American Splendor is a 2003 American biographical comedy-drama film 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. The film stars Paul Giamatti as Pekar and Hope Davis as Brabner. However, it also features appearances from Pekar and Brabner themselves , 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. American Splendor won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the Sundance Film Festival, in addition to the award for Best Adapted Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. At the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, the film received the FIPRESCI award. It was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2003 Academy Awards. The film has a 94% fresh rating of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
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| Release date: | January 20, 2003 |
| Directed by: | Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 100 Minutes |
| Producer: | Ted Hope |
| Editor: | Robert Pulcini |
| Music by: | Mark Suozzo |
| Cinematography: | Terry Stacey |
| Screenplay by: | Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini |
| Estimated budget: | $2,000,000 |
| Adapted from: | American Splendor |
| Genre: | Comedy, Biography |