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GHOST WORLD Send This Review to a Friend
At the outset "Ghost World" seems like many a teenage comedy involving two restless friends trying to cope with dim future possibilities that await them after high school graduation. Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) have been making plans to live together. They are pals on the same wavelength and draw strength from each other.
But director Terry Zwigoff, who won praise for his documentary "Crumb," and his co-writer Daniel Clowes, basing the film on Clowes's underground comic book, have more in mind. As the story develops, the films turn into a dark exploration of unhappiness and disappointment, with occasional comic undertones. The change begins to be apparent as Enid becomes involved with Steve Buscemi as the much older Seymour, an alienated introvert whom the girls trick into seeking a lonely-hearts rendezvous. The later relationship that develops between Enid and Seymour has pitfalls for both. Enid is also unsettled in dealings with her father (Bob Balaban), rejects his clumsy efforts at giving her guidance and is hostile to his plan to get back together with his ex-wife Maxime (Teri Garr).
Rebecca is better adjusted than Enid, who grows increasingly testy and unhappy, and a gap begins to develop between the two. Meanwhile, the relationship between Enid and Seymour collapses, and as Enid becomes more and more the loner, the film ends on a sad note that may leave an audience unsatisfied and feeling up in the air.
Helping the film immensely is the quality of the acting. Buscemi is solid as usual, and Birch, who was so good in "American Beauty," is fascinating in her role as Enid. Johansson made an impact in "The Horse Whisperer" and I especially liked her as the teenager in "An American Rhapsody." Here she shows further promise.
"Ghost World" is a little film with integrity and it is easy to see why it is likely to gain advocates. An MGM release.
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