Ghost World Rated: R for strong language and some sexual content. Runtime: 111 mins. Director: Terry Zwigoff Writer: Daniel Clowes Tagline: Accentuate the Negative. Cast: Thora Burch, Steve Buscemi, Scarlett Johansson....complete cast Genre: Drama, Indie
Most memorable quote: "He's the exact opposite of all the things I hate"
by Frank Wilkins In short, Ghost World is a teen movie following the lives of two teenagers during their final days of high school and the months following graduation. But wait, Ghost World is not just another teen movie. Ghost World is the antithesis of all teen movies that have come before it. Just as the main characters in the movie alienate themselves from the society around them, Ghost World alienates itself from other movies in the genre. If you can't appreciate this movie, at least you can enjoy Steve Buscemi's teeth or the sweetest mullet to ever appear on the big screen sported by Dave Sheridan as Doug, with his wife-beater sunburn.
Ghost World was written by Daniel Clowes, the author of the underground comic of the same name. I've never read nor seen any of his comics and I must admit that I was a bit worried before seeing this movie that I just might not "get it". Underground comic books, just like about anything else underground, can be very esoteric and sometimes, if you are not tuned into the subject matter or the genre, you can get lost very easily. This was not the case with this movie. It was easy to recognize that this was an on-screen adaptation of a graphic novel series. Many of the shots were perfectly framed, flooded in bright colors and the dialogue was delivered in short sentences typical of those little "comic book dialogue bubbles", yet the movie stands alone as a story independent of its literary namesake.
Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), two mopey high school seniors who never really fit into the mainstream high school culture, graduate and on a bout of idle mischief, pull a prank on an equally misfit Seymour (Steve Buscemi). Enid, upon noticing Seymour's geeky, loner lifestyle, becomes intrigued by him. "He's the exact opposite of all the things I hate", and Enid hates anything or anyone mainstream. We are given an endless stream of clichéd, moronic "come ons", bits of "valley girl" idle chatter and ridiculous pick-up lines by fellow graduates and former classmates. It almost makes you understand Enid and Rebecca's desperation and rebellious nature.
Eventually, Enid and Rebecca drift apart as Enid abandons her after-graduation plans, forfeits an art scholarship and becomes involved in Seymour's self-recognized, sad-sack, outcast life. Yet, wouldn't a relationship be too "mainstream" for Enid?
Like American Graffiti, Dancer, Texas and many other high school teen movies before it, it reminds you of that period in your life. Wondering what you will do next. Wondering what you will become. It works very hard at character development, and Buscemi's Seymour is worth watching the movie in itself. But unlike American Graffiti before it, Ghost World will never fit in with mainstream society. It is different, it wants to be different, and like Enid poking fun at 70's punk style, Ghost World pokes fun at modern society and makes you ask your own questions about our cliched suburban lives, complete with strip malls, coffee-shops and movie theaters.
Ghost World needs to be seen. But don't expect a plot and don't expect a typical Hollywood ending. That would be too "mainstream".
Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; deleted and alternate scenes; featurette; music video.
DVD Easter Eggs (hidden features): As with the theatrical release, if you stay tuned after the credits roll at the end of the film, you will see a hilarious alternate/outtake scene of Steve Buscemi in the Sidewinder mini-mart.
Ghost World
