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Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas ... see more see more... , Bob Balaban , Teri Garr , Stacey Travis , Rini Bell , Tom McGowan , Ashley Peldon , David Cross , Charles Schneider , Pat Healy , Martin Grey

Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff, who enjoyed breakthrough success with his 1994 documentary Crumb, shifts gears as he examines the lives of two young women on the verge of leaving their adolescence behind in ... read more read more...his first dramatic feature. Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) are two close friends who've just graduated from high school, and are trying to decide what to do with their lives. Enid is a dark-haired arch cynic who is tired of living at home with her ineffectual dad (Bob Balaban) and his annoyingly perky girlfriend Maxine (Teri Garr), while Rebecca is prettier and a bit cheerier, but no more certain about her future. While the two girls have vague plans of getting an apartment together, they seem content to while away their summer hanging out and indulging in their shared infatuation with Josh (Brad Renfro), a friend from school who works at a convenience store and doesn't seem to be especially attracted to either of them. Enid discovers that in order to get her diploma, she'll have to take an additional class over the summer, where she winds up studying art with Roberta (Illeana Douglas), who is determined to encourage Enid's creative impulses, whether Enid likes it or not. More significantly, Enid meets Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a geeky record collector more than twice her age, and while they would seem to have little in common (and Rebecca thinks he's a creep), Enid discovers a kindred spirit in fellow misfit Seymour, who shares her disgust with the world around them, and a relationship begins to develop between the two. Ghost World is based on the award-winning graphic novel by comic artist Daniel Clowes, who also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

81% liked it

67,878 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

148 critics

R, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Terry Zwigoff

Release Date: July 20, 2001

Keywords: little, teen

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DVD Release Date: February 5, 2002

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Stats: 4,763 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,763)

  • danperry17
    March 1, 2012
    danperry17
    Very little like anything I've ever seen before, and a charming exploration of what makes a dork - or a hipster, today - and what we should want out of life. The setting of the film seems to be inconsistent - is this a small-town, a mid-sized city, or what? - but the tone is well... read more-struck, even better than in later imitators like Napoleon Dynamite and Juno. I confess to having not read the graphic novel on which it's based, but from the film, for the life of me, I couldn't glean what the title meant. I'd have given it another half-star if I'd managed that. Perfectly cast - Thora Birch in particular - and strangely enchanting, Ghost World is a winner, and hasn't lost any of its relevance 10 years later. See this film.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    February 21, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "I can't relate to 99% of humanity."

    Enid and Rebecca are social outsiders who, after graduating from high school, play a mean prank on a middle-aged geek.

    REVIEW

    A really terrific female comi... read moreng-of-age film that stars Thora Birch (fresh off "American Beauty") and newcomer (at the time) Scarlett Johannson as two high school friends who discover that the ties that bind when you're sixteen don't necessarily translate to the adult world. Both girls relish their dead-pan, us-against-the-world senses of humor and their shared belief that everyone but them is dumb or square or both. But tensions arise when Johannson gets a job, starts thinking about her future and matures generally, while Birch begins to feel more and more stuck, still mad at the world but increasingly bothered by the fact that she doesn't have a place in it. The thing I liked most about the film is that it doesn't pass judgement on either girl. It doesn't try to make us dislike Johannson for "selling out" and it doesn't make a hero out of Birch for her alternative chic. Instead, it addresses frankly the tricky job of developing an adult personality whether or not you're ready to do so. Steve Buscemi does nice work as a middle-aged geek whom the girls are a little too quick to label.
  • fb100002359227440
    November 1, 2011
    fb100002359227440
    A really good screenplay, with a black and deadpan comedy. Captivating picture, that make me identify with the characters.
  • ScoopOnline
    October 6, 2011
    ScoopOnline
    First of all I didnt know this Movie is based upon a Comic.
    I just dont know how to describe this Movie. The other reviewers have already said what I think.

    The End Scene with the Bus was really interesting.

    Bizarre but in a sort of natural way. The Girls were totally great... read more as well, especially Thora Birch.
    BUT in a twisted kind of way I enjoyed the character of Steve Buscemi

    It was refreshing to see a guy having a Job, and a NONE SERIEL KILLER but an outsider sort of lives in his own world and admits to be an outsider. The Character FASCINATED ME SO BADLY.

