It has qualities -- a ferocious wit and a youthful snap and savvy -- that can make it irresistible to sophisticated older moviegoers and intelligent teenagers alike.
Ghost World (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:130
Rotten:11
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: An intelligent and comedic trip in teen angst.
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Terry Zwigoff finally follows up his 1994 breakout success, CRUMB, with this infectious, insightful, and ultimately sad look at teenage angst and boredom in suburbia that recalls such films as... Terry Zwigoff finally follows up his 1994 breakout success, CRUMB, with this infectious, insightful, and ultimately sad look at teenage angst and boredom in suburbia that recalls such films as WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE and RUSHMORE as well as MTV's excellent DARIA series. The screenplay, written by Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes, is based on Clowes's underground comic book, GHOST WORLD. Best friends Enid and Rebecca have graduated from high school, and now they need to figure out what comes next. Rebecca gets a menial job at a coffee shop and starts looking for an apartment, while Enid wallows in her miserable (Daria-like) worldview, in which all jobs are sellouts and nearly all people are creeps, geeks, and losers. But when she plays a practical joke on the biggest dud of them all, Seymour, a lonely man who lives only for his collection of classic 78s, her life gets turned upside as she finds herself needing him in ways she never thought possible. Thora Birch (Enid) and Steve Buscemi (Seymour) are nothing short of marvelous in their complex roles, and they receive ample support from Scarlet Johansson, Bob Balaban, Teri Garr, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas, and the great David Cross. The excellent soundtrack includes songs by Skip James, Blueshammer, the Buzzcocks, Lionel Belasco, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, and Mohammed Rafi, among others. Note to Buscemi fans: There's a small bit at the end of the credits, so stick around. [More]
Starring: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, David Cross
Starring: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, David Cross, Illeana Douglas, Teri Garr, Brad Renfro, Bob Balaban, Ezra Buzzington, Bruce Glover
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Screenwriter: Daniel Clowes, Terry Zwigoff
Producer: Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith
Composer: David Kitay
Studio: MGM/UA
Reviews for Ghost World
Has many pleasures, not the least of which are some devilishly good performances.
Never predictable, this movie is often hilarious as well as touching, subtly adapting the mise en scene of Clowes's original without being fancy or obtrusive about it.
Check it out if you're looking for a sardonic flick with a unique point of view, some great performances, fun dialogue, a catchy soundtrack, many clever bits and a resounding, heart-felt message.
One of the best portraits of teen anomie this side of Catcher in the Rye.
The inventiveness and unpredictability of Zwigoff and Clowes' script is Ghost World's greatest virtue.
Although I liked it and, indeed, recommend it, it is a candidate for my list of the most overrated films of the year.
Zwigoff does mine brilliant comic moments, Saharan dry but zestfully sharp.
A touching study of alienation that comes with no easy answers or excuses for those who cannot seem to connect in life.
I didn’t love this movie, but on some level I really connected with it. Maybe you will too. But you can find out by renting it.
Though heartbreaking, Ghost World has also a sublime sense of dark humor...
Will provide modest enjoyment for viewers who like a challenge and don't go expecting too much.
Ghost World is one of those films that you enjoy while you watch. Just don't think too hard about it afterwards.
Give this weirdly humanitarian picture a try, and don't be surprised if you find yourself smiling through the bummer.
A darkly funny musing on junior-division misanthropy and, easily, the summer's best film about teen life.
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