American Splendor

American Splendor Information

American Splendor is a 2003 American biographical comedy-drama film about Harvey Pekar, the author of the American Splendor comic book series. The film is also in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize Pekar's life. The film was written and directed by documentarians Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who share writing credit with Pekar and his wife, Joyce Brabner.

The film stars Paul Giamatti as Pekar and Hope Davis as 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

Paul Giamatti as Harvey Pekar
Hope Davis as Joyce Brabner
Judah Friedlander as Toby Radloff
James Urbaniak as Robert Crumb
Harvey Pekar as himself
Joyce Brabner as herself
Toby Radloff as himself
Josh Hutcherson as Robin
Gregory Budgett, an artist for American Splendor Magazine walk on as The Extra, who asked Harvey Pekar for his autograph at the book signing scene (in a leather jacket)
Eytan Mirsky as The Guitarist

Reception

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 2003 Cannes Film Festival, the film received the FIPRESCI (critics) award. 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.

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 other Allen films.

Pekar wrote about the effects of the film in American Splendor: Our Movie Year.

Awards and nominations

Won

Boston Society of Film Critics

Best Screenplay (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

Chicago Film Critics Association

Most Promising Filmmaker (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

Chlotrudis Awards

Best Adapted Screenplay (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Best Film
Best Screenplay (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

National Society of Film Critics

Best Film
Best Screenplay (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

New York Film Critics Circle

Best Actress (Davis)
Best First Film

Writers Guild of America (WGA)

Best Screenplay – Adapted (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

Nominated

Academy Awards

Best Screenplay – Adapted (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics

Grand Prix

Chicago Film Critics Association

Best Actor (Giamatti)
Best Actress (Davis)
Best Film
Best Screenplay (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

Chlotrudis Awards

Best Movie
Best Director (Pulcini and Springer Berman)
Best Actor (Giamatti)
Best Supporting Actress (Davis)

Golden Globe Awards

Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (Davis)

Satellite Awards

Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Giamatti)
Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Davis)
Best Director (Pulcini and Springer Berman)
Best Film – Musical or Comedy
Best Screenplay – Adapted (Pulcini and Springer Berman)

This webpage uses material from the Wikipedia article "American_Splendor_%28film%29" and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Reality TV World is not responsible for any errors or omissions the Wikipedia article may contain.

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