After Hours, originally a Columbia thesis script by Joseph Minion tells the story of Paul Hackett's crazy adventure in Soho.

A friend described After Hours as a movie he always saw the cover for at the video store back in the day, and always thought it was a silly 80s comedy. It wasn't till years later he realized it was a Scorsese movie.

The movie came in the WB Box Set released with Goodfellas, Mean Streets, and a few other of the filmmakers lesser known, earlier films. I was happy when I finally popped After Hours into the DVD player, it is a darkly funny, well written downtown New York Adventure.

Hackett meets Marcy in a café, who passes her number off to him. Clearly a bored word processor seeking adventure, Hackett calls Marcy, who invites him over, he peers at his watch, 11:30pm, and his night has just begun. So begin's his crazy adventure, meeting peculiar character after peculiar character. The theme of the movie is that the whole world is different after midnight, from the people who inhabit it, to the rules which govern it.

Hackett has lost his money, and is so far from his home uptown, that he is virtually stuck in Soho. It's a fun movie, and worth seeing, if just for what Scorsese was up to between Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ.


I saw this when this first came out about 19 (!) years ago, and it became my favorite movie of 1985, and probably my favorite Scorsese film ("Goodfellas" is right there with it). However it always seemed that I was the only one who felt that way. It was no sensation at the box office (even by art film standards), it was ignored by all the awards as far as I remember, and no DVD release.

Until now. First off, I am happy to report that the new DVD release looks and sounds great. It feels like the film came out last year.

Now, years down the road, you really appreciate how accomplished "After Hours" is in the wake of 100s of inferior indie releases that ape the urban paranoia and "downtown" sensibility that this seems to effortlessly catch. The film is pitch perfect:you sense a filmmaker in complete command, but the film is always off balance (as intended). The plot seems to flow randomly and the movie always defies your expectations, yet it's as tightly assembled as a jigsaw puzzle.

It's easy to catch the Scorsese style of shooting and editing, really starting to roll here (before taking off in "The Color of Money" and "Goodfellas"), as the engine of the movie. You have to remind yourself that every other director was not trying to make movies this way at this point (1985), and that you are watching the inventor, not just the best practitioner.

But don't overlook the cast's contributions. Perfectly cast down to the smallest roles (yes, I mean you Dick Miller), few things are more enjoyable than watching an able cast take the ball and run with it. Obviously having a blast, they not only jump into their parts, but they have no hesitation at being unlikable and annoying. Particularly Griffin Dunne, the perfect Everyman, who becomes more and more of a jerk as the night wears on.


Saw this film again last night after watching the original in the cinema 23 years ago, as an 18 year old! I never forgot it though and recently bought the video on Amazon, and enjoyed it even more, maybe as it brought back a nostalgia for the 1980s. I love the whole bizarre set up, the weird coincidences (for example the piece of newspaper stuck on his arm which talks about a man being ripped apart by vigilantes in the very area he can't get away from - and then the weird woman says 'I'll burn it off' - yet more reference to burns) Love the 'Berlin club', and the idea of the plaster of Paris cream cheese bagel paper weights - so evocative of that pretentious era! There were so many parts that made me laugh out loud. In fact, I might sit down and watch it again.


Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is an attractive, unattached, upper middle class Manhattan computer programmer. Hoping for a romantic adventure, Paul arranges a date with a young woman who lives in Soho, a part of Manhattan populated by people who prefer a more bohemian lifestyle. But Paul loses all his money en-route to the woman's apartment. And the romantic encounter doesn't quite work out like he had hoped. Disappointed, Paul just wants to go back home. But fate has other ideas. He becomes trapped in a twilight zone of bizarre clashes and surrealistic frustrations.

The entire story takes place in the course of one night. Few people are on the streets, as it is a work night. And off-and-on rain adds to a feeling of helplessness and entrapment in Hades. The film's mood alternates between subtle humor at the predicament Paul has gotten himself into, and melancholy angst.

Griffin Dunne is ideal as Paul: likable, smart, reasonable, slightly guilt-ridden and out of his league in an underworld of non-conformists, misfits, petty thieves, and other human creatures of the night. The message here is that one can be successful and comfy in a world of one's own choosing, yet a foreigner and even viewed as a threat in a different setting. Further, we are just one mistake away from the misery of a world where fate rules.

The film's acting and eclectic casting are fine. Noir lighting is impressive. The film's score is subtle. I especially liked the songs: "Over The Mountain" and "Is That All There Is?", both of which add to the film's nightmarish atmosphere.

