Pseudo documentary (but also documentary) with some fantastically integrated voice-overs, illustrations and Real Life Depictions of underground comic dude Harvey Pekar and his more realistic writings on life. Is he a curmudgeon? What the fuck even is a curmudgeon? Ironically, if you look the word ‘curmudgeon’ up in the dictionary, you will find a picture of Harvey Pekar. No joke. Or maybe a little joke. But yeah, even despite his, uhm, more pessimistic takes, he still a good guy. 50/50 on if I’d want to have a beer with him though. Well, back then at least. Definitely a glass is half empty kinda guy, but with a gruff panache. And horrible stick-figure drawings.
Plot here is a documentary-style telling of the comic American Splendor while slyly-done mixing in what is essentially the storyboard comics of Pekar relaying real life scenarios and his being rather frustrated with things in general. Exasperated. A bit Ornery. He befriends underground comic artist Robert Crumb early on, which leads to his new creative outlet while working as a file clerk for some government office. Harvey reflects on the events as they unfold around him. This bookcases the story a bit from how he got started as a comic book writer within the underground comic scene, and naturally, how shit naturally plays out to the point where they actually make a movie about him(!).
From the opening, you get a great introduction of who Pekar is. It’s been awhile since this came out, but I think the “animated storyboard” framing utilized throughout was pretty uniquely used, at least then. Even if not, for an independent movie it’s nicely incorporated. I can’t say I’m familiar with the comic itself, the little I’ve absorbed from the era wasn’t much of Robert Crumb and the whackiness of Zap Comix. But this really put Paul Giamatti on the map for me as far as an ‘actor,’ and the secondary characters are all great here as well. Especially the Nerd Toby. It even got that guy a spot on MTV for a bit. Revenge of the Nerds, my friends. It wasn’t fiction, it was a Guidebook!
