Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff
An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
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Character
Prestige, contemplative, character-led and intimate.
- unpretentiousprestige
- contemplativerelentless
- character-ledplot-driven
- intimateepic
- sparerichly built
Who loves it, who doesn't
18 profiled raters. Loved most by The Prestige Hunters; disliked most by The Formalists.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is the book better?”
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“Does it take too many liberties with the true story?”
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“Is it funnier than it is smart?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jul 20267/10
With his glass invariably half-empty, poor old Harvey (Paul Giammatti) discovers that he hasn't got throat cancer, but does have a nodule on his throat that will curtail his ability to speak for a few months. That proves to be quite a problem when he returns home to find his girlfriend is leaving him! Now on his own, he takes more solace in his mundane job as a clerk at an hospital where he engages with his colleagues about the price of jellybeans (and their suitability for abstinence during lent) whilst at home, he immerses himself in his books and his extensive collection of second hand jazz. It's at one of his favourite markets that he encounters the enigmatic "Crumb" (James Urbaniak) who designs the artwork for greetings cards. They remain friends throughout the forthcoming years as the latter man finds success with his own brand of comic book. That inspires Harvey to have a go at his own, more gritty, publication that draws it's inspiration from Jimmy Carter's America - and it doesn't pull it's punches. Whilst this publication isn't exactly a roaring success, it does get him onto the somewhat condescending chat show circuit and it also sees him hook up with "Joyce" (Hope Davis
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Cast
- Paul GiamattiHarvey Pekar
- Hope DavisJoyce Brabner
- Judah FriedlanderToby Radloff
- James UrbaniakRobert Crumb
- Earl BillingsMr. Boats
- James McCaffreyFred
- Maggie MooreAlice Quinn
- Vivienne BeneschLana
- Daniel TayYoung Harvey
- Harvey PekarReal Harvey
Crew
- Shari Springer BermanDirector
- Robert PulciniDirector
- Shari Springer BermanWriter
- Robert PulciniWriter
- Harvey PekarNovel
- Joyce BrabnerNovel
- Terry StaceyDirector of Photography
- Mark SuozzoOriginal Music Composer
- Robert PulciniEditor
- Ted HopeProducer
Where to watch
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