nice to see that an average Joe can have a happy ending, too.
Film Information
- American Splendor
- Released in 2003
- Starring Paul Giamatti, Harvey Pekar, Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander
- Written by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (Screenplay); Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner (Comic book)
- Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
- Running time: 101 minutes
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