American Splendor is a 2003
biopic about
Harvey Pekar, the author of the
American Splendor comic book series. The film is also in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize Pekar's life. The film was written and directed by documentarians
Shari Springer Berman and
Robert Pulcini, who share writing credit with Pekar and his wife,
Joyce Brabner.
[IMDB Writers' Credit page Retrieved 12-28-2008 ] It stars
Paul Giamatti as Pekar and
Hope Davis as Brabner. However, it also features appearances from Pekar and Brabner themselves (along with
Toby Radloff), who discuss their lives, the comic books, and how it feels to be depicted onscreen by actors. It was filmed entirely on location in
Cleveland and
Lakewood in
Ohio.
[IMDB Locations' page Retrieved 12-28-2008 ]
Cast
Differences from comic
- In the film, the artist who illustrates Brabner's Our Cancer Year is referred to by the nickname "Fred," and not his full name, Frank Stack.
- In the commentary on the DVD Joyce Brabner explains that the writers of the film (at the request of herself and Harvey Pekar) "fudged" the real circumstances of how Danielle ended up living with and get adopted by them. Frank Stack, the artist who illustrated "Our Cancer Year" in real life, is not the biological father of Danielle.