The way Paul loses his money is a little hokey. And the plot becomes increasingly silly and preposterous toward the end, as each subsequent frustration has to be continually worse than the previous one.

Overall, however, "After Hours" is an enjoyable film. It is an especially good choice to gain a sense of perspective. Not many ongoing experiences can be worse than the rough night that Paul has in Soho.


This is one of those films that takes a little while to seem to be about anything, but once it gets going, it really takes you in with it. Griffin Dunne plays a young and mild-mannered New York City professional who is brought into a hellish nightmare in Soho when he loses his cab fare and his thrown out of the cab. As he tries to find the money to take the subway home, he meets several interesting and sometimes very strange people.

Dunne's character seems to be the only normal person in this film and that is one of the reasons why it works so well. This poor guy just wants to get home, but problem after problem pops up and destroys his plans. This is really a terrific story about a normal person thrown into weird and crazy situations. The classical music that plays throughout is a wonderful touch as well. However, one of my favorite parts of this film was the cast. I loved Catherine O'Hara as the paranoid vigilante who drove the ice cream truck chasing after Dunne. Cheech and Chong were a nice comic addition as well.


Perfect flawless black comedy with humor as dark as the night that caught Paul Hacket (Griffin Dunne), a nice guy, an everyman, an ordinary computer operator in its darkness and surrounded him by all kinds of weird strangers who very well could be the deadly creatures of night that inhabited SOHO of early 1980s every night after hours... or perhaps they are still there? If ever a brilliant film was made about a worst nightmare come true, After Hours it is. This movie seems so different from what we've come to associate with Martin Scorsese but it is undeniably his film. It takes place in NYC, and its dark scary streets come directly from Scorsese's earlier masterpieces, "Mean Streets" (the streets after hours are even meaner, are they not?) and "Taxi Driver", the horrifying descend to the real Inferno.

Amy Robinson, the film producer calls After Hours "dark, funny, paranoid New York summer movie" - and it says it all. This movie makes me think how great it would be if Scorsese turned to comedies (not the Hollywood brainless light romantic comedies but "dark, funny, paranoid" type) more often. I have to mention writing which is absolutely brilliant, considering that it was the first work by Joseph Minion. Roger Ebert, who recently has included After Hours to his list of Great movies, mentions that Minion's teacher, the Yugoslavian director Dusan Makavejev, gave the script an "A." Having seen Makavejev's infamous Sweet Movie, I am not at all surprised. I also want to mention the camera work by Michael Ballhaus, the German cinematographer who has made fabulous in their beauty films with Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It seems to me that Scorsese might have seen Fassbinder's The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant because both films share the claustrophobic and suffocating atmosphere which was captured amazingly by Ballhaus. After their first work together on After Hours, Scorsese and Ballhause would make The Color of Money (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002), and The Departed (2006).

The journey through the worst night ever by Paul brought to mind another surreal journey, one of my all time favorites, "O Lucky Man" by Lindsay Anderson. After Hours is in the same league for me. In both films, the nice guys take a trip that would turn brutal, bizarre, dangerous yet irresistibly funny. Mick Travis wanted to succeed in life while Paul Hacket only wanted some fun night and perhaps to get close to a beautiful woman he'd met earlier (Rosanna Arquette). Instead, he would encounter a trio of mysterious and dangerous women who seduce, mystify, and horrify him (Linda Fiorentino, Terri Garr, and Catherine O'Hara). And I don't even mention all crazy male characters. After Hours does not get mentioned among Scorsese's most remarkable and memorable films but it is. Even if it takes place in the 80s, it is timeless; it does not lose any of its dark nocturnal power. It is a great work of the master who has been always passionate about cinema. Scorsese made After Hours when he was forced to stop working on "The Last Temptation of Christ" and was depressed, frustrated, and uncertain if he would ever return to it. Scorsese told his friend Mary Pat Kelly. "My idea then was to pull back, and not to become hysterical and try to kill people. So the trick then was to try to do something." Scorsese later confessed that working on After Hours gave him back his love for making movies. The members of the jury in Cannes Festival were certainly mesmerized with Scorsese's inspiring directing. They awarded him with the Best Director Prize in 1986. If ever any director deserved it, it was Martin Scorsese for the marvel which After Hours is.

