Ghost World

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Buy from Amazon.com</A>  <IMG SRC="dfc78590.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="89" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005T30L/reelmoviecriticc">Buy DVD from Amazon.com</A>  </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Ghost World ***1/2 ( R )</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 ><NOBR><div> Persevere with faith, hope and above all, a sense of humor</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Enid: Thora Birch</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Rebecca: Scarlett Johnansson</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Seymour: Steve Buscemi</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Josh: Brad Renfro</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Roberta: Illeana Douglas</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Enid's Dad: Bob Balaban</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Graduation Speaker: Rini Bell</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Director: Terry Zwigoff</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: When two best girlfriends graduate from high school, they learn that their plans for the future may not have as much in common as they thought.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johnansson) are such good friends that one can finish the other's sentences. After graduating from high school, they plan on getting an apartment together. Problems start to develop when Rebecca finds a job, which she is able to maintain, while Enid, who has to take a summer art class to get her diploma, seems to lose jobs faster than she can get them. Rebecca is ready to move on but is Enid?</div> <bR> <div> Enid does not have a case of arrested development but her situation could turn into that. Answering a "lonely hearts" ad, she draws loner and misfit Seymour (Steve Buscemi) out to a diner as a joke, and watches as he waits at the counter for a date that never comes. Enid later learns that Seymour, a guy about forty, is stuck in the past. He has not had a date in years and his love life is his record collection of old 78's, which he sells and trades at a small flea market. </div> <bR> <div> Although Josh (Brad Renfro) is a likable young guy who Enid could be interested in, she ends up developing a strange attraction to someone she sees as a dork, Seymour. Her relationship at home is strained as she and her father (Bob Balaban) talk to each other without <I>anyone</I> listening. The thought of his old girlfriend moving back into the house is enough to make Enid seriously consider moving out. Since that was supposedly her plan anyway, this should not be an issue. But thinking about it and doing what one needs to do to have an apartment are two different things. </div> <bR> <div> Enid's salvation is the art class she takes during the summer so that she can graduate. The art teacher Roberta (Illeana Douglas) sees the latent talent in her and provides encouragement for her to not only draw, but to use art to make political commentary. </div> <bR> <div> Rebecca seems to know where she is headed and how to get there. Enid and Seymour are doing some heavy-duty data processing of facts and emotions and with a little luck, just might get on track.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: For those of you familiar with the raw edged comic book by Daniel Clowes, the tone of the characters will immediately settle in for you. For newcomers such as myself, I was able to get the feel of the satire and the deprecating humor during the opening of the film at the graduation exercise. The graduation speaker (Rini Bell) brought laughs to some others at the screening I attended because she was speaking in a corny way and had a medical apparatus on her head as if it was simply a piece of body jewelry. As the camera pulls back to take in more of the room, we see that she is in a wheelchair and as we learn, it is because of an automobile accident involving drinking and drugs. She tells the audience that she has been able to make it through a difficult period because she has"…faith, hope and above all a sense of humor." She is thankful that additional people were not hurt and encourages others to learn from her experience. Later that evening at a graduation dance, we see that our speaker, who has no use of her arms, has a boyfriend give her a swig of whiskey from a ½ pint bottle. So much for lessons learned.</div> <bR> <div> Often a repressed, impassive man, like Seymour, is shown as being a sexual pervert or deviant. Here, Seymour has just never learned to move on in his life. Enid is at a crossroads of choosing a path of progress like Rebecca or stagnation like Seymour. </div> <bR> <div> After high school is a time in life when you start making decisions without as much input from parents, friends and loved ones. Heck, even people you don't love or even those who don't like you may be your best influence. A combination of facts and assumptions are processed that determine decisions you make that will affect you the rest of your life. <I>Ghost World</I> is not your typical high school movie with airhead relationships. It's funny and satirical while showing us what growing up is really about.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> R (strong language and some sexual content)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> To order available books by Daniel Clowes directly, visit <A HREF="http://www.fantagraphics.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fantagraphics.com"><U>www.fantagraphics.com.</U></A> </div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 ><NOBR><div> Thora Birch: <I><B>American Beauty</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Scarlett Johnansson: The Horse Whisperer</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="286"><div> Steve Buscemi: <A HREF="id1046.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within"><U><I><B>Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within</B></I></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Brad Renfro: <I><B>Bully</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Illeana Douglas: <I><B>Pluto Nash</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Bob Balaban: <A HREF="id619.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Best In Show"><U><I><B>Best in Show</B></I></U></A><A HREF="id619.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Best In Show"><U> </U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Rini Bell: <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bring It On"><U><I><B>Bring it On</B></I></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Terry Zwigoff: Crumb</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>