Two girls graduate high school and plan on moving in together but after
​they get involved with a lonely man for fun, things take an unexpected turn.

COMEDY/DRAMA

Ghost World (2001)

Directed by Terry Zwigoff

Written by Terry Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes

Starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi,
Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas

Based on the comic book by Daniel Clowes

​Oscar Nominations - Best Adapted Screenplay

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Austin Johnson

May 14, 2020

8/10

Terry Zwigoff has quite possibly the strangest filmography of any director that I know of. He directed Louie Bluie in '85, Crumb in '94, Ghost World in '01, Bad Santa in '03, and Art School Confidential in '06. What in the hell? Ghost World is a comic book that Daniel Clowes wrote in the mid-nineties and then adapted for the big screen with Zwigoff. It’s a clever film with some solid performances that will remain in my brain. It’s filled with really cool music references which added nice depth to the characters. I’m always a sucker for storytelling through music especially when a character loves a specific genre or historical aspect of music. 

Enid and Rebecca are best friends who graduate high school together and have no intentions of going to college. They do however want to live together so they need jobs but Enid is forced to attend a summer art class in order to properly graduate. Both girls are sort of outcasts that often pull pranks on people. One day, they decide to prank phone call a lonely man named Seymour, who adores blues music and works for a company called Cook’s Chicken. Enid takes a strange liking to Seymour and her art class which stirs her friendship up with Rebecca and forces her to make some life altering decisions. 

Thora Birch is really the focal point of Ghost World as Enid and she does a damn good job of living in the world of confused misfit teens. Scarlett Johansson gives a subtle and believable performance as Rebecca, but it’s Steve Buscemi who stole the show as Seymour. It's one of my favorite roles he’s ever had and his passion for certain blues artists is so cool. So many films that revolve around teenagers are complete bullshit and make no sense. Ghost World is actually trying to speak up for certain perspectives that young people actually have and it’s pretty damn entertaining along the way.