Information
| Year: | 2003 |
| Rating: | 7.6(23654) |
| Listed in: | Biography, Comedy, Drama |
| Directed by: | Shari Springer Berman Robert Pulcini |
| Actors: | Chris Ambrose Joey Krajcar Josh Hutcherson Cameron Carter Daniel Tay Mary Faktor |
| "Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff." | |
Cast
| Directed by | |
|---|---|
| Shari Springer Berman | |
| Robert Pulcini | |
| Actors | |
| Chris Ambrose | as Superman |
| Joey Krajcar | as Batman |
| Josh Hutcherson | as Robin |
| Cameron Carter | as Green Lantern |
| Daniel Tay | as Young Harvey |
| Paul Giamatti | as Harvey Pekar |
| Harvey Pekar | as Real Harvey |
| Larry John Meyers | as Throat Doctor |
| Earl Billings | as Mr. Boats |
| Danny Hoch | as Marty |
| James Urbaniak | as Robert Crumb |
| Eli Ganias | as Pahls |
| Nick Baxter | as Mattress Guy #1 |
| Allen Branstein | as Mattress Guy #2 |
| Dick Prochaska | as WW II Patient |
| Charles Eduardos | as Doctor |
| Judah Friedlander | as Toby Radloff |
| Robert Pulcini | as Bob The Director |
| Toby Radloff | as Real Toby |
| Mike Rad | as Rand |
| Donal Logue | as Stage Actor Harvey |
| Eytan Mirsky | as Guitarist |
| Rob Grader | as Stage Manager |
| Terrence Sullivan | as Letterman Regular |
| Ebon Moss-Bachrach | as MTV Director |
| Patrick Lafferty | as Yuppie |
| Jesse Perez | as Miguel |
| Jeff Peters | as Talk Show Host |
| Robert J. Williams | as Cancer Doctor |
| James McCaffrey | as Fred |
| Jason Stevens | as Letterman Regular Voice |
| Todd Cummings | as Talk Show Host Voice |
| Cody Cover | as Boy at Candy Machine |
| Marcus Wynnycky | as Comic Book Fan |
| Actresses | |
| Mary Faktor | as Housewife |
| Shari Springer Berman | as Interviewer |
| Vivienne Benesch | as Lana |
| Barbara Brown | as Nurse |
| Sylvia Kauders | as Old Jewish Lady |
| Rebecca Borger | as Cashier |
| Bianca Santos | as Counter Girl |
| Maggie Moore | as Alice Quinn |
| Hope Davis | as Joyce Brabner |
| Amy K. Harmon | as Cheery Waitress |
| Joyce Brabner | as Real Joyce |
| Molly Shannon | as Stage Actor Joyce |
| Ola Creston | as PA #1 |
| Madylin Sweeten | as Danielle |
| Danielle Batone | as Real Danielle |
Movie info
| Languages: | English |
| Gross: |
USA - 716,971 USD (24 August 2003) UK - 306,630 GBP (11 January 2004) Netherlands - 9,193 EUR (4 July 2004) |
| Plot: | Harvey Pekar is file clerk at the local VA hospital. His interactions with his co-workers offer some relief from the monotony, and their discussions encompass everything from music to the decline of American culture to new flavors of jellybeans and life itself. At home, Harvey fills his days with reading, writing and listening to jazz. His apartment is filled with thousands of books and LPs, and he regularly scours Cleveland's thrift stores and garage sales for more, savoring the rare joy of a 25-cent find. It is at one of these junk sales that Harvey meets Robert Crumb, a greeting card artist and music enthusiast. When, years later, Crumb finds international success for his underground comics, the idea that comic books can be a valid art form for adults inspires Harvey to write his own brand of comic book. An admirer of naturalist writers like Theodore Dreiser, Harvey makes his American Splendor a truthful, unsentimental record of his working-class life, a warts-and-all self portrait. First published in 1976, the comic earns Harvey cult fame throughout the 1980s and eventually leads him to the sardonic Joyce Barber, a partner in a Delaware comic book store who end ups being Harvey's true soul mate as they experience the bizarre byproducts of Harvey's cult celebrity stature. |
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Original Soundtracks
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"Paniots Nine" (1963) Written by Peter Dolger Performed by Joe Maneri Courtesy of Avant Records "Stardust" (1929) (Published as "Star Dust") Music by Hoagy Carmichael Lyrics by Mitchell Parish Performed by Dizzy Gillespie Courtesy of Savoy Records and June St Entertainment "Soul Power" Written by Captain Performed by Captain Courtesy of Killer Tracks "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" (1979) Written by Rupert Holmes Performed by Rupert Holmes Courtesy of MCA Records Under license from Universal Music Enterprises "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (1930) Music by Jimmy McHugh Lyrics by Dorothy Fields Performed by Lester Young & The Oscar Peterson Trio Courtesy of the Verve Music Group Under license from Universal Music