10/10


A man goes on a late night date with a woman he has just met and suffers through a harrowing night of misadventures. A black comedy that does not quite mine the situation for all its comic possibilities but manages to be amusing as the bizarre plot unfolds unpredictably. Dunne is perfectly cast as the schmuck who thinks he has lucked into a hot date, only to find himself trapped in a nightmare that he can't escape. Scorsese has surveyed the mean streets of New York numerous times before, but here he creates a uniquely surreal atmosphere in exploring the setting from the dark side. The cast of absurd characters is well played by Arquette, Fiorentino, Heard, Garr, and O'Hara.


What a wonderful little film.

The first time I watched it, I'd never heard of the thing but was quite willing to gamble 10 minutes of my valuable time..an hour later I was hooked! 15 years pass and it was shown again on UK TV this weekend and again the same thing: "seen it before, go to bed.." No, watched it all. So funny, so deadpan, so poignant, such great lines. My English teacher used to describe stories like that as picaresque - the whole series of disconnected events - all so warm and real, ending, like waking up after a weird dream, back where you started.

And, once again today, Scorcese gets no Oscar. Confirming what we all know - stupid people choose the winners.

Hywel


8 stars out of a possible 10.

Maybe somebody somewhere in today's modern world (considering the type of mean-spirited reality shows that are currently on TV) thinks this film is funny. It gave me the feeling of being locked into a terrible nightmare from which I kept wanting to wake up.

Not that the film is bad. Its not, its an excellent film, but there's nothing funny about what happens to the poor guy who is the main character in the film.

It starts off slowly, nothing of much interest occurs in the first 20 minutes of the film.

He goes to Soho to visit, late at night, an odd girl he just met in a coffee shop earlier that day. Once he leaves that loft apartment, however, then all hell breaks loose.

The film then becomes very fast paced and the events that transpire in regards to the main character, a cute little guy with a weak chin and some eyebrows that need plucking, is terrifying to the utmost.

If you weren't paranoid before, seeing this film will convince you go straight home after work, lock the doors, lock the windows, don't answer the phone, and just stay there with your teeth chattering until morning.


*SPOILER ALERT*

AFTER HOURS has typically been viewed as one of Martin Scorsese's minor films, but this excellent, frenetically-paced dark comedy works at a number of levels, while also  perhaps unintentionally  raising a few provocative questions. In a sense a VERY different sort of love letter to New York (if you get off on the raw, electric buzz of NYC, this film is for you), AFTER HOURS follows Paul (Griffin Dunne) through what begins as a spontaneous attempt at a date/hookup, and swiftly degenerates into one of the worst nights of his life. The uncomfortable outside scenes (constant drizzle) and the always claustrophobic interiors amplify the story perfectly, as Paul loses money, keys, is mistaken for a burglar and is ultimately chased through SoHo by a vigilante mob  AFTER HOURS is often hilarious, and relentless, with precious few moments of relaxation provided.

The social ideology running through the film is provocative as well  and somewhat disturbing  as Paul (a rather wholesome looking yuppie) ends up being 'persecuted' by a series of casually weird performance artists, leather freaks, bikers, hippies, punks, gay people and psychologically unstable women  this self-contained enclave of bohemia en extremis is clearly a world that the wholesome-looking Paul is incapable of comprehending, and definitely doesn't belong in. The political implications of this reflexive anti-bohemianism is the lone flaw  problematic as this is otherwise one of the most immaculate 'dark' comedies you'll ever see, perhaps the least-known of Scorsese's many worthwhile films.

Minor quibbles aside, this is a remarkable piece of work  the pacing is exhausting (Scorsese manages to very realistically reflect the sensory-overload rawness of New York), the ensemble cast is consistently (occasionally shockingly) great, and the use of music to advance the story (The Monkees, Joni Mitchell, Bad Brains and Peggy Lee all help to advance several great scenes) is also stunning. Terrific ending.


Martin Scorsese is always going to be remembered for his gangster pictures and his collaborations with Robert de Niro. However, people shouldn't think that Scorsese's talent ends there. With this bizarre and unique production, he proves himself to be a dab hand at the jet black comedy.

Griffin Dunne is excellent as a New York businessman who hits on a girl in a restaurant. The girl (Rosanna Arquette) invites him on a date, but when he gets there he finds that she lives in a really seedy district of town, sharing an apartment with a flirtatious female sculptor (Linda Fiorentino). One thing after another begins to go wrong and Dunne decides to ditch his date and go home. But fate conspires to muck-up his evening, and try as he might he just can't seem to get out of this crazy neighbourhood.

