Shari Springer Berman
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The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
Directed by Marielle Heller
influenced by American Splendor (2003)
Visuals
It may sound reductive to describe The Diary of the Teenage Girl as the American Splendor of the high-school set, but the comparison is meant to be complimentary.
With a slight nod to "American Splendor" (noted cartoonist Aline Kominsky is part of a minor storyline), Heller uses animation in Cloeckner's own style to highlight Minnie's emotions and imagination.
Recently divorced alcoholic schoolteacher and aspiring novelist Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti, "American Splendor") uses his best buddy Jack's (Thomas Haden Church, TV's "Wings" and "Ned and Stacy") impending marriage for a week long male bonding trip to central California wine country.
Paul Giamatti, the pudgy, balding, slightly despondent character actor of Man on the Moon and American Splendor, gives a performance of such pent-up desperation and heartbreaking moroseness in Sideways that he single-handedly cements Alexander Payne's film as one of the year's finest.
He's also coaxed great performances out of four lesser-known actors and transformed one of them, Paul Giamatti from "American Splendor," into film's most unlikely leading man.
Giamatti, a virtuoso of nervous self-loathing (witness his performance as Harvey Pekar in "American Splendor"), interacts with Church impeccably, and their friendship seems at once believable and too funny to be believed.
Whatever the case, after already lengthy careers, Paul Giamatti ( American Splendor ), Thomas Haden Church ( Tombstone ) and Virgina Madsen ( Crossfire Trail ) all give the best performances of their lives in Sideways, the new film from writer-director Alexander Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor, the team responsible for Election and About Schmidt .
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Directed by Edgar Wright
influenced by American Splendor (2003)
Themes Visuals
American Splendor (2003) -- also based on a graphic novel -- accomplished brilliantly what Scott Pilgrim vs. the World only takes sporadic shots at.
Blending his tilted sensibility with that of Canadian writer-artist Bryan Lee O'Malley's-inflected, six-volume "Scott Pilgrim" digests proves a much savvier and astute choice than having, say, the science-fiction, high-adventuremovies be directed by theguy.Like Ghost World and American Splendor adapts a comics series not about superheroes but about prosaic slackers (for what iss Harvey Pekar if not the original slacker?).
Wright essentially rights everything that Speed Racer got wrong, making it one of the most successful panel-to-film frame translations ever, alongside American Splendor and 300.
Like American Splendor before it, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World incorporates panels from its source material, Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Directed by David Frankel
influenced The Nanny Diaries (2007)
Plot Characters Visuals
It's "The Devil Wears Prada," a "Nanny Diaries" tell-all cousin, and it reminds us, briefly, of a much better movie.
This is the same strategy that worked so well in The Devil Wears Prada, which had the daring to portray Meryl Streep's editrix monster as a figure of artfully malign fascination.
In this seductively idealized vision of New York, the picture somewhat resembles "The Devil Wears Prada" — without Meryl Streep, of course.
At best, it’s a less witty The Devil Wears Prada (2006)—something unwisely stressed by showing a character (Judith Roberts, Dead Silence) reading that very book in the film.
The real tragedy of this film's utter mediocrity is that it masks a marvelous performance from Laura Linney, who fleshes out her one-dimensional character in much the same way that Meryl Streep brought hers to life in last year's "The Devil Wears Prada."
For obvious reasons, The Nanny Diaries bears comparison to The Devil Wears Prada --roman à clef, boss from Hell, Manhattan setting, female protagonist, etc. etc. etc.
The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
Directed by Judd Apatow
influenced by American Splendor (2003)
Characters
Carell's performance vaguely reminded me of Paul Giamatti's grumpy turn as Harvey Pekar in the perfect "American Splendor."
Gad also does a decent job assaying a broad version of what Toby from American Splendor would call a “genuine nerd.”
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
Directed by Thor Freudenthal
influenced by American Splendor (2003)
Visuals
It periodically mixes in line-drawing animation, in the style of the books, to illustrate or punctuate the action; that visual sensibility livens things up considerably, and gives the film a loose, playfully arch American Splendor feel.
In fact, it is telling that "Juno's" opening credits feature Page strutting along morphing from animated to real being, like "American Splendor" without the root cause.