Like an overlong episode of Seinfeld, but with less plot and zero punchlines, I kept waiting anxiously for the movie to begin. Maybe there's some particular tone to the "Ghost World" comic that I completely missed out on, but this is the most rambling and incoherent script that's been made in quite a while. (Snippets of plot, like the Batman hat or the controversial chicken-art, simply disappear rather than being wrapped together.)
You can easily manage to forget all this, however, by admiring the scenery: Steve Buscemi, as well as most of the supporting characters, are quite entertaining. But it felt like watching the setting for a really good movie...and the good movie never showed up. Thora Birch's acting? It seemed like she mastered the don't-make-a-facial-expression schtick in "American Beauty" and pushed it into overdrive here - I was unconvinced by her.
And finally, the reason why my love for this movie was limited from the beginning is that I DIDN'T LIKE the main characters. Were we supposed to be charmed by Enid's consistent, unwavering self-centeredness? Don't get me wrong, I think it can be funny to show a couple of high-school grads driving around and being bitchy to everyone. With "Ghost World," however, I just wanted them to shut up. Maybe if, at some point during the movie, they had actually DONE something I would have felt differently.
Looks like IMDb's rating is sitting at 8.7 currently. I'm feeling very lonely down here at the bottom of the 10-scale, I need some friends! Come on now, say it with me: This movie is not, that, good.
You can easily manage to forget all this, however, by admiring the scenery: Steve Buscemi, as well as most of the supporting characters, are quite entertaining. But it felt like watching the setting for a really good movie...and the good movie never showed up. Thora Birch's acting? It seemed like she mastered the don't-make-a-facial-expression schtick in "American Beauty" and pushed it into overdrive here - I was unconvinced by her.
And finally, the reason why my love for this movie was limited from the beginning is that I DIDN'T LIKE the main characters. Were we supposed to be charmed by Enid's consistent, unwavering self-centeredness? Don't get me wrong, I think it can be funny to show a couple of high-school grads driving around and being bitchy to everyone. With "Ghost World," however, I just wanted them to shut up. Maybe if, at some point during the movie, they had actually DONE something I would have felt differently.
Looks like IMDb's rating is sitting at 8.7 currently. I'm feeling very lonely down here at the bottom of the 10-scale, I need some friends! Come on now, say it with me: This movie is not, that, good.