[VIDEO REVIEWS]At last, a good movie that is loser-friendly
Published: 05 Jan. 2003, 23:58
Directed by Terry Zwigoff. Starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi.
Renting "Ghost World" isn't easy, even though it was released early last week. The film has been prematurely pulled from the "new releases" rack at many video shops and relegated to the dusty back shelves because, according to the clerks, "It's not the type of story that sells." But the search for this movie is worth it. "Ghost World" is a gloomy-but-witty story cleverly told from the angle of the outsider, the loser.
Thora Birch gives a quality performance as Enid, a girl just out of high school who sees things quite differently than the other kids, whom she mostly despises. But her perception is not due to any superiority; in fact, Enid herself is the washout.
In her first summer after graduation, Enid spends the summer drifting around. She goofs off at her part-time job, calling the extra butter on popcorn "strange yellow chemicals" in front of the customers. Her best friend since childhood, Becky (Johansson), is better-adjusted, and begins to lose patience with Enid. The chasm between the two widens, leading Enid into a strange relationship with an odd middle-aged man she meets via a personal ad, Seymour (Buscemi). Also a loner, Seymour is obsessed with old records and hates the things most men like, such as sports and rock music. Enid adopts the straggler as her hero and starts to dote on him, and help him with his otherwise hopeless social life. In the process, the friendship goes dysfunctional, and Enid sets herself up for abandonment again.
With Zwigoff's outstanding directing, the movie is full of fun and thought-provoking details. This isn't a date movie; get it on a night you feel lonely and lost on some dusty back shelf of the world.
by Chun Su-jin
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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