Dunne's misadventures begin to resemble something from a violent. modern day uurban version of Alice in Wonderland. The people he meets are increasingly wacky or unhinged, and the situations into which he stumbles range from outlandish to nightmarish to life threatening. Throughout, this film is a deliberately oddball affair. Most of the time it is too disturbing to pass for an all-out comedy, but it remains compeeling thanks to its edgy script which never allows you to guess what is coming next. The pace seems deceptively slow on the first screening, but on repeated viewings it becomes clear that not a moment nor line is wasted, and that every little action links to something yet to occur or something that has already passed. After Hours is an accomplished and memorable film.... not to be missed.


Oh sure, I could review a film that some of you have seen, but where's the fun in that?

In Martin Scorsese's After Hours, you will find a dark ride into the fashionable Soho district of New York City of the mid-eighties that leads Paul Hackett into enemy territory.

Once this average word-processing, white, single male realizes he's in over his head, he just wants to go home. Simple enough. But it's not that easy for him.

He tells little lies that get him deeper and deeper into trouble until he's literally running for his life from the crazed denizens of the night, to whom "After Hours" do not apply.

This film is a personal favourite of mine, but I really don't blame anyone for not liking it. It is a little weird, and that's why I probably enjoy it. I do believe this film has truly achieved what is known as "cult" status. Although I've never been fond of the term, I can't say I've met many people who've seen this film without my recommending it to them. But I've heard that it is something of a critical success.

It is also very darkly funny.

My wife doesn't like this film, she hates the main character and she finds his actions to be at times, stupid and irrational. She may have a point, but she's not appreciating the film from an angle of sheer desperation, which causes people to act in such a manner, which is what I feel the film is all about. That and that blondes are essentially trouble, no offence to my dear siblings.

See it and decide for yourself. Worth hunting for. K.


This might be the worst Scorsese film I have ever seen. I have a feeling that because this might be one of his least accessible films to current audiences, people just call it his most 'underrated'. In fact, there's a reason it isn't talked about much, because it is rubbish. Here Scorsese seems like he's built up his reputation strongly enough so he can just put out any old tosh and audiences will praise it to high heaven just because Scorsese directed it. The directing is lazy, the plot at first glance seems interesting enough but Scorsese does his best to bring it down and ends up with a stretched, repetitive, sequence of encounters with various deadbeats, and lowlife losers, which we are apparently supposed to show some interest in. Griffin Dunne is just to waspy and bland for us to invest any time in caring for his character. The film just doesn't stop attempting to prepare us for tension and excitement and building up these encounters and situations before resulting in a huge anti-climax and more stretched out, aimless roads to nowhere.


Griffin Dunne was born into a cultural family. His father was a playwright and I think that his background has a lot of similarities with Scorsese's favorite, De Niro. Maybe that's why he is so good in this because he looks like such an ordinary guy. He is slightly more handsome than De Niro but in a crowd he would totally melt in.

The film was not one that Scorsese had decided to film himself from an early stage but I think that without him it could have been a terrible bore. Scorsese has a rapport with actors that is totally unique. That's why so many of the actors in the movie give the best performances of their career here. Let me name just a few:

1) Rosanna Arquette: This and her performance in Desperately Seeking Susan go hand in hand here. She has been kind of lost since then but the way she plays totally clueless and still manipulative is really superb. It also helps that she is extremely hot. 2) Catherine O'Hara: Her insanity is set in stone almost from the first time we hear her speak. It's odd that she has been mostly known as a comedienne. 3) Teri Garr: Another comedienne. Sidesplittingly funny in Young Frankenstein and here demonstrates an untapped range which has gone unused to this day. 4) John Heard: His sinister personality is not apparent but you can almost feel that he is about to burst into a fit at any moment. It's also funny to think that five years later, he and O'Hara would play the most loving parents to a boy who would be the biggest box office draw in the early part of the 90's.

There are also a few cameos from actors who were primarily known in underground movies where Scorsese started his career and even a few seconds with Cheech and Chong.

So I will say that had Scorsese not made so many other memorable films this would have been his crowning achievement. It does have a few moments where it goes a little over the top, like when we meet the character Horst, played by perennial weirdo Will Patton, but those scenes are such a small part of the whole that it can be overlooked. For the most part it's a fascinating experience and one that can never be duplicated.


