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Just another adaptation of a comic book to the big screen. However, unlike most other adaptations, Ghost World (not to be confused with Ghost of Mars) is not an action film in the tradition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or X-Men. No martial arts, no special effects, just a low-budget independent film with a creepy love scene. The film begins with Enid (Thora Birch from American Beauty) and Rebecca graduating from high school. Actually Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson, The Horse Whisperer) graduates and Enid learns that she has to take an art class over the summer. Anyway, Rebecca and Enid are an inseparable pair of somewhat anti-social young women who hate the world and the popular people in it. Rebecca is cute and kind of wants to fit in with society while Enid wants nothing to do with mainstream society. This conflict of interests slowly tears the two apart over the summer, despite the lifelong friendship. Enter Seymour (Steve Buscemi, 28 Days) as a 40 something loser who put an ad in the personals about a chance meeting with an attractive blonde at the airport. Enid and Rebecca call up Seymour and pretend to be that woman to get him to show up at a diner where he simply waits and waits for no one. This and several other pathetic aspects of Seymour’s life draws pity from Enid and disgust from Rebecca. Eventually Enid spends lots of time with Seymour and his vast record collection (or are they albums? Nonetheless, not a single CD). She even encourages him to date, and he then starts to date the real woman from the airport. This then slowly separates Enid from Seymour, leaving Enid alone in the world. I’ll also briefly say that her home life isn’t much better. The screenplay for the film is by Daniel Clowes, who is also responsible for the comic book. Terry Zwigoff is the director of this R rated film. Also in Ghost World are Brad Renfro (Apt Pupil), Bob Balaban, Stacey Travis, Illeana Douglas, Charles C. Stevenson, Jr., Dave Sheridan, Debra Azar, and a few others. Some have compared this movie with American Beauty, since Birch is in both, and both deal with disillusionment in America. However American Beauty is a story many suburbanites can relate to (not the killing part though), while few can really empathize with the Enid character in Ghost World. Moving on, Ghost World grew slower and less humorous as it wound down to its conclusion. Steve Buscemi is great as the lonesome, pitiful loser, but not as funny as normal, such as in Armageddon. All in all I give Ghost World six couches for the About-Movies.com rating. See ya.
Last updated: Saturday, October 28, 2006 05:37:37 PM Click Here to get back into frames.
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