An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman harvey pekar. Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 11/14/2006 Starring: Paul Giamatti Run time: 101 minutes Rating: R Director: Robert Pulcini Shari Berman

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

Imagine your most boring acquaintance. The one you hide from to avoid tiresome stories about his/her humdrum existence. Then imagine a movie about said acquaintance, and you will have captured the essence of American Splendor. You will get to watch amazing scenes about a boring job, a lonely life, and secondary characters with nothing to say. Plus, the Pekar has a very annoying voice. At least they could have added a gratuitous shower scene. Avoid this movie

If you're unsure about buying this, it's worth checking out just to see the characters. The crazy thing is that they're essentially real people. Go to wikipedia and look up Harvey Pekar, Robert Crumb, Toby Radloff, and Joyce Brabner. It's a pleasant surprise that they exist. See the movie. (It was in great condition when I got it, too.)

In my opinion this was one of the best films out there. Beautifully shot, written, and acted. I love this movie so much that I don't eve care that people didn't get it...it's their loss, and I hope that if you have not seen it, check it out and see for yourself.

There they stand in safe New York studio apartments in their skinny, disproportionately crafted outfits, looking smug and very middle-European as they hold expensive champagne with white gloves and giggle at the cute absurdity found in American Splendor. This, my friends, is a depiction of the psychotic element of film critics who made of the 2.3% of the viewing world who actually enjoyed this pile of wrathful bile.

American Splendor is the type of pathetic film that makes one wonder just how in the h*ll it made it to the big screen. Did Harvey Pekar sell his soul to the devil in exchange for having his later life made into a movie? Do you want a plot synopsis? Well, the plot deals with a seedy comic-book man and his series of seedy breakups with his seedy girlfriend in his seedy neighborhood. Seriously, people, why should we care?

(writhing lunatic fan of this film to press NO on the Was-this-review- helpful section in T minus 6...5...4...3...2...1...)

I left the USA in 1999, so I have no clue about any of the material that preceded this film. It was some underground comic books and I don't know what else. Coming into it with no clue about all this background, I was quite impressed. The movie does pull you into the world of Harvey Pekar, which apparently blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction to give us ordinary life. It's also an excellent trip through the 60s, 70s and 80s, and a great way to spend a couple of hours, and you'll think about it after it's over. In other words, get it.