Wonkette Movie Night: American Splendor

Harvey Pekar.

In the underground comic American Splendor, Harvey Pekar wrote of his life as a file clerk in a hospital and his troubled marriage. American Splendor utilized the artistic talents of several illustrators starting with the distinctive style of R. Crumb. He also became a very popular guest on “Late Night With David Letterman.”

American Splendor (the movie) is a documentary/dramedy hybrid where the comic book characters interact with the real world, including narrations by the real life Harvey Pekar; with his gruff voice, he appears very much as the ink on paper version of himself.

I recently moved to Cleveland and in my roaming the neighborhood discovered that Harvey Pekar holds an important place in the hearts of Clevelanders.

American Splendor stars Harvey Pekar, Paul Giamatti, Robert Pulcini, Joyce Brabner, Shari Springer Berman, Hope Davis, Josh Hutcherson, Judah Friedlander, Donal Logue, and Molly Shannon. Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.

American Splendor is available with subscription on Max and Hulu. $3.99 in the usual places. For free on the Internet Archive (with Spanish subtitles). Free on YouTube.

To make requests and see the movie lists and schedules go to WonkMovie.

The animated short is The Beauty directed by Pascal Schelbli and produced by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH.

Our next Movie Night selection is Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day.

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