American Splendor is a
2003 biopic about
Harvey Pekar, the author of the
American Splendor comic book series. It is in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize Pekar's life. It was written and directed by documentarians
Shari Springer Berman and
Robert Pulcini. It stars
Paul Giamatti as Pekar and
Hope Davis as his wife,
Joyce Brabner. However, it also features appearances from Pekar and Brabner themselves (along with
Toby Radloff), who discuss their lives, the comic books, and how it feels to be depicted onscreen by actors. It was filmed entirely on location in
Cleveland and
Lakewood in
Ohio.
Cast
Differences from comic
- In the film, the artist who illustrates Our Cancer Year is referred to as "Fred," not Frank Stack.
Responses
American Splendor won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the
Sundance Film Festival, in addition to the award for Best Adapted Screenplay from the
Writers Guild of America. At the
Cannes Film Festival in 2003, the movie received the
FIPRESCI (critics) award.
[2003 FIPRESCI award winners] It was also nominated for
Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2003
Academy Awards. The film has a 94% fresh rating of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
