This is one somewhat strange but vastly entertaining movie about the life and work of comic book cult writer Harvey Pekar and his underground comic named "American Splendor".  The movie doesn't just star Paul Giamatti in the main role of Pekar, but Harvey Pekar himself narrates the film and also has scenes playing his real self, talking not only about his life but even about this same movie being made about his life.  Sounds strange?  All I can say is this vastly original stylish film works.  Anybody who enjoyed the film Crumb about that comic book genius will like this one as well.  It actually turns out that Pekar and Crumb were friends with Crumb doing much of the sketch work of Pekar's stories for American Splendor.  Even some of the movie is done in animation.

      Pekar works as a file clerk in a hospital and after meeting comic book creator R. Crumb, gets the idea of creating a comic book about his ordinary life.  Crumb thinks his stories and narratives so good that he offers to illustrate the frames. Pekar is a guy with low self-esteem, has loud outbursts when he loses his temper, and who has an obsessive/compulsive personality.  Sometime after his latest wife leaves him, Pekar meets Joyce (played marvelously by Hope Davis) and somehow these two troubled individuals fall in love and get married. The film deals mostly with their marriage, Pekar's bout with cancer, and his attempts to promote and sell his comic book.  Pekar actually becomes a cult guest on the David Letterman show and the film contains actually footage of some of his appearances.  We also meet Pekar's very weird friend Toby who one day decides to drive several hundred miles to see the movie Revenge of the Nerds because he thinks it is an actual calling to all the nerdy people like himself out there in the world.

      The style of this film is something I have never seen in movies before.  It contains actors playing real people as well as the real people themselves.  The film mixes in animation of some of these people as well, and the story bounces seamlessly back and forward between all these scenarios. There is also a lot of good music from the 70's and 80's.  The films takes it's time developing and establishing this Pekar character so that the audience learns exactly what kind of man he is.

      There is some excellent acting done in this film.  Giamatti really takes over this role as this compulsive and at times lonely file clerk/comic book writer.  All the mannerisms and facial expressions that Giamatti displays as Pekar are right on the mark and you just have to think that this is the real Pekar, even though Giamatti and the real Pekar don't look that much alike.  Giamatti really puts on an entertaining show playing this character and it's hard to take your eyes off of him when he is on screen.  Hope Davis is just perfect as his strange but supportive wife who seems to spend most of her time sleeping or searching for something meaningful to do with her life. Judah Friedlander as the very strange and nerdy Toby could be seen as a totally unreal and over-the-top character if you didn't find out in the film that this is exactly how the real Toby acts.

      So here is another small 2003 film that  that I can highly recommend.  This would be a great movie to see as a double feature with the movie Crumb.  Both films are fascinating and interesting by revealing how these neurotic and strange people become comic book geniuses.  It would not surprise me in the least if both Giamatti and Davis get Academy Award nominations for their roles in this film.