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American Splendor Review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 5.0
    90

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Universal acclaim
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 100

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    American Splendor presents Pekar as drawn on the page, Pekar as brilliantly interpreted by Paul Giamatti, and the actual Pekar, in the double role of narrator and interview subject -- sometimes all at once. The magic act is thrilling, and truly surprising.

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  • 100

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    This film is delightful in the way it finds its own way to tell its own story. There was no model to draw on, but Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who wrote and directed it, have made a great film by trusting to Pekar's artistic credo.

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  • 100

    out of 100

    USA Today Mike Clark

    Produced by HBO but too good not to play theaters, this soon-to-be minor classic is the best movie about society's untrendiest since "Ghost World" exactly two years ago.

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  • 100

    out of 100

    Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

    Pirandello didn't have a patch on its complexities. Here's a popular entertainment with an eclectic soundtrack raising penetrating questions of identity in astonishing sequences that interweave live action with comic-book art.

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  • 80

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Manohla Dargis

    Biographies of living people are tricky if for no other reason than a biographer can sometimes feel protective of his or her subject. Berman and Pulcini obviously adore Pekar, but by not getting out of his head more often and taking him on his own harsh terms, they blow the chance to dig as deep as the source.

    Read Full Review

  • 80

    out of 100

    The New York Times A.O. Scott

    There's as much at stake in the hilarious, moody and cantankerous film adaptation of "Splendor" as there was in this summer's other movies of comic-book antiheroes like "The Hulk" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

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  • 90

    out of 100

    Variety Scott Foundas

    Sad, tender, wise and beautiful film... It's a profound tribute to lives lived on the fringes of society -- to the introspective loners who are the most observant chroniclers of our times.

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  • 90

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

    It's an extraordinary film.

    Read Full Review

  • See all American Splendor reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 15+

Earthy, gritty and real; for older kids.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie's rating is based on language. There are some sexual references and inexplicit sexual situations. Some viewers may find the unhappiness and dysfunction in the movie disturbing.

  • Families can talk about why such an intelligent and perceptive man created this kind of life for himself. What was it that appealed to him about the file clerk job? Why did he confront David Letterman? What makes Pekar happy?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: Not an issue

What to watch for
  • violence false0

    Violence: Illness and unhappiness.

  • sex false3

    Sex: Some sexual references and inexplicit sexual situations.

  • language false3

    Language: Some strong language.

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue

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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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