Film: A Many Splendored Thing

"See this guy playing me? He doesn't look like me at all, does he?" narrates the real Harvey Pekar, as Paul Giamatti goes about Harvey's daily routine onscreen. Predicated upon the notion that ordinary life is pretty complex stuff, American Splendor chronicles the unremarkable life of Harvey Pekar, file clerk in a Cleveland V.A. hospital.

Witty and intelligent, but socially inept and unmotivated, Harvey finds himself in a minimum-wage dead-end job. Alone, depressed, angry and barely able to speak due to a growth on his vocal chords, he begins writing comic books in creative desperation. Characters include his anal-retentive boss (Earl Billings) and his border-line autistic co-worker (and genuine nerd) Toby Radloff (Judah Friedlander).

Unfortunately, Harvey's artistic abilities are confined to stick figures. Enter Robert Crumb, the legendary illustrator, who agrees to illustrate Harvey's life. The graphic novel generates a small cult following, and Harvey eventually marries his number-one fan after a whirlwind one-night courtship and a bout of food poisoning.

The film proceeds as part movie, part documentary and part highlight video. Interviews, clips, home movies and still frames form a montage of scenes from Harvey's life, interspersed with real-life footage of Harvey and company appearing on TV.

Pekar makes several appearances on Letterman in the late 80s, ostensibly to promote his comic, American Splendor. In reality, Harvey serves as the neurotic comedic foil for Letterman's routine. Oblivious for years, Harvey finally catches on to Letterman's mockery and goes berserk on-air--insulting the audience, Letterman, NBC and the world. Harvey's ranting only provokes Letterman further, and Harvey is removed from the set. "You f---ed up a good thing," says Letterman, as Harvey is escorted away.

Feeding on Harvey's fame, following his Letterman appearance, the nerdy Toby makes his own silver-screen debut. An 80s MTV spring-break promotion features Toby wearing enormous sunglasses and clumsily doing the twist. As an anonymous dork, Toby is hilarious. To an audience who knows Toby as Harvey's friend, the commecial is simply malicious.

This begs the same question of American Splendor as a whole--are we laughing with these people, or are we laughing at them? Is this a celebrity roast? A parody? A biography? Ultimately, American Splendor is a documentary of the media's exploitation of the pathetically ordinary--and a reflection of the sinister motives behind reality TV.

Can we justify public humiliation, solely to quench the voracious public thirst for vicarious voyeurism? What makes American Splendor so perplexing is that the viewers leave the theater wondering if their lives could fare any better in the manipulative hands of today's media.