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Laramie Movie Scope:
Ghost World

Artful teenage and middle age angst

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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December 2, 2001 -- "Ghost World" is an off-beat black comedy about the pain of intelligent people trying to live in a world that they seem ill-suited to cope with. The film is both funny and poignant.

Thora Birch stars as Enid, a malcontent who is not as sour as the character she played in "American Beauty." In this film she displays an impressive range of emotions. After graduating from high school she decides not to go to college, but can't seem to decide anything else. Her plan is to get an apartment with her friend, Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson of "The Man Who Wasn't There"). In order to rent an apartment, you have to have an income, hence, a job. When you have a job, you are not free to speak your mind, Enid discovers to her dismay.

Rebecca deals, Enid doesn't. She looks for another way to cope. One of the little pranks Rebecca and Enid pull is to answer a classified ad placed by a lonely, middle-aged man named Seymore (Steve Buscemi of "Domestic Disturbance"). They watch while Seymore waits for the date who never arrives. Enid feels sorry or Seymore, and ends up trying to arrange dates for him. The two develop an unlikely friendship. Rebecca gradually drops out of the picture.

This is one of those character-driven films where nothing really happens. Enid and Seymore bumble along, trying to cope with the disappointments of everyday life. Enid can't make up her mind what to do, while Seymore keeps trying to find a relationship. We get to know Enid and Seymore better than we get to know 95 percent of the characters in most films, but we still don't know what makes them tick. There are some dead end subplots involving a politically-correct feminist art instructor, Roberta Allsworth (Illeana Douglas of "Stir of Echoes"), a would-be boyfriend, Josh (Brad Renfro of "Apt Pupil"), a would-be girlfriend, Enid's father, (Bob Balaban of "The Majestic") getting back together with Enid's hated stepmother, Maxine (Teri Garr of "Tootsie").

As you can tell from the above, the story is weak. After all, it is based on a comic book, adapted by the author, Daniel Clowes and director Terry Zwigoff. If you are looking for a film that does not have a conventional story with a conventional ending, this might just fill the bill. Although the story is weak (it even resorts to a strange deus ex machina plot device to resolve things) and somewhat bleak, I think this film is enjoyable because the characters are so interesting and so loaded with human frailties and foiables. Enid would be insufferable except that she has a layer of kindness and vulnerability under that cold, aristocratic surface. Seymore is a loser, but a delightful one. A spine of dignity keeps him from caving in to conformist pressures. He seems to be a non-conformist almost in spite of himself.

Both Buscemi and Birch are wonderful in their performances here. This is Birch's best work ever. Buscemi's character is so well-articulated that you feel you've known this guy for years. Also good is Tom McGowan as Seymore's friend, Joe. It is a minor supporting role, but McGowan takes full advantage of every second of screen time. Balaban does a fine job portraying Enid's doofus father. Dave Sheridan shines as Doug, the convenience store kung-fu nut. Director Terry Zwigoff does a fine job with the material. By the way, Buscemi has a certain physical resemblance to the star of Zwigoff's previous film "Crumb." This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2001 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)