Cult Classic Corner: American Splendor

By Nate Storey

Starring
Paul Giamatti…Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar…Himself
Hope Davis…Joyce Brabner

Synopsis: This is a biopic/film adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Harvey Pekar. Harvey is a curmudgeon-y Cleveland Hospital file clerk who writes comic books about his everyday experiences. Pekar sought fame and found it thanks to his comics (which are full of observations on life’s mundane and mysterious moments, and feature artwork by such friends as Robert Crumb) and his appearances as a guest on David Letterman’s talk show.

Why It’s Great: This is the film that brought Paul Giamatti out of the bit part character actor stage and onto the lead actor scene, and it is clearly one of his best works.

The film combines drama and documentary (a docu-drama, if you will) using narration and commentary from the real Harvey Pekar and others depicted in the movie. The film also mixes live action with images from the cartoon “American Splendor” throughout, creating a truly unique look and style.

Best Scene: One of the best scenes is the first meeting between Harvey and Joyce. It’s such an awkward scene, which opens with Harvey ’s winning line “You might as well know right off the bat, I had a vasectomy,” and ends with Joyce’s “I think we should skip the whole courtship thing and just get married.”

The other great comedic scene is when Harvey, Joyce, and their friend Toby (who is borderline autistic) go to see Revenge of the Nerds, which Harvey bombasts for being unrealistic. It’s a classic Paul Giamatti explosion, the kind of conniption that he has been excelling at for years.

Trivia:
The jacket that Paul Giamatti wears for Harvey’s first “Late Night with David Letterman” (1982) appearance is the exact same piece of clothing that we see the real Harvey wearing on the TV.

Rob Schneider and Leonardo DiCaprio were considered for an early film version of the book.