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American Splendor is a 2003 American biographical comedy-drama film about Harvey Pekar, the author of the American Splendor comic book series. The film, which is a hybrid production featuring live actors, documentary, and animation, is in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize Pekar s life. American Splendor was written and directed by documentarians Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.
The film stars Paul Giamatti as Pekar and Hope Davis as Joyce Brabner. It also features appearances from Pekar and Brabner themselves (along with Pekar s long-time co-worker 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.
Plot
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This article s plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (April 2022)
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The film opens in the year 1950. It s Halloween and an 11-year-old Harvey Pekar refuses to dress up as a superhero while trick-or-treating. The scene shifts to an adult Harvey (Paul Giamatti), walking the gritty Cleveland streets. Then real Harvey Pekar appears in a documentary-style setup.
The narrative picks up again in 1975, as a scratchy-voiced Harvey visits a throat doctor and exhibits hypochondria. Harvey s wife decides their plebeian lifestyle just isn t working for her anymore; without being able to speak, Harvey is powerless to convince her not to leave him. A few months later, a depressed Harvey is at his file clerk job at the VA hospital. Mr. Boats (Earl Billings) comes by to offer advice: the words of an Elinor Wylie poem.
In a documentary scene, the real Harvey Pekar talks about his years as a part-time used-record collector/salesman. The narrative flashes back to 1962. While searching for old records at a yard sale, Harvey meets shy greeting card illustrator Robert Crumb (James Urbaniak). A friendship is formed over a shared love of jazz and comic books.
Returning to 1975, a now famous Crumb is back in Cleveland for a visit. His marriage over, Harvey is lonely and frustrated — he wants to leave a mark on the world. Afterward, a sobering moment in the VA hospital s deceased files section leads Harvey to try drawing his own stories, but his lack of drawing talent stops him. An incident at the supermarket revives him, as his animated subconscious goads him: Are you going to stand there in silence, or are you going to make a mark? Inspired, Harvey stays up all night writing. At a diner with Crumb, Harv makes a pitch for a new kind of comics. He shows Bob the scripts he s been working on, and Crumb offers to illustrate them for him.
A montage of classic Pekar quotidian moments culminates with Harvey proudly showing off American Splendor #1 to his VA co-workers. The narrative moves forward to 1984. Harvey has published eight issues of American Splendor to critical acclaim but little financial gain; he s still a flunky file clerk. Harvey runs into Alice Quinn (Maggie Moore), a woman he briefly knew in college. They catch up on each other s lives and talk about Theodore Dreiser s novel Jennie Gerhardt. Harvey leaves their encounter feeling more alone than ever before.
Meanwhile, in Delaware, Joyce (Hope Davis) is frustrated with her partner in the comic book store, who has sold her copy of American Splendor #8 out from under her. She writes to Harvey, he responds, and they discover they are kindred spirits. Joyce travels to Cleveland to meet Harvey in person. The date begins with a handshake and dinner at a local family restaurant. Back at Harvey s apartment, Joyce is overcome with a bout of nausea and vomiting. A concerned Harvey offers her chamomile tea. Charmed, Joyce suggests they skip the whole courtship thing and get married.
It s one week later, and Harvey sees his VA colleague Toby Radloff (Judah Friedlander) sitting in his car eating White Castle sliders. Toby is on his way to Toledo to see the new movie Revenge of the Nerds. Meanwhile, Harvey is on his way to Delaware to marry Joyce and help her move out to Cleveland.
Sitting alongside the real Harvey, the real Joyce Brabner talks about what it was like to become a character in Harvey s stories.
Now married, Harvey and Joyce go to a screening of Revenge of the Nerds with Toby. Joyce and Toby found the film inspiring, and Harvey found it insipid. Back at their apartment, Joyce struggles with feeling at home amidst all of Harvey s stuff. Their spat is interrupted by a message from a theater producer who wants to make American Splendor into a play. Harvey and Joyce travel to Los Angeles to see American Splendor: The Play. Things are finally breaking Harvey s way. But his ascendancy is complicated by Joyce s emotional struggles. She wants a family. Her desires are put aside again because a producer calls to offer Harvey a chance to be a guest on Late Night with David Letterman.