Enterprises "Hula Medley" Traditional Performed by R. Crumb And His Cheap Suit Serenaders Courtesy of Shanachie Entertainment Corp. "Chasin' Rainbows" (1976) Written by Dallas String Band Performed by R. Crumb And His Cheap Suit Serenaders Courtesy of Shanachie Entertainment Corp. "American Splendor" (2003) Written by Eytan Mirsky Performed by Eytan Mirsky "Lady Be Good" (1924) (Published as "Oh, Lady Be Good!") Music by George Gershwin (as George) Lyrics by Ira Gershwin Performed by Dizzy Gillespie Courtesy of Savoy Records and June St Entertainment "Blue Devil Jump" (1977) (Also known as "Blue Devil's Jump") Written by Paul Quinichette Performed by Jay McShann Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp. By Arrangement with Warner Special Products "Big Ed" (2000) Written by Mark Cherrie Performed by Mark Cherrie Courtesy of Opus One "Taint Nobody's Bizness (If I Do)" (1923) Written by Everett Robbins and Porter Grainger Performed by Jay McShann Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp. By Arrangement with Warner Special Products "Silent Morning" (1987) Written by Noel Pagan Performed by Noel Pagan (as Noel) Courtesy of the Island Def Jam Music Group Under license from Universal Music Enterprises "Ain't That Peculiar" (1965) Written by Bobby Rogers (as Robert Rogers), Smokey Robinson (as William Robinson Jr.), Marvin Tarplin and Warren Moore Performed by Marvin Gaye Courtesy of Motown Records Under license from Universal Music Enterprises "All Black and White" Written by Clair Marlo and Alexander Baker (as Alexander 'Ace' Baker) Performed by Studio Musicians Courtesy of FirstCom Music, Inc. "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time" (1920) (Published as "Apple Blossom Time") Music by Albert von Tilzer Lyrics by Neville Fleeson (as Neville Flesson) Performed by The Andrews Sisters Courtesy of MCA Records Under license from Universal Music Enterprises "My City Was Gone" (1982) Written by Chrissie Hynde Performed by The Pretenders Courtesy of Warner Music U.K. Ltd. By Arrangement with Warner Special Products "My Favorite Things" (1959) Music by Richard Rodgers Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Performed by John Coltrane Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp. By Arrangement with Warner Special Products "Know Your Rights" (1982) Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones Performed by The Clash Courtesy of Epic Records/Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd. By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing "Ain't That Peculiar" (1965) Written by Bobby Rogers (as Robert Rogers), Smokey Robinson (as William Robinson Jr.), Marvin Tarplin and Warren Moore Performed by Chocolate Genius Courtesy of V2 Records, Inc. "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" (uncredited) Traditonal Sung a cappella by Toby Radloff |
Goofs
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DATE: Joyce Brabner comes by train from Delaware to Cleveland to meet Harvey Pekar in 1984. However, the Genesis engine shown pulling the train did not enter Amtrak's fleet until 1993, and the Amtrak logo on the engine is the post-Acela version (2000). DATE: In the establishing Manhattan skyline shot before one of the David Letterman sequences, what was then (the 1980s) the Pan Am building is shown with its current "Met Life" signs (which didn't replace the "Pan Am" signs until 1992) shining from the top. DATE: The sign outside the hospital where Harvey works refers to the "Department of Veterans Affairs". The "Veterans Administration" did not become the Department of Veterans Affairs until 1989. Continuity: When the real Harvey Pekar is recording his voice-over, someone fills his "orange soda" to the top of his glass. When he picks it up, there is less than half a glass of soda. DATE: When Joyce Brabner is running through her personality disorder diagnoses, before she says her "delusions of grandeur" line, we see the phone and an open Fruit Cup near it. The scene is set in the 1980s, and the plastic fruit cups weren't on store shelves until the late-'90s or early 2000s. DATE: In Joyce Brabner's comic book shop in Delaware, she is looking for the new issue of American Splendor, issue #8. American Splendor #8 was published in 1983. There are several promotional posters on the wall of the comics character Concrete (the black, white, and yellow ones that say "Can't find what you're looking for? Just Ask!"). The first Concrete story was not first published