IMDb > American Splendor (2003)
American Splendor
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American Splendor (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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American Splendor (2003) -- An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
American Splendor (2003) -- An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
American Splendor (2003) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   22,442 votes
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Up 70% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers (WGA):
Harvey Pekar (comic book series American Splendor) and
Joyce Brabner (comic book series Our Cancer Year) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for American Splendor on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 September 2003 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff.
Plot:
An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 28 wins & 32 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(81 articles)
Review: Dear John
 (From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 5 February 2010, 4:15 AM, PST)

Comic Heroes: Ruminations on the Move from Ink to Cinema
 (From CinemaSpy. 4 February 2010, 9:50 PM, PST)

User Reviews:
A True Super-Hero! more (213 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language.
Runtime:
101 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:

Fun Stuff

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. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In Joyce Brabner's comic book shop in Delaware, she is looking for the new issue of American Splendor, issue #8. American Splendor #8 was published in 1983. There are several promotional posters on the wall of the comics character Concrete (the black, white, and yellow ones that say "Can't find what you're looking for? Just Ask!"). The first Concrete story was not first published until 1986. (The poster wasn't released until much later.) more
Quotes:
Real Harvey: If you think reading comics about your life seems strange, try watching a play about it. God only knows how I'll feel when I see this movie. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Silenci?: (#5.6)" (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Lady Be Good more

FAQ

How does it end?
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20 out of 22 people found the following review useful.
A True Super-Hero!, 30 January 2005
10/10
Author: departed07 from United States

Throughout the years, people have read dozens of comic books: Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, The Green Latern, X-Men, Hulk, etc., looking for escape from reality, but at the same time, looking for a relation from those books. With "American Splendor" on the other hand, it's quite a different comic book. What makes it so special? It's depicting real life where it shows the character Harvey Pekar in different situations.

"American Splendor" is a comic/drama biography about the life of Harvey Pekar(Played by Paul Giamatti) in which the film plays like a comic book showing scenes that are real and fiction. Even the real Harvey makes appearances quite often in the film to talk about his life, his wife(Joyce) and everything that sort of made him the person who he is today.

Harvey Pekar can be described as one of those characters who don't seem to give a damn about the world. The reason that I root for this character is that he's the type person that lives in his own world, from not giving a crap about the incidents in the world, to not having a formal college education, to working at a dead end job where in the future, people are still laughing at him. And yet, I don't blame him. I am reminded of two other movies that had losers, but made an impact on male society: "The Big Lebowski" and "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" in which both male characters didn't have to worry about anything or go out on dates, or even pleasing society(shame on you, people).

All in All, American Splendor is a great movie. Though the film's target audience are for guys, I still encourage people to see this movie. The film also stars, Hope Davis portraying Harvey's wife, Joyce.

One of the Best Films!

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