The real life of an absolute nobody is not the most obvious subject for entertainment. Taking that life and turning it into a comic, less so. But that’s what happened to Harvey Pekar.
Trying to leave his mark on the world somehow, he decided to turn his everyday life into a comic called American Splendor, under the auspice that “ordinary life is pretty complicated stuff”.
Now we have the film of the man of the comic of the man.
Pekar is played perfectly by Paul Giamatta. It is, however, a difficult task to make the average man look more interesting than he is.
Ultimately, the film is mediocre, with a few interesting moments. Perhaps it’s best that way; a true reflection of Harvey’s life.