I'll have to admit it: this movie was THE movie I was waiting for all summer. There were others that I was merely curious about -- would the second X-men movie live up to the promise of the original? Would "Daredevil" soar -- or crash?
I had hopes and fears concerning this one. I had been reading Harvey Pekar's comics for about 20 years. A nameless, faceless fan was raving over the book at a SF/comic book convention and I took the chance and bought a few of the issues. I was hooked. I would haunt the conventions and comic stores tracking them down. Along the way I got to see Harvey in person several times.
I knew that it would be a huge challenge to make a cohesive film out of the book. The comic book is filled with items ranging from one page to a whole book.
Most of the material comes from one story, though. "Our Cancer Year" was the book that Harvey and his wife Joyce wrote together. They start out by using some of the shorter material to introduce the major characters and relationships. But the story of Harvey's battle with cancer drives the last half of the film.
Throughout the film we get to see the real Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner. Then you realize how dead-on Paul Giamatti's portrayal of the "famous crank" (as Jon Stewart put it on "The Daily Show") really is.
This is a wonderful movie backed up by some great acting. The way in which the comic book format of the original stories is incorporated into the film is seamless and inspired.
For those who only remember Harvey from his appearances on the David Letterman show, those incidents are in here: both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Some of them have Giamatti doing Pekar's half of the confrontation and at least one had the actual Harvey.
All in all, a wonderful melding of life and art. It was the first film that I've attended this year where I went "I've gotta get the DVD when it comes out!" I loved it and you will, too.
Ten stars
I had hopes and fears concerning this one. I had been reading Harvey Pekar's comics for about 20 years. A nameless, faceless fan was raving over the book at a SF/comic book convention and I took the chance and bought a few of the issues. I was hooked. I would haunt the conventions and comic stores tracking them down. Along the way I got to see Harvey in person several times.
I knew that it would be a huge challenge to make a cohesive film out of the book. The comic book is filled with items ranging from one page to a whole book.
Most of the material comes from one story, though. "Our Cancer Year" was the book that Harvey and his wife Joyce wrote together. They start out by using some of the shorter material to introduce the major characters and relationships. But the story of Harvey's battle with cancer drives the last half of the film.
Throughout the film we get to see the real Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner. Then you realize how dead-on Paul Giamatti's portrayal of the "famous crank" (as Jon Stewart put it on "The Daily Show") really is.
This is a wonderful movie backed up by some great acting. The way in which the comic book format of the original stories is incorporated into the film is seamless and inspired.
For those who only remember Harvey from his appearances on the David Letterman show, those incidents are in here: both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Some of them have Giamatti doing Pekar's half of the confrontation and at least one had the actual Harvey.
All in all, a wonderful melding of life and art. It was the first film that I've attended this year where I went "I've gotta get the DVD when it comes out!" I loved it and you will, too.
Ten stars
