Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Something's wrong with me. I loved the GHOST WORLD script. I love Terry Zwigoff's CRUMB. I love the work of Daniel Clowes. I hear nothing but raves about GHOST WORLD as it plays a few limited dates right now, getting ready for a wider roll out in the weeks ahead. Still, I haven't gone. I need to get my ass in a theater and see this thing as soon as possible, and based on these two reviews, so do you...
First up is our own OttoMaddox...
Hi AICN,
OttoMaddox here. You know, anyone who says that all the summer movies suck simply just hasn't seen GHOST WORLD. But then again, MGM hasn't opened it wide, like they should. I had to go to Pipers Alley in Chicago to go watch this movie, and I'm glad I did. Personally, I think people should seek this movie out. And if you haven't heard of it already, SHAME ON YOU.
Anyway, here's a review I typed up for it. I hope it at least makes some of you want to go see it...
GHOST WORLD
You know, I don’t want to build GHOST WORLD up too much, but I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that it’s easily the best film of the summer and the year. That statement may come as odd to some people, given that GHOST WORLD is a movie based upon an underground comic book. But it’s a brilliant film that also happens to be based on an equally brilliant source. No superheroes or action sequences are to be found in GHOST WORLD, but instead humans in an ordinary environment who themselves are anything but ordinary.
The film mostly follows the path of Enid Coleslaw (Thora Birch), an incredibly cynical and foul-mouthed 18-year-old girl, through the months after her graduation from high school. But Enid hasn’t officially graduated; she still has to take an art class taught by a pretentious flake (hilariously played by Illeana Douglas) that thinks art must always make a statement. Meanwhile, Enid tries to continue her friendship with her best pal Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), who wants to realize their childhood dream of not going to college and moving in together in an apartment.
Not too anxious about that, Enid instead finds herself drawn to the middle-aged Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a nerd who collects records and other items. Seymour was originally was the target of a prank of Enid and Rebecca’s, but after Enid sees him, she’s immediately fascinated by and attracted to him. Both for his sarcasm, his rejection of anything modern, and his tendency to collect, making him almost a male version of Enid. She tries to get him dates, and when Seymour hooks up with Dana (Stacey Travis), a woman who doesn’t understand Laurel and Hardy movies ("Why does the fat one have to get mad at the skinny one?"), things begin to fall apart for Enid.
What happens from there is hilarious, sad, and often times exhilarating. In my opinion, GHOST WORLD is a beautiful movie about outcasts and how they live their lives, and it also might be the best movie about teenagers I’ve ever seen, being far closer to Wes Anderson’s brilliant RUSHMORE than to AMERICAN PIE. And while the character of Enid is often very funny, she’s also portrayed as mean and quite cruel, which I was very happy the filmmakers weren’t afraid to do.
The direction by Terry Zwigoff, who directed the wonderful documentary CRUMB, is quite masterful, particularly in the handling of his actors. The script by Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes (who did the comic book) is also excellent, and I was surprised to see how good it was especially when it deviated from the comic book (about half the movie is the comic book, while the other half feels new). The real reason, however, to see GHOST WORLD, is the two performances, by Birch and Buscemi.
While Birch was excellent in AMERICAN BEAUTY, it’s here that she really shines as Enid, coming off as just flat-out amazing. There is no justice in the world if she doesn’t get an Oscar nomination. Some have compared her Enid to the titular character of the MTV show DARIA (which Clowes thinks ripped him off), I’d say that her portrayal is miles ahead of that. Never does Enid come off as a cartoon character during the course of the film. While Enid is cynical, Birch makes her far more human, tangible, and always sympathetic.
As for Buscemi, I think it’s here that we see a side of him that we often don’t see much of. Often times, he plays offbeat characters in movies, but here as Seymour, he’s uncomfortable, uptight, bitter, but also funny, sympathetic, and touching as nerd Seymour. I always believed him and never stopped enjoying watching him or Birch, especially in their scenes together.
As for the rest of the cast, I thought Johansson was quite good as Rebecca, while I thought Brad Renfro was underused as Josh, the girls’ friend who they love to torment. I also liked Bob Balaban as Enid’s father, and David Cross’ cameo as a lecherous creep that attends a party Seymour throws for record collectors.
The only misstep that I felt was taken during GHOST WORLD was in the film’s ending, which comes off as a tad abrupt, even though I liked how it closed things (or maybe left them open) and the direction it sent its characters in. But still, GHOST WORLD is a wonderful and incredible movie that everyone should seek out and enjoy. And if you do, make sure you stay after the end credits to enjoy a little surprise the filmmakers have thrown in for you, involving Buscemi.
Anyway, that's it. Take care, and have an adult day!
OttoMaddox
Then there's Charmless Man's compact but equally passionate contribution...
Hi-ooo.
Charmless Man here.
First submission to this fine, fine page.
Welp, I just returned from a beautiful old theater in the University district in Seattle where I caught a fun little flick called Ghost World, the latest effort from Thora Birch of American Beauty, and director Terry Zwigoff (Crumb). I did a search on AICN for this movie, and didn't see enough about it, so here ya go!
This is a coming of age movie, but not in typical, American Pie, stye. This is a story of boundaries, and what happens when you cross them. What happens is almost never what you expect. We've all been walking down a street with some friends when one of them points out an oddity, and whimsically muses, "What if...". You say, "So do it." You all laugh and promptly forget. This movie examines what happens when your friend says, "OK!" and goes over to talk to the crazy guy on the bus bench.
Thora Birch delivers a dead on performance as the young woman who has spent too much time commenting on the world, and not enough time living in it. Steve Buschemi is the tired older man who has been beaten down by life, and has retreated into his own world with few surprises. The rest of the cast are all amazing, with particuar nods to Dave Sheridan as the overzealous redneck with a KILLER mullet, Bob Balaban as Thora's single father with equal parts love for his daughter and fear of her womanhood, and Illeana Dougas as the art teacher who misses the beauty of art, but instead, searches for the deep signifigance in high school art projects.
Unlike the typical tripe hitting the theaters for the summer teen romp market, this movie makes you FEEL. You feel for the characters. You feel with the characters. You feel like the characters. This, in my opinion, is the mark of a truly great movie. Plus, well, Thora SUCH a cutie!
All in all, FANTASTIC movie. Definite recommendation. Search it out. See it. Love it!!!
Charmless Man
"Moriarty" out.