Almost despite himself, Harvey is a hit on the show and comes back for multiple appearances. Meanwhile, Toby becomes an MTV star. Back in Cleveland, a man recognizes Harvey from the Letterman show, but not for the right reasons. Harvey is angry and unfulfilled. Meanwhile, Joyce is looking for fulfillment of her own, as a creator and as an activist. Against Harvey s wishes, she goes away to a peace conference, leaving him at loose ends. One lonely night, Harvey discovers a mysterious lump on his groin.
Joyce is still away on her mission, and a scared and bitter Harvey makes another appearance on the Letterman show. He dons an On Strike Against NBC shirt and the show goes downhill from there, winding up in chaos. Joyce finally returns, but she discovers Harvey s lump. Harvey is diagnosed with lymphoma. Joyce suggest he make a comic book of the whole thing, but Harvey just wants to die. Undeterred, Joyce enlists Fred, an artist, to illustrate the experience. Fred brings along his daughter Danielle on their first brainstorming session, and Joyce is smitten with the girl. Harvey reluctantly agrees to participate in the comic, and asks Fred to keep bringing Danielle along.
Harvey s treatment is traumatic and tumultuous. One night, an addled Harvey wonders if he s real or if he is just a character in a comic book, and whether the story will end or continue if he dies. In one continuous take, Harvey wanders through a dreamscape, musing about other individuals he finds in the Cleveland telephone book that are also named Harvey Pekar.
One year later, Harvey and Joyce sign the completed Our Cancer Year. Harvey is declared cancer-free. They adopt Danielle, and Harvey adjusts to being a parent. The real Harvey retires from the VA hospital, and the movie ends with a group hug.
Cast
- Paul Giamatti as Harvey Pekar Daniel Tay as young Harvey Donal Logue as stage actor Harvey
- Daniel Tay as young Harvey
- Donal Logue as stage actor Harvey
- Hope Davis as Joyce Brabner Molly Shannon as stage actor Joyce
- Molly Shannon as stage actor Joyce
- Judah Friedlander as Toby Radloff
- James Urbaniak as Robert Crumb
- Harvey Pekar as himself
- Joyce Brabner as herself
- Toby Radloff as himself
- Earl Billings as Mr. Boats
- Maggie Moore as Alice Quinn
- James McCaffrey as Fred
- Madylin Sweeten as Danielle
- Gary Dumm (a long-time illustrator for American Splendor) as The Extra (in a suede jacket), who asks Pekar for his autograph in the Our Cancer Year book-signing scene
- Eytan Mirsky as The Guitarist
- Josh Hutcherson as Kid dressed as Robin (his first feature film appearance)
- Chris Ambrose as kid dressed as Superman
- Shari Springer Berman (voice) as Interviewer
- Robert Pulcini as Bob the director
Production
The film was originally intended to be screened on HBO. The script was written before the September 11 attacks, was cast right afterward, and shot in about a month in the fall of 2001.
Though Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini had directed documentaries before, American Splendor was their first narrative feature. Of the film s alternating of fictional portrayals with real-life appearances by Pekar and his friends and family, co-writer/co-director Pulcini recalled, It really was the only way that made sense to tell that story because we were handed this stack of comic strips where the main character never really looks the same because he’s drawn by so many different artists. We wondered how to stay true to the material, and that’s the concept we came up with. The structure came out of that very naturally. It wasn’t something that we labored over. Berman added that upon meeting Pekar they felt compelled to include him in the film. We also got to know Harvey even before we wrote the screenplay. We actually went to Cleveland and spent time with Harvey and Joyce, and spoke to them on the phone a lot. Once we spent some time with both of them, we were like, Oh my God, we have to put them in the movie! That was a case where we were still using our documentary instincts and had to figure out a way to include him in it that was a natural fit for the material.
