Source: youtube.com
4. American Splendor
American Splendor is really good. And not just by the low standards for the movies we've talked about so far, this one is legitimately good.
The film is mostly a biopic about underground comix writer Harvey Pekar, following his career from its inception through to what was at that time the present day. The reason it counts for this list is that Pekar's comics were mostly autobiographical as well, making this half biopic and half straight adaptation of his own autobiographical work. And if that's not confusing enough, the real Harvey Pekar shows up and narrates. The film has fun blending real people and actors, along with animation, reminding you every single second of its own artificiality. As well, the performances are killer. Paul Giamatti gives my favorite performance of his in this, making Pekar into a real character whose struggle you can feel. Also totally underrated is Judah Friedlander, who really plays against type here and should have been given more credit for it than he was.
How Does It Compare To The Comics: it's just as introspective but way more meta. I have not read "Our Cancer Year" but I honestly think the movie as a whole is a little better than most of American Splendor, the comic.
