american splendor

harvey pekar is the little guy, and it's hard not to like him. regardless of how cantankerous he is, or how much he complains.

what i liked best were the moments involving the real-life harvey. he is so shy and confident at the same time, creating a bizarre persona that is off-putting and loveable all at once.

although paul giamatti play the part well, i walked away feeling like he played it a little over the top. or he was acting the comic version of harvey, not the living harvey. something like that. there was definitely an element that irked me a bit.

james urbaniak plays an odd robert crumb. he does kind of get the voice, though, and some of the personality. he doesn't hunch nearly enough.

it's a touching movie, all said, and harvey is a touching guy despite of his grouchiness. the way it's played out makes for good cinema.

for a look at the world of underground comics i'd still watch terry zwigoff's crumb any day, just to marvel at crumb's messed up, yet talented, family. ghost world does an ok job of looking at the outsider, too. and it's funnier than american splendor. or one could go and read some comics.

{October 06, 2003 10:00 PM}