American Splendor
Comedy
Warner Bros.  (2003) 101 mins NR

7.7 (19,620 votes)
Ordinary Life is Pretty Complex Stuff

American Splendor is the story of a little-known working-class everyman, and first-class curmudgeon, Harvey Pekar. Pekar finds love, family and a creative voice through the underground comic books he creates, but still can't manage to find the quicker supermarket checkout line. Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff.

Pekar, played by Paul Giamatti, is a frustrated file clerk at a V.A. Hospital, but also a comic book fan who befriends the young illustrator Robert Crumb and is soon inspired to create comic books based on his own life, entitled American Splendor. Along the bumpy journey, he meets, marries and falls for Joyce, an admiring comic book seller, played by Hope Davis.

Also appearing in the movie are the real Harvey and Joyce, comic book renderings of the couple and cameos by some of Harvey's...

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Cast and Crew
Hope Davis  ...... 
Paul Giamatti  ......  Harvey Pekar
Chris Ambrose  ......  Superman
Joey Krajcar  ......  Batman
Josh Hutcherson  ......  Robin
Cameron Carter  ......  Green Lantern
Director  .....  Shari Springer Berman; Robert Pulcini
Producer  .....  Lamia Guellati; Julia King; Ted Hope
Writer  .....  Harvey Pekar; Joyce Brabner
Notes
Goofs:
Factual errors: 38m00s into the DVD, there's a girl and a guy working in a comic store arguing about saving one issue aside for her whereas he sold all of them. Behind her are comics in protective covers, but standing upright on the wall on very thin shelves. A real comic store would affix the bags at the top edge, hanging them on the wall so that gravity doesn't cause the comics to "limp" and sag. (more)

Trivia:
All of the "white room" documentary scenes were filmed in one day. (more)

Filming Locations:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA (more)

Quotes:
Harvey Pekar: You don't have any problems with moving to Cleveland?
Joyce Brabner: Not really. I find most American cities to be depressing in the same way.
Harvey Pekar: And you're OK with the vasectomy thing?
(more)

Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 28 wins & 31 nominations (more)