Thora Birch (surely the perfect poster girl for all nerds, male and female) stars as Enid, an intelligent, artistic and sensitive girl who becomes friends with obsessive record collector Seymour (Steve Buscemi) after playing a mean joke on him. As her relationship with Seymour develops, her bond with school-friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) begins to crumble.
Akin in many ways to introspective indie fare such as Lost in Translation, Napolean Dynamite, American Beauty, Secretary, and Sideways, Ghost World is a quirky, meandering, satirical study of social outcasts in a world that demands conformity, and, as such, isn't going to find much of a following with your average Blockbuster crowd.
Those hoping to see a laugh-out-loud comedy should definitely seek entertainment elsewhere: although there are some painfully accurate insights into the lives of its likable losers that will bring a wry smile to the faces of those who don't quite qualify as normal, the droll humour will leave Mr and Mrs. Average Joe straight faced and reaching for the off switch.
And anyone looking for a film with a feel-good factor should also hit the stop button: if you're not in the mood for a film that takes a leisurely, measured approach to a tale about doomed relationships and uncertainty about the future, you'll find the film rather annoying.
There are those, however, for whom the film will definitely resonate and no doubt become a firm favourite: disaffected youths, geeks, losers, and weirdos who are able to identify with the main characters' lack of direction in life and sense of confusion at the world around them. They (or should that be 'we'?) will be the ones to fully appreciate this subtle and poignant cinematic journey of self-discovery, which delivers excellent performances from its talented cast (Buscemi, in particular, is superb), confident direction from Terry Zwigoff, and a memorably daft character who sports a mean mullet and a pair of nunchuks!
Akin in many ways to introspective indie fare such as Lost in Translation, Napolean Dynamite, American Beauty, Secretary, and Sideways, Ghost World is a quirky, meandering, satirical study of social outcasts in a world that demands conformity, and, as such, isn't going to find much of a following with your average Blockbuster crowd.
Those hoping to see a laugh-out-loud comedy should definitely seek entertainment elsewhere: although there are some painfully accurate insights into the lives of its likable losers that will bring a wry smile to the faces of those who don't quite qualify as normal, the droll humour will leave Mr and Mrs. Average Joe straight faced and reaching for the off switch.
And anyone looking for a film with a feel-good factor should also hit the stop button: if you're not in the mood for a film that takes a leisurely, measured approach to a tale about doomed relationships and uncertainty about the future, you'll find the film rather annoying.
There are those, however, for whom the film will definitely resonate and no doubt become a firm favourite: disaffected youths, geeks, losers, and weirdos who are able to identify with the main characters' lack of direction in life and sense of confusion at the world around them. They (or should that be 'we'?) will be the ones to fully appreciate this subtle and poignant cinematic journey of self-discovery, which delivers excellent performances from its talented cast (Buscemi, in particular, is superb), confident direction from Terry Zwigoff, and a memorably daft character who sports a mean mullet and a pair of nunchuks!