until 1986. (The poster wasn't released until much later.) DATE: The red and white Ohio license plate on Toby's station wagon was actually in use during the years of 1976-1979. Since he was going to see Revenge of the Nerds (1984), the correct Ohio license plate would have been blue lettering on a white background which was issued during 1980-1984. DATE: The opening of the movie is set in 1975. During the opening credits, there is a scene that has CSX freight cars in the background. The CSX corporations was formed in 1980, five years later. Continuity: During the scene in Shay's restaurant, the level of the soda in Harvey Pekar's cup fluctuates between half full and completely full at least twice. Continuity: The exterior front of the comic book store shows a wooden structure with windows that reach about half way up the height of the building and a wooden door with a glass section in it. The interior view shows glass extending from the ceiling to the floor and no wooden door. Fact errors: The circumstances of the Pekars adopting Danielle were fabricated for the film. Among other things, Frank Stack (the artist who helped Joyce put together "Our Cancer Year") is not Danielle's biological father. CHAR: When Harvey Pekar forgets his keys and cannot get into the apartment, the elderly woman opens the door for him. When he closes the door behind him, it bounces off the frame and doesn't latch shut. |
Quotes
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Harvey Pekar: Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. Robert Crumb: You turned yourself into a comic hero? Harvey Pekar: Sorta, yeah. But no idealized shit. No phony bullshit. The real thing, y'know? Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. Joyce Brabner: Why does everything in my life have to be such a complicated disaster? [When meeting Joyce for the first time] Harvey Pekar: You might as well know right off the bat, I had a vasectomy. Joyce Brabner: I'm a self-diagnosed anemic. Harvey Pekar: Wow, you're a sick woman. Joyce Brabner: Not yet, but I expect to be. [During Harvey & Joyce's first date] Joyce Brabner: I think we should skip the whole courtship thing and just get married. Toby Radloff: You might want to try believing in something bigger than yourself. It might cheer you up. Real Harvey: I felt more alone that week than any. Sometimes I'd feel a body lying next to me like an amputee feels a phantom limb. All I did was think about Jennie Gerhardt and Alice Quinn and all the decades of people I had known. The more I thought, the more I felt like crying. Life seemed so sweet and so sad, and so hard to let go of in the end. But hey, man, every day is a brand new deal, right? Just keep on working and something's bound to turn up. Joyce Brabner: Harvey, may I have a glass of water and an aspirin? Harvey Pekar: Why, do you have a headache? Joyce Brabner: No, but I want to avoid getting one. Toby Radloff: I consider myself a nerd. Harvey Pekar: What movie could be worth driving 260 miles round trip for? Toby Radloff: It's a new film called Revenge of the Nerds. It's about a group of nerd college students who are being picked on all the time by the jocks. So they decide to take revenge. Harvey Pekar: So what you're saying is, you identify with those nerds. Toby Radloff: Yes. I consider myself a nerd. And this movie has uplifted me. There's this one scene, where a nerd grabs the microphone during a pep rally and announces that he is a nerd and that he is proud of it and stands up for the rights of other nerds. Harvey Pekar: Right on. Toby Radloff: Then he asks all the kids at the pep rally who think they are nerds to come forward, so nearly everybody in the place does. That's the way the movie ends. Harvey Pekar: Uhhmmm, so the nerds won, huh? Toby Radloff: Yes. Harvey Pekar: All right. Wow, well you know, you got this movie and I'm getting hitched. We both had a good month, huh? Toby Radloff: Right. 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? Real Harvey: [the real Harvey Pekar introduces his on-screen character] OK. This guy here, he's our man, all grown up and going nowhere. Although he's a pretty scholarly cat, he never got much of a formal education. For the most part, he's lived in shit neighborhoods, held shit jobs, and he's now knee-deep into a disastrous second marriage. So, if you're the kind of person looking for romance or escapism or some fantasy figure to save the day... guess what? You've got the wrong movie. 