At one point, Pekar meta-references the structure of the film by doing a voice-over for a one-shot of Paul Giamatti playing him by saying There s our guy. Well, it s me. Or the guy playing me. Though he don t look nothing like me, but whatever. (Pekar and Brabner had been approached previously by actors interested in playing Pekar on film, including Rob Schneider.)
David Letterman refused to appear in the film, and his old network of NBC did not allow the filmmakers to use footage of Pekar s disastrous fourth and sixth appearances on Late Night (aired July 31, 1987 and August 31, 1988, respectively), though they had no problems with the other Pekar appearances that are shown in the film. The supposed final appearance was done using oblique camera angles and a voiced-over audio of the incident. (In actuality, Pekar returned for two more appearances on the Letterman show in 1993 & 1994.)
The film s original production budget was $1.5 million, and as the film was coming together, HBO gave the filmmakers more money for post-production, animation, and music.
Music
Mark Suozzo wrote the film s score.
Music played in the film mostly reflects Pekar s affection for avant-garde jazz and American music from the 1920s and 1930s. A couple of songs by American Splendor illustrator Robert Crumb and his band are also featured.
The American Splendor (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was released by New Line Records in 2003, and featured the following songs:
The following songs are also played — in whole, or in part — during the film:
- Soul Power — Captain
- Big Ed — Mark Cherrie
- Know Your Rights — The Clash
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song) — Rupert Holmes
- American Splendor — Eytan Mirsky
- Silent Morning — Noel
- All Black and White — written by Clair Marlo & Alexander Ace Baker
- I ll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time — The Andrews Sisters
- My City Was Gone — The Pretenders
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 94% rating based on reviews from 186 critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website s critical consensus reads, Exhilarating both stylistically and for its entertaining, moving portrayal of an everyman, American Splendor is a portrait of a true underground original. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100, based on 42 reviews, indicating universal acclaim.
Roger Ebert awarded the film four stars out of four in his review, calling it a magnificently audacious movie, in which fact and fiction sometimes coexist in the same frame. He remarked the casting of Giamatti and Davis is perfect , writing that they mastered not only the looks but the feels and even the souls of these two people , as well as praising Friedlander s performance. He also found the film delightful in the way it finds its own way to tell its own story , describing its presentation as mesmerizing in the way it lures us into the daily hopes and fears of this Cleveland family.
American Splendor won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, in addition to the award for Best Adapted Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. At the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, the film received the FIPRESCI critics award. American Splendor was given the Guardian New Directors Award at the 2003 Edinburgh International Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2003 Academy Awards.
Columnist Jaime Wolf wrote a laudatory review of the film in Slate, also drawing attention to formal parallels with Woody Allen s Annie Hall and his other films.
Harvey Pekar wrote about the effects of the film in various stories published in American Splendor: Our Movie Year (2004).
Accolades
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Nominated | |
| American Film Institute Awards | Movie of the Year | American Splendor | Won | |
| Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Nominated | |
| Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics | Grand Prix | American Splendor | Nominated | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Screenplay | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | |
| Cannes Film Festival | FIPRESCI Prize (Un Certain Regard) | American Splendor | Won | |
| Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Screenplay, Adapted | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Hope Davis | Nominated | ||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Filmmaker | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | |
| Best Actor | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Hope Davis | Nominated | ||