I don't know why everyone thinks "After Hours" ends happily. This is a brooding, dark, bitter film, with a pessimistic outlook on life and a downright depressing core message. It is a "comedy" with no laughs, and few chuckles. It is also a great cult film by director Martin Scorsese that came and went in 1985 with little attention.

It's surprising to see that Scorsese took on another comedy so shortly after his major flop, The King of Comedy (1983), starring Robert De Niro. Scorsese publicly acknowledged that he wished he had never made The King of Comedy and his star disowned it. It was a film so far ahead of its time, no one understood it  or much less, cared to see it.

Thank goodness this did not dissuade Scorsese from making another comedy. He was back two years later with After Hours, which is an intense, hellish, nightmarish odyssey through New York City's Soho late at night, and into the morning. The film's protagonist, Paul (Griffin Dunne), is an unlikable character who generally gains sympathy with us only because of his grueling misfortunes. Fate, it seems, has a grudge against poor Paul; as the night progresses, it only becomes worse and worse, until he is running away from a bloodthirsty mob and happens to inadvertently witness a random murder. "I'll probably get blamed for that," he says to himself, which is exactly what we're thinking.

This really is the sort of film that makes you almost want to stop watching, it is so painful. Nothing at all goes right for Paul. When he seeks comfort in a friend, he is relieved, finally able to sit back and take a breath of air -- only to look outside and see his "friend" alerting the bloodthirsty mob.

The plot  what little there is  begins in a typical daytime office setting. Paul meets a girl after a hard day at work (Rosanna Arquette) and they arrange to meet later that evening. On the way there he loses all his cash through the open window of a speeding taxicab and is left with few dollars. On top of this, Paul soon realizes that Arquette is not his type and leaves to go home  only to find that local subway fare has been raised and he doesn't have enough cash to make it back to his apartment. Thus begins his nightmare.

Scorsese's genius move here is that as Paul progresses onwards into the night, the film slowly loses its balance and topples over into a distinct category of weirdness. The beginning is fairly standard and realistic. It is typical Scorsese with exterior shots of New York City, character-driven dialogue and so on and so forth. About 1/3 of the way through it becomes a bizarre Terry Gilliam-esquire hell ride and Scorsese lets loose on everything. It's brilliant film-making and a devastating satire of New York's late-night underbelly. The original ending (storyboarded but never filmed) involved Paul being reborn after crawling through a random woman's legs  that's how bizarre, and creative, this film actually is.

Dunne is suitable in the role of Paul  a fairly unknown character actor; he doesn't have the charisma or talent to be a typical leading man. Which, I think, is part of the reason he seems so comfortable in the role of Paul, who is certainly one of cinema's most unusual heroes. Another film might setup Paul as a meek, hard-working, likable guy who gets stuck in bad situations  when in fact Paul is a confident jerk who probably deserves what is coming to him. Before picking up Arquette he flirts with her roommate (Linda Fiorentino) and gives her a back massage. He puts the moves on Arquette, then ditches her when she resists. He's not shy and he's not an all-around good guy  he's a flawed character that only helps the entire experience feel more realistic.

Scorsese is at the top of his game here. Many techniques would be used five years later in GoodFellas. Note the ringing phone and the abrupt lunge forward; the keys being tossed out of the window in first-person perspective; the rotating camera as it pans around Paul's head in a diner; and so on and so forth. Although it is not his best work nor his most distinct, After Hours is ample proof that Scorsese has a firm handle on black comedy and is able to stretch beyond his (arguably) typified style of gangsters and low-lifes planning how to "whack" people. Scorsese bashers should see this, and his fans should too  insightful for everyone.


something gripped me about this movie. I felt as if I was somehow drawn into it in some way or other.The loft, the terminal bar and tom,s flat on Spring street, all seemed to capture my innermost feelings as if I somehow needed to belong there.I feel strongly that I MUST visit those places, especially,the Terminal bar and Marci's loft.I have watched this movie on video over and over again, several times a week magnetically. Am I going crazy or something ? I cannot name the magic phenomena which appears to surround it.I first saw it on British TV about four years ago when it first made its impression upon me since which time I have been drawn to it like a magnet for some unexplainable reason.


I don't know what type of kool-aid everyone else has been drinking, but this movie was a total disappointment. Brilliant? Huh? Are we watching the same movie? Because the movie I saw had a fairly odious protagonist, a supporting cast that existed solely to be ridiculed, a series of 'crazy' events befalling our 'hapless' protagonist that exist nowhere on the reality continuum, and seemed