terrible... so disappointed.

just watch it!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This movie is about a normal person named "Harvey Pekar" (Paul Giamatti) who lives an ordinary life in Cleveland, Ohio. His life is detailed in a comic book named "American Splendor". At any rate, the entire film traces his boring life over the course of several years. And it does a great job of capturing the humdrum existence of him. As a result, what we get is a film that is quite ordinary and depressing. At least that's how I saw it. Now I realize that this film has gathered a great deal of critical acclaim. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay" along with winning an award at the Cannes Film Festival and being nominated for a Golden Globe in addition to several other awards as well. That's fine and maybe there are plenty of people who really enjoy this type of movie. But in all honesty it simply didn't do anything for me. Slightly below average.

I absolutely loved this film. I've always wanted to watch it, but never got round to it. Now I have, nine years later. It started off slow, I admit, after the first twenty minutes I paused it and went to sleep. After that, I started it up again and I thought it was so brilliant. The way it was shot was smart and witty and the sound track completely suited the entire concept of American Splendor.What I enjoyed most about this was by far the protagonist. He is nothing special, just the average American that tends to see more of the bad than good side of life. I am a sucker for movies that are based on real people, and combining the actors with the real life versions of themselves made me constantly dream up scenarios in my head of these people and their lives. It's truly a unique and depressing story that has its moments of happiness. It makes you feel a need for change, sympathize with those less fortunate and think about the little things in life.

Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's 'American Splendor' is one of the most unique and quirkiest biopics I've seen. It is one of a kind in terms of its execution especially in how the film moves in and out of Pekar's comic book world to the film where the actors portray the characters to the live footage of Pekar himself and the people in his life. This is very cleverly done. Not only does it enrich the viewing experience of the viewer but also allows the viewer to appreciate the artist and person that Pekar is. I hadn't known much about Pekar before nor heard of 'American Splendor' his underground comic book series but I am fascinated by comic books, the world therein that is created by the artists, the creativity and inspiration of the artists.Here the depiction of Pekar and the people in his life feels genuine and Pekar himself doesn't seem to have any objections. Moreover, what I also liked, is that he's brutally honest. He doesn't shy away from saying what his intention is with the film, what he expects to get.The theme is psychology is also crucial here and is well used. Joyce's preliminary diagnosis are amusing and not bad conjectures either. Pekar shows classic signs of depression and there's the lingering risk of relapse as he's, almost always, unhappy.The directors really bring out Pekar's amusingly weird yet likable world that is inhabited by awkward characters. The humour is a fine mix of dry, satire, somewhat dark and situational. The performances are superb. Even the presence of the people the film is based on does not intrude nor diminish the appreciation of what the actors have done. Giamatti, Davis and Friedlander are great as Pekar, Joyce and Toby's film counterparts. They're spot on. Pekar himself is great.Overall, 'American Splendor' is a delightfully quirky film and, in addition to being entertaining, it provides a splendid glimpse into the life of an unhappy man.

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.