    Well lets admit in every of us there this "Spiny thingy waiting to be discovered"
  • MizturY0da
    June 19, 2011
    MizturY0da
    four stars
  • 3niR
    March 19, 2011
    3niR
    Totally overrated.
  • garyX
    March 6, 2011
    garyX
    Two friends endure the trials and tribulations of high school graduation. Based on an indie comic book, Ghost World is one of those self-consciously "cool" character studies that almost bursts a blood vessel in its attempt to be effortlessly quirky. The main character played by T... read morehora Birch is one of those "offbeat" heroines with a teen angst hatred of the world, but like people like that, she is also a bit like a black hole of self superior snideyness that kind of makes you want to slap her. The few laughs there are come from the supporting cast, including an amusingly observed new age art teacher and especially the nunchuck wielding redneck whose brief appearances basically steal the entire film. Steve Buscemi is easily the most sympathetic character and within him lies an interesting message about the sacrifices and compromises we all must make to relate to other people, but I couldn't help feeling that the film was making me do all the hard work. Not an offensive watch, but the experience of seeing this film felt a bit like a non event.
  • BEACHBUNNI
    February 19, 2011
    BEACHBUNNI
    Ghost World follows the story of two teens, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) during that scary, post-high school graduation time of life as they try to make their way ....
    i think Its quite witty and well acted and has a creative original story~! i did find my... read moreself laughing in some parts~! A great deal of the credit for the power of the movie must be given to the actors,though,as Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson are outstanding in the way they bring life to these characters.
  • middleeasternfilms
    November 10, 2010
    middleeasternfilms
    Recent high school graduates Enid and Becky's friendship is in trouble when a prank played on a lonely middle-aged man (played wonderfully by Steve Buscemi) instead causes Enid to develop a friendship with him. The two friends soon drift apart as Enid becomes more and more involv... read moreed with him as Becky continues looking further into adult life. Great acting all around in this quirky and unusual comedy.
  • FrizzDrop
    July 31, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    Great adaptation from the graphic novel.

View All Ghost World Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ken Eisner
July 7, 2010
Ken Eisner, Variety

By sharp turns poignant, disturbing and hysterically funny. Full Review

Joe Baltake
August 31, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

It has qualities -- a ferocious wit and a youthful snap and savvy -- that can make it irresistible to sophisticated older moviegoers and intelligent teenagers alike. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
August 31, 2001
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Never predictable, this movie is often hilarious as well as touching, subtly adapting the mise en scene of Clowes's original without being fancy or obtrusive about it. Full Review

Tom Long
August 24, 2001
Tom Long, Detroit News

A touching study of alienation that comes with no easy answers or excuses for those who cannot seem to connect in life. Full Review

Terry Lawson
August 24, 2001
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

[Zwigoff] has elicited remarkable performances. Full Review

Paul Tatara
August 20, 2001
Paul Tatara, CNN.com

Give this weirdly humanitarian picture a try, and don't be surprised if you find yourself smiling through the bummer. Full Review

Jay Boyar
August 17, 2001
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

A darkly funny musing on junior-division misanthropy and, easily, the summer's best film about teen life.

Eric Harrison
August 17, 2001
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

Graced by numerous wonderful and amusing touches, and boasts sterling performances by Birch and Buscemi. Full Review

Philip Wuntch
August 16, 2001
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News

Riveting, hilarious and poignant. Full Review

Jay Carr
August 9, 2001
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

In her need for affection, in her need to be taken seriously, Enid is poignant without ever being cloying.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Seymour: Well, I have to admit that things are really starting to look up for me since my life turned to shit.
    • Enid: We graduated high school. How totally amazing.
  • Daniel Clowes: The Ghost World comic book author and screenwriter plays one of the customers in the porno shop.
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Ghost World Trivia

  • In her earlier days, she was in Eight Legged Freaks, Ghost World, and Home Alone 3 .. who is the actress?  Answer »
  • In the movie Ghost World, what color does Enid dye her hair for a day?  Answer »
  • What movie uses the following tag line "They're here to save the world?"  Answer »
  • Name the now famous actress who starred with Thora Birch in 'Ghost World'  Answer »
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