Paul Giamatti,
Hope Davis,
Harvey Pekar,
Shari Springer Berman,
James Urbaniak
... see more 
The documentary directing team of Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman makes their narrative feature debut with the biographical comedy drama American Splendor. Harvey Pekar (Paul Giamatti) is a c... read more
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Release Date: August 15, 2003
DVD Release Date: February 3, 2004
Stats: 2,320 reviews
'American Splendor'. What a brilliantly ambitious film, with its merging of documentary and adapted comic screenplay! Surely up there with the best comic book to film adaptations of all time.
Harvey Pekar is a wonderfully rich character, and I kept watching it thinking of him as... read more
Its awesome, fun, and charming. Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. This film exploits that and creates a truly original film.
Real Harvey: If you think reading comics about your life seems strange, try watching a play about it. God only knows how I'll feel when I see this movie.
"Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff."
American Splendor is a very inventive and original biography. The movie jumps thro... read more
I am a great fan of Harvey Pekar and was excited when I first sat down to watch this hand made bio-pic of the legendary comic book character. I think the casting could have been stronger, but aside from that the construction of this film is of the highest quality. As one of the m... read more
American Splendor is like early age hipster or something - it's totally meaningless and self indulgent, nihilistic, and depressing to boot.
A funny and unique little independent with AMAZING performances from Giamatti and Friedlander. Both actors just disappear into their respective rolls.
It's time the world took Paul Giamatti seriously. Girls, Ladies, Gay Men - he's more than just eye-candy. The guy's got talent.
"Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff."
An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.REVIEW
Excellent comedy/drama/autobiography/comic... read more
We're constantly kept on our toes regarding issues of representation while Pekar's sour but indefatigible working-class skepticism carries us along. Full Review
It would be a mistake to regard American Splendor as an anthem for the common man. It is the uncommon that is being celebrated here. Full Review
If Harvey Pekar is a brilliant oddity so is the movie that tells his story.
Pulcini and Berman have inventively rethought the notion of the biopic, and the results are audacious. Full Review
The kind of movie that sticks with you for days, your admiration growing each time you remember it. Full Review
An audacious mix of documentary, animation, comic and staged film that somehow finds heart and hope in the gray wash of a real life.
Codirectors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who have three traditional documentaries on their resume, do a good job of keeping the various Harveys and Joyces from bumping into each other. Full Review
Wildly original and entertaining.
As touching as it is achingly, hilariously prickly. Full Review
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