Plot: What’s it about?
“American Splendor” won the grand prize at the Sundance Film Festival and later that year, won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. For those unfamiliar with the life of Harvey Pekar, you need only watch 97 minutes of his life to get what he’s really like. You see, this is a movie, thereby making it a work of fiction; but it’s also intertwined with reality (and a healthy dose of it), which I suppose makes it a documentary. I can’t help but be reminded of “Best in Show”, “This is Spinal Tap” and “Waiting for Guffman” when I watched this film. You see, not only are the characters colorful and original – they’re real! Pekar has been on the map for some time and even with his appearances on the David Letterman show, his own comic book (entitled “American Splendor”) and a status as a semi-celebrity; he still had the same job as a file clerk in a Cleveland VA hospital earning close to minimum wage. We see his life through his eyes and told like a comic book, we see that his story is equally told with the same brutal truth that it appears on the screen. How many people would chronicle their “…year of Caner” in a comic book?
Paul Giamantti plays the role of Harvey Pekar and during some of the movie, the real Harvey Pekar plays himself as only he can. Giamantti is a close second, though. We follow Pekar through his life starting in the mid 70’s to the early 90’s. He’s a recluse, works as a filing clerk with a “Genuine Nerd” by the name of Toby (Judah Friedlander) with an anal-retentive boss. Pekar isn’t a happy man, I don’t think I saw him or the actor who plays him in the movie, smile once. He’s the most real character to hit the screen in some time and we instantly identify with him. He’s not attractive, nor is the actor who plays him. He’s got a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder and likes to collect old 78 vinyl records and comic books. Upon meeting Robert Crumb (James Urbaniak), an illustrator who got the whole underground comic scene going, he convinces him to illustrate the story of his life. Pekar is brutally honest in what he tells, from being annoyed at an old Jewish woman haggling over the price of glasses in a store, to placing the dialog of two men who throw a mattress away in an alley. Pekar’s comic book sells and it’s not long before an admiring fan, Joyce Brabner (Hope Davis), writes to Harvey and soon after marries him. Life with Harvey isn’t all that she thought it would be. She sees that he’s the same person in real-life as he is in the comic book. She seems to accept that and even manages to try and change him a little. It’s clear that these two need each other as much as any two people have ever needed each other. Pekar’s comic attracts some attention and he’s a regular guest on the David Letterman show (this was during the 80’s when he was still on NBC). After trying to play along solely to try to sell some more of his comics, he quickly wears out his welcome and isn’t invited back again. This is all intertwined with shots of the real Pekar and his wife, Joyce; mind you.
What sets “American Splendor” apart from most movies is the fact that this is about as real as it gets without slapping the word “documentary” on it. I was extremely moved by not only the performances of Giamantti and Davis, but by also the real story of Pekar and his wife. In today’s media-driven society, any guest on the David Letterman show would certainly be entitled to their 15 minutes of fame. But, it would seem, Pekar wasn’t. That’s all a moot point now as the movie has certainly changed that and I don’t think that Harvey and his wife will have any more financial problems. The film is told with such a biting realism and as written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, that there’s no time to try and comprehend it. Though it makes perfect sense (unlike those last two sentences). “American Splendor” plays like a comic book (and several scenes are even meant to mimic one), but when you think about it; the characters in the movie are like comic book characters. The only difference between them and Superman is that they can’t stop bullets or leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is truly one of the more original and even inspiring movies I’ve seen in some time and can’t recommend it enough.
Video: How does it look?
The movie is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It’s been enhanced for widescreen televisions and the result is about what one might expect. There is a gritty, grainy quality to the film that lends to the subject matter. The majority of the shots are shown with different shades of brown hues and the relatively cloudy weather of Cleveland doesn’t do much to add much color to the picture. There are some “real” documentary shots in which the real characters are shown, somewhat bland and bleak with a white background (we learn in the commentary that those shots were shot in HD while the rest of the movie was on regular 35mm film). Black levels seem to be on target and there wasn’t really a problem with edge enhancement. “American Splendor” looks like its supposed to, not the polished version of life that we see in so many other Hollywood movies, but the reality that the rest of us see.
Audio: How does it sound?
The movie benefits from a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and while not too terribly active, does have its moments. I noticed the surrounds kick in approximately three times, thereby leaving the rest of the dialogue for the front three channels. Dialogue is fine, clear of any distortion and though I’ve used the word “documentary” a few times, it doesn’t sound like one. A rather varied soundtrack accompanies the movie and an audio-only music video is one of the supplements. While not lighting up your home theater, it’s certainly not supposed to and I think viewers will be rather pleased with the way this sounds.
Supplements: What are the extras?
If it’s more of the same that you want, then listen to the commentary track. The rather full track includes writer/directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini along with Paul Giamatti, Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner and Toby (the “Genuine Nerd”) who starts off the track. No one really monopolizes the conversation as there’s so much to be said. Everyone’s trying to get their two cents in and with the relative shortness of the movie, maybe another track should have been added? Still, it’s a great track to listen to and you can see that there really wasn’t that much embellishing on the film. Some more technical aspects of the movie were also told, such as where they shot, how long and when. All in all, this is a great and informative track. There is a featurette entitled “Road to Splendor” which is a compilation of clips from the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes as well. This culminates at the premiere of the movie in New York (where Harvey and Joyce look more annoyed to be there). A music video is shown as are some of HBO’s other movies (obviously patting themselves on the back for this movie they helped make) and the original trailer. Some DVD-ROM material is present with some links to harveypekar.com, you can download some wallpaper and screensavers as well. All in all, a nice little disc and one of the bright spots for DVD so far this year. Highly recommended.
