 Synopsis:
 At the time of its release,
American Splendor was labeled as the movie that
would make Giamatti a star. It certainly
helped. In American Splendor, Giamatti
plays Harvey Pikar, a comic book cult hero.
American Splendor is the title of a comic book,
raw in its depiction of a pessimistic file clerk
in a Cleveland VA hospital named Harvey.
In the 1970s, Pikar teamed with controversial
artist Robert Crumb to create the comic and it
took off, finding an extremely loyal audience
who anxiously await every issue. The
illustration at the top of this review is a good
example of the type of pessimism in the film
that can't help but illicit a laugh from the
reader.
American Splendor follows
Pikar from his mediocre job, to the comic's
conception all the way to current day.
Through a number of memorable Late Night with
David Letterman appearances, a play based on his
life and his life with a wife and friends that
are as original as they come, Pikar's story is
worth hearing.
The Freak's
Rating: B- : In
1997 a comedy hit the screen that reached number
one on the charts and made my favorite morning
radio guy, Howard Stern, the "King of all
media". Arguably the most entertaining
person in the film was Howard's NBC manager Pig
Vomit, played by the (at the time) little known
actor Paul Giamatti. Giamatti has gone on
to do 45 films since and only had 7 under his
belt at the time. Private Parts forced you
to notice him, a credit Paul gives to Howard
when he stops by the show.
American Splendor is told
in third person with moments of first-person
narration by the real Pikar. There are
also moments in the film where we step away from
the story to hear an interview with Pikar as
well as his interactions with his wife and
coworkers. The most entertaining
performance outside of Giamatti is given by
Judah Friedlander (of 30 Rock).
Friedlander's portrayal of Pikar's friend Toby
is spot on. I challenge anyone to hear his
voice and not laugh.
Readers of the comic book
and people who can appreciate raw pessimistic
humor will enjoy this film. For others it
may be hard to become motivated to watch such a
film.
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