| Best Film | American Splendor | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Nominated | ||
| Chlotrudis Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | |
| Best Movie | American Splendor | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Hope Davis | Nominated | ||
| Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Russell Smith Award | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | |
| Best Actor | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | ||
| Best Picture | American Splendor | Nominated | ||
| Deauville American Film Festival | Critics Award (Prix de la Critique Internationale) | American Splendor | Won | |
| Grand Special Prize | American Splendor | Nominated | ||
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | Guardian New Directors Award | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Pauline Kael Breakout Award | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | |
| Ghent International Film Festival | Grand Prix | American Splendor | Nominated | |
| Gijón International Film Festival | Best Feature | American Splendor | Nominated | |
| Gold Derby Awards | Adapted Screenplay | American Splendor | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Hope Davis | Nominated | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | Best Voice Over | Harvey Pekar | Nominated | |
| Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Director Award | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Won | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best Film | American Splendor | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Nominated | ||
| Best Male Lead | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Male | Judah Friedlander | Nominated | ||
| Best Screeplay | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Nominated | ||
| International Online Cinema Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics Circle | Screenwriter of the Year | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Film | American Splendor | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | ||
| Montréal Comedy Festival Just for Laughs | Festival Prize | American Splendor | Won | |
| National Board of Review | Breakthrough Performance by an Actor | Paul Giamatti | Won | |
| Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | ||
| National Society of Film Critics | Best Film | American Splendor | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won | ||
| New York Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Hope Davis | Won | |
| Best First Film | American Splendor | Won | ||
| Online Film & Television Association | Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Nominated | |
| Best First Screenplay | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Nominated | ||
| Best Titles Sequence | American Splendor | Nominated | ||
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Breakthrough Filmmaker | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Won | |
| Best Actor | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | ||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Nominated | ||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | Hope Davis | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Nominated | ||
| Best Film Editing | Robert Pulcini | Nominated | ||
| Best Use of Previously Published or Recorded Music | American Splendor | Nominated | ||
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | Best Screenplay, Adapted | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Won | |
| São Paulo International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | American Splendor | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | |
| Best Actress — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Hope Davis | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Nominated | ||
| Best Film — Musical or Comedy | American Splendor | Nominated | ||
| Best Screeplay — Adapted | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Nominated | ||
| Seattle Film Critics Awards | Best Picture | American Splendor | Won | |
| Best Actress | Hope Davis | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | ||
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards | Best Picture | American Splendor | Nominated | |
| Sundance Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize Dramatic | American Splendor | Won | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association Awards | Best First Feature | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Won | |
| Village Voice Film Poll | Best Screenplay | Springer Berman and Pulcini | Won | |
