Ghost World (2001)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Terry Zwigoff

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Clowes (comic book)
Daniel Clowes (written by) ...

Release Date:

18 October 2001 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Accentuate the negative.

Plot:

Enid and Rebecca are social outsiders who, after graduating from high school, play a mean prank on a middle-aged geek.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Friend | Art Class | Graduation | Record Collector

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 24 wins & 27 nominations

Cast

Thora Birch	...	Enid
Scarlett Johansson	...	Rebecca
Steve Buscemi	...	Seymour
Brad Renfro	...	Josh
Illeana Douglas	...	Roberta Allsworth
Bob Balaban	...	Enid's Dad
Stacey Travis	...	Dana
Charles C. Stevenson Jr.	...	Norman
Dave Sheridan	...	Doug
Tom McGowan	...	Joe
Debra Azar	...	Melora
Brian George	...	Sidewinder Boss
Pat Healy	...	John Ellis
Rini Bell	...	Graduation Speaker
T.J. Thyne	...	Todd

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #37596)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Advanced Medien

Trivia:

This was the first film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay based on a Graphic Novel or Comic Book.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Enid is dying her hair brown, her hair goes from having one piece in her face to a big piece stuck to her face to being neatly to the sides, between shots without her touching it.

Quotes:

Reggae Fan: You guys up for some reggae tonight?

Movie Connections:

References Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Soundtrack:

A Smile and a Ribbon

This is a fine, fine film.

I guess different people can extract different meanings from GHOST WORLD and all nail exactly why it was made. For me, it was the chronicle of that small group of people who don't, and probably never will, quite fit into this world. They're here on the fringes though, just existing in their own parallel universe, or their own "ghost world." Though it sounds depressing, this film is hardly a downer, it's full of humor, satire and acute observations on life. The overall production is excellent (the brightness and colors in the photography, costumes and sets is stunning)... plus it pulls off the impossible by successfully steering toward dead-on seriousness near the conclusion to drive it's point across.

It begins at graduation with Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), two very perceptive high school outcasts who see right through the facade of their juvenile peers and want nothing to do with it. For Rebecca this self-ostracizing is just a passing phasing, but for Enid you get the strong impression this is going to always be her way of life. It's not that she doesn't get it, it's that she's doesn't understand IT or people or the games of life. There's a brief emotional turning point for Enid when a cruel practical joke backfires and she becomes involved with the target, the nerdy and very sardonic Seymour (Steve Buscemi), who may just be the kindred spirit Enid was looking for. The shared scenes between Enid and Seymour, though doomed to take a bad turn, are handled with tenderness by the director and actors and are quite memorable and touching.

Highlights are an excellent scene in a blues club that just about nails the American outlook on life and our lack of reverence and the ones in Enid's remedial art class, with the most misguided and pretentious teacher (Illeana Douglas) you could imagine. The girls are wonderful, and Steve Buscemi was unfairly overlooked at awards time (big shocker). Anyway, he's never been this good before. The fact this premise, these ideas and these original and interesting characters came from a comic book makes me realize I've completely overlooked the artistic possibilities within that medium.