Happy 10th Anniversary, Ghost World! Let's Celebrate Its Decade of Misanthropy
If you lived in New York or Los Angeles on July 20, 2001, and were the type of person who loved to make underhanded remarks about friends, strangers and even family members behind their back -- and even to their face -- then the chances are good you were first in line to see Terry Zwigoff's caustic comedy of misanthropy, Ghost World. Based on the comic by Daniel Clowes, the film took too-cool-for-school ethos to another level, offered Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson their best-ever screen roles (true), and even turned Steve Buscemi into a romantic lead. Well, sorta. Let's celebrate this little oddity by remembering some great one-liners -- and a related-but-not music video by Aimee Mann -- ahead.
First, the funny! I unfortunately never saw Ghost World in theaters, but fell in love after stumbling upon the film on DVD. (And now even own it.) How could you not when it features dialogue like so:
· "I liked her so much better when she was an alcoholic crack addict. She gets in one car wreck and all of a sudden she's Little Miss Perfect and everyone loves her."
· "I suppose things are better now, but... I don't know, it's complicated. People still hate each other but they just know how to hide it better. Or something."
· "Well, I have to admit that things are really starting to look up for me since my life turned to shit."
· "Hi, can I get a medium 7-Up?" "Medium? Why sir, do you not know that for a mere 25 cents more you can purchase a large beverage? And you know, I'm only telling because we're such good friends, medium is really only for suckers who don't know the concept of value."
· "He'd better watch out or he'll get AIDS when he date-rapes her."
· "Everyone's too stupid!"
And so on. Basically, I could probably quote the entire script -- for which Clowes and Zwigoff were nominated for an Oscar -- since it's all so bitter, caustic and hilarious. When your friendly Movieline staffers were discussing the anniversary of Ghost World earlier today, Louis Virtel mentioned how the source comic was also inspiration for Aimee Mann's 2000 song and video "Ghost World." Check that out here (embedding disabled, boo!) and see if you think it does a better job of nailing Clowes work.
When you're done with that, leave any thoughts or remembrances about Ghost World in the comments below.
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Comments
Apart from its no holds barred bitchiness, this movie has a sense of cultural and personal dislocation that trumps Midnight Cowboy and Rebel Without A Cause. Its pinpointing of modern inauthenticity and fakeness - the antiseptic and unconvincing 50s diner, the whitewashed 'Coon's Chicken' logo, the mechanistic thought policing of the art class - is only one of the themes that lift this movie into masterpiece status.
One can only wonder what Enid would think of the cheesy fraud show of Facebook...
Extra points for the close-up of the hungry buttcrack in the graduation scene.
A wonderful movie that actively made me uncomfortable as I watched it, because I realized that it was pretty much my life and the lives of my friends, accurately represented on screen. Yes, we actually talk like that. It's not fiction. (Though I envy Enid's massive collection of vintage eyeglass frames!)
This movie came out when I was seventeen and I kind of didn't realize how much it affected me until I was watching it yesterday and noticed that to this day I dress like Enid and my house looks like Seymour's. In fact, the first time I watched this movie it hit so close to home I didn't realize how funny it was; it just made me depressed. These days it's become one of those movies I enjoy so very much no matter how many times I've seen it. Kudos, Clowes and company. You nailed it.
Ghost World is my favorite film. Every year I mourn Thora Birch's career a little more.
Easily my favourite movie ever. I graduated from high school the year I saw it and couldn't help but relate. A lot of people don't get it, especially most kids who are graduating from HS now. Things have changed so much. Being an extroverted, obnoxious, pseudo-bohemian loser is now celebrated.
What raises this movie beyond cult status and places it firmly into masterpiece status are the wonderful little details this film is studded with, that it surreptitiously flashes brilliantly like fantastic hidden gems. My favorite: The pregnant woman walking by with a cigarette and a beer in each hand while the girls are looking for an apartment.
I first got into Ghost World via a crush. A HUGE crush that I still have on the lovely Thora Birch. While she may not be as much the "Indie IT Girl" as she was 10 years ago (I believe that girl is now going to be Ellen Page for the next few years), it was my crush on her that got me to check out this film.
The cover/poster alone made me interested. It was simple. 2 girls, one wearing a green shirt and a black mini skirt, the other, a girl with green hair and glasses not unlike those of Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo. I was able to rent the DVD from a local videostore (remember those?) back in June of 2003 when I was taking a Summer college course in Pennsylvania. I found an immediate enjoyment by way of hearing memorable lines such as "Take a look at the couple behind you I'm totally convinced they're satanists!" and "Come on, what're we in slow motion here?! Have some more kids why dontcha?!" and of course "I wanna do him..." "I'm gonna tell him you said that!" It was the kind of a film where people were not afraid to say exactly what they were thinking.
This to me was the quintessential Indie Film. Sort of an Indie 101 staple for young people like myself (I was 19 at the time) wanting to get into the genre for the first time. I subsequently purchased the film on DVD along with the CD of its soundtrack. It was also at this time I had self-introduced myself to the world of Robert Crumb and Harvey Pekar; two titans of the underground comic book scene of which Daniel Clowes was a perfect matchup for his comic Ghost World. I went on the purchase both the Ghost World collection of comics and the Ghost World screenplay, both now pretty tough to find unless you score them off Ebay.
I even had a chance to show the film to my Dad which was a real feat because with him, he will NEVER sit down and watch a movie all the way through so for him to sit down and watch Ghost World from beginning to end was a real treat.
I've introduced many to Ghost World and not a one has given me a thumbs down report after they've seen it. It is not spectacular, it is not God-awful, it is what it is. A simple independent film that shows the average lives of two girls seeing what life does as they grow older. "Life Out Of Service" proclaims the bus bench where the ever-present Norman sits. That's a phrase that I wish would have caught on more from this film. But all we can do is keep introducing or even reintroducing people to Ghost World.
In a world now filled with endless amounts of comic book adaptations, super hero movies, and endless amounts of ever growing Fanboys and Fangirls at Comi-Con, one can only hope that Ghost World will reach a new audience in this its 10th year of being a part of cinematic history.
-Phil Smith.
* Yes wonderful film! I remember walking out of the theater thinking "Wow, that Birch girl is going to be a huge star!" ... Then again, come to think of it I remember walking out of "Heavenly Creatures" a few years before that thinking "Wow that Lynskey girl is going to be a huge star!" ... Well, guess it just goes to show that the starlets who make it the biggest aren't ALWAYS the "bigger" ones haw haw (time to stop while I'm ahead here I wager)
S.J. is stolen biological material, taken against will and formed to clones line 200 pieces total. Sign of dangerous criminal activity. Original Scarlett Galabekian future pediatrician doctor, pediatrician nurse license she obtained in 2008