| Best Film | American Splendor | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance | Paul Giamatti | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Performance | Hope Davis | Nominated | ||
| Writers Guild of America Award | Best Screenplay — Adapted | Pulcini and Springer Berman | Won |
| Year | 2003 |
| ReleaseDate | 2003-09-12 |
| RuntimeMins | 101 |
| RuntimeStr | 1h 41min |
| Plot | An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar. |
| Awards | Nominated for 1 Oscar, 31 wins & 50 nominations total |
| Directors | Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini |
| Writers | Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, Shari Springer Berman |
| Stars | Paul Giamatti, Shari Springer Berman, Harvey Pekar |
| Produced by | Declan Baldwin,Ted Hope,Julia King,Christine K. Walker |
| Music by | Mark Suozzo |
| Cinematography by | Terry Stacey |
| Film Editing by | Robert Pulcini |
| Casting By | Ann Goulder |
| Production Design by | Thérèse DePrez |
| Art Direction by | Michael Krantz |
| Set Decoration by | Robert DeSue |
| Costume Design by | Michael Wilkinson |
| Makeup Department | Luisa Abel,Deanna,Deborah Lilly,Kathy Madison |
| Production Management | Janet Fries Eckholm,Chip Signore,Andy Wheeler,Pamela Winn-Barnett |
| Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | Eric Richard Lasko,Matt G. Sheets,Chip Signore,Meryl Stavitz |
| Art Department | Doug Allen,Greg Budgett,John Alan Champion,Robert Crumb,Gary Dumm,Jack Gardener,Jason Gerstein,Mindy Harris,Dean Haspiel,Matt Hausmann,Todd Heckeler,Kenneth J. Kellers,Lynn Kramer,Donald Leigl,Dustin Lucien,Dean Macur,Shaina Malkin,Deborah Marsh,David W. Mooney,Beth O Brien,Mike O Neill,Erika Rice,Joe Sacco,Gerry Shamray,Frank Stack,Tema L. Staig,Diana Stoughton,Matthew T.,James E. Todd,Joe Zabel,Mark Zingarelli |
| Sound Department | Ron Bochar,Mick Davies,Chris Fielder,Albert Gasser,Ruth Hernandez,George A. Lara,Whit Norris,Jay Peck,Anne Pope,Nicholas Renbeck,Jeffrey Stern,Allan Zaleski,Alexa Zimmerman,Rick Ash,Jamie Baker,Glen Marullo,Unsun Song |
| Visual Effects by | John Kuramoto,Gary Leib,Patrick Clancey,John R. Ellis,Steven J. Scott,Michael J. Williams |
| Camera and Electrical Department | Ian Axilrod,Ian Carmody,Oliver Cary,Joe Cassano,John Clifford,Chuck Cocita,Kiely Cronin,Steve Drellich,Alex Esber,Dan Jarrell,Matthew Jennings,Julie Doc Lindstrom,Alex Mangen,Joseph L. McDermott,George McDougal,Frank McKeon,Pat Meehan,Jonathan Meyer,Keith Nickoson,Lester Parker,Steve Ramsey,Christy Taddeo,Michael F. Taylor,John Turk,Adam N. White,Russell Wulff,Jack Yager,Ron Zabarsky,Rebecca Venezia |
| Casting Department | Elizabeth Baird,Sarah Katherine Christie,Kendall Embrescia,Marcy Ronen |
| Costume and Wardrobe Department | Kim Andrews,Robin K Fields,Murshel Lewis,Sarah Silver,Adrienne Brown,Ashley Harrington |
| Editorial Department | Alfredo Frasson,Mitchell Gutman,Linus Hume,Julia King,Catherine Rankin,Tim Streeto,Mila Patriki,Andrew Seklir |
| Location Management | Jeremy Bailey,Joe Cortese,Michael Rochford,Becky Woodward |
| Music Department | Sanford Allen,John Beal,Linda Cohen,Dave Douglas,Butch Jones,Evyen Klean,Bob Malach,Josh Rosenblum,Derek Smith,Ted Spencer,Dale Stuckenbruck,Mark Suozzo,Ronnie Zito,Jamie Baker,Claire Marlo |
| Script and Continuity Department | Michael Taylor |
| Transportation Department | Wayne Conway,Cheryl Dennis,Tom McCue,Russ A. Minerd,Larry Spencer,Roman Wlaszyn,Andy Bethke |
| Additional Crew | William Ball,Andy Bethke,Chad Bronson,Brian Cantaldi,Alison Cohen,Paula Collins,Rob Fegen,Janell Fletcher,Jennifer Zolten Freed,Jason Gerstein,Elisabeth Giglio,Lamia Guellati,Jason Cooper Hall,Virginia M. Herdman,Derrick Kardos,Billy Lalor,Robert Langhorst,David Lemoyne,Sara Lieberth,Eric Muss-Barnes,Ginny Nugent,Jen O Neal,Chris Petro II,Ryan Polack,Amanda L. Preputnik,Elizabeth Rohrbaugh,Michael Santeramo,Melinka Thompson-Godoy,Lesley Ward,Devon Zeigler,Brian Dickson,Jason Cooper Hall,Kelly Lofstrom,Charles Moore,Rebecca Thornell,Daniel Villagomez,Andy Wheeler |
| Thanks | Norman Barr,Jude Brennan,Paul Brennan,Bernt Amadeus Capra,Chris Carmody,Debra Greico,Wayne Alan Harold,Robert Katz,Walt Kelly,Anne Kuenzel,Matthew D. Loeb,Lewis Payton,Carla Raij,Alicia Sams,Adam Shulman,Mary Jane Skalski,Pam Smith,Jim Stark,Vince Waldron |
| Genres | Biography, Comedy, Drama |
| Companies | Good Machine, Dark Horse Entertainment |
| Countries | USA |
| Languages | English |
| ContentRating | R |
| ImDbRating | 7.4 |
| ImDbRatingVotes | 50187 |
| MetacriticRating | 90 |
| Keywords | comic book,robert crumb,1980s,dark horse comics,husband wife relationship |