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. Danielle: I think I'm going to write my own comic. Harvey Pekar: Oh yeah? What about? Danielle: I'm not sure yet, but not about you. I think you have enough already. Real Toby: [looking at jellybeans on a tray] I think one might be lime. One might be like mint. Real Harvey: Well, what's the difference between this and this? Real Toby: One's cherry, one's cinnamon. Real Harvey: You can tell that by just looking at them? Real Toby: Not me. I have to put it in my mouth first. Real Toby: So, how do you cope with loneliness, Harvey? Real Harvey: Uh, did I say I watch television? Real Toby: Yeah. You mentioned you watch TV, you listen to your jazz records, you read, you write. You do your stick figures so you could plan for your next comic book. Real Harvey: Yeah. Real Toby: 'Cause I've seen many of your stick figures and that seems to be pretty interesting. Real Harvey: Yeah. Real Toby: [looks at a jellybean tray] Mmm, chocolate jelly beans. I'm going to have to try one. Harvey Pekar: My name is Harvey Pekar - that's an unusual name - Harvey Pekar. 1960 was the year I got my first apartment and my first phone book. Now imagine my surprise when I looked up my name and saw that in addition to me, another Harvey Pekar was listed. Now I was listed as "Harvey L. Pekar", my middle name is Lawrence, and he was listed as "Harvey Pekar" therefore his was a - was a pure listing. Then in the '70s, I noticed that a third Harvey Pekar was listed in the phone book, now this filled me with curiousity. How can there be three people with such an unusual name in the world, let alone in one city? Then one day, a person I work with, expressed her sympathy with me, concerning what she thought, was the death of my father, and she pointed out an obituary notice in the newspaper for a man named Harvey Pekar. And one of his sons was named Harvey. And these were the other Harvey Pekar's. And six months later, Harvey Pekar Jr. died. And although I've met neither man, I was filled with sadness, 'what were they like?', I thought, it seemed that our lives had been linked in some indefineable way. But the story does not end there, for two years later, another 'Harvey Pekar' appeared in the phone book. Who are these people? Where do they come from? What do they do? What's in a name? Who is "Harvey Pekar"? Mattress Guy #1: So is the girl smart? Mattress Guy #2: Well, I guess she's about average. Mattress Guy #1: Average! Man, average is dumb! Harvey Pekar: So... what are you worried about then? Joyce Brabner: Well, it's the way... it's the way all the different artists draw you. Harvey Pekar: What? Joyce Brabner: You know, I don't really know what to expect. Sometimes you look like a younger Brando... but then the way Crumb draws you, you look... like a hairy ape, with all these wavy, stinky lines undulating off your body. I don't really know what to expect. Harvey Pekar: No, those are motion lines. I'm an active guy! Toby Radloff: How long are you going to be in Delaware? Because I'd really like to see this movie with you. Harvey Pekar: I don't know. I'll be gone about a week. But I'm getting married, so I'll have to bring her along too. Is it a girl flick? Toby Radloff: Depends on the girl. Is your new bride a nerd? Harvey Pekar: I don't know. Kinda. Yeah. She's in to herbal tea. Real Harvey: [introducing on-screen character] Here's our man. Yeah, all right. Here's me. Well, the guy playin' me anyway. Even though he don't look nothin' like me. But, whatever. Harvey Pekar: [looking at himself in the mirror] Well, there's a reliable disappointment. Toby Radloff: I'm not going to be eating dinner until very late and this has got to hold me over. Harvey Pekar: Yeah? Whaddya got? A church function? Toby Radloff: No. I'm driving to Toledo to see a movie. Wouldya like to come? Harvey Pekar: No. Nah. I'm goin to Delaware tonight. I'm getting married. Toby Radloff: Oh. Why Delaware? Harvey Pekar: Well, you know, chick I'm marryin' is from Wilmington. Plus I gotta help her move her stuff back here. Why are you driving to Toledo to see a movie, Tob'? Toby Radloff: It's not playing at the Mapletown. I didn't know you had a girlfriend Harvey. Harvey Pekar: Yeah, yeah. We met last week. Real Joyce: See, I thought I was marrying somebody with a sense of humor. Real Harvey: I guess I fooled you. Joyce Brabner: We are going to get through this. I understand illness. I know how to handle these things. |
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