Ghost World (2001)

Director:

Terry Zwigoff

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Clowes (comic book)
Daniel Clowes (written by) ...

Release Date:

18 October 2001 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Accentuate the negative.

Plot:

Enid and Rebecca are social outsiders who, after graduating from high school, play a mean prank on a middle-aged geek.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Friend | Love | Graduation | Diner

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 24 wins & 27 nominations

Cast

Thora Birch	...	Enid
Scarlett Johansson	...	Rebecca
Steve Buscemi	...	Seymour
Brad Renfro	...	Josh
Illeana Douglas	...	Roberta Allsworth
Bob Balaban	...	Enid's Dad
Stacey Travis	...	Dana
Charles C. Stevenson Jr.	...	Norman
Dave Sheridan	...	Doug
Tom McGowan	...	Joe
Debra Azar	...	Melora
Brian George	...	Sidewinder Boss
Pat Healy	...	John Ellis
Rini Bell	...	Graduation Speaker
T.J. Thyne	...	Todd

Also Known As:

Fantasmata efiveias (Greece) [el]
Ghost World (Poland) [pl]
Ghost World (Spain) [es]
Ghost World (France) [fr]
Ghost World - Aprendendo a Viver (Brazil) [pt]
Ghost World - Mundo Fantasma (Portugal) [pt]
Mundo Cão (Brazil) (festival title) [pt]
Prízracný svet (Slovakia) [sk]
Prízracný svet (Czech Republic) [cs]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #37596)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Advanced Medien

Trivia:

The character of Seymour appears only as the victim of the girls' prank in the comic and was made significant at Zwigoff's suggestion. Another change includes Rebecca having a rather diminished role compared to her role in the comic, which gave a more balanced amount of attention to both girls.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Enid rips open the wrapper of the champagne/sparkling wine there is no metal wire around the cork. There is always a metal wire (because of the pressure that is inside the bottle).

Quotes:

Dana: I am so excited to see this movie. Dustoff Varnya is such a brilliant director. Did you see his last film, "The Flower that Drank the Moon"? It was simply glorious!
Seymour: I guess I must have missed that one. But then what do I know. I like Laurel and Hardy movies.
Dana: Really? I never really cared for those. I mean, why does the fat one always have to be so mean to the skinny one?

Movie Connections:

References Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986)

Soundtrack:

Stargate Trailer

An excellent parable about disaffected youth

Terry Zwigoff has created an excellent parable about disaffected youth in "Ghost World". The character of Enid (memorably played by Thora Birch) is a sardonic iconoclast, and a bit of a hero to me. She has her own style, speaks her razor sharp mind, and truly doesn't care what people think about her. Picture a female, proactive version of Holden Caulfield. I desperately wish I were more like Enid when I was in high school.

Enid's partner in crime is Rebecca (Scarlett Johannson), who has one foot in the offbeat world Enid inhabits, and the other foot in the mainstream world Enid loathes. Rebecca's one of those types who never seem to mean what they're saying, not because of dishonesty, but because of lack of self-knowledge and security. When these two pals start to drift apart after they graduate from high school, Enid latches on to champion loser Seymour (Steve Buschemi, who seems to live for these kinds of roles), a devoted record collector. Through one long, seemingly uneventful summer, Enid takes a good look at the world around her, and a painful series of events force her to find her own place in it.

I adored this anti-"teen movie", and it was so refreshing to see a heroine who wasn't a blandly blonde, pool cue shaped cheerleader who spouted out adorable one-liners. Enid is a proud loner and rebel, who wears her crazy wardrobe and Truman Capote glasses with pride. Zwigoff never allows the movie to be Hollywood saccharine or indie film depressing. It's full of realistic, human characters we've all known at one time or another. I was further amazed by how true to life "Ghost World" is. Nothing in the film turns out the way you expect it to, but, really, isn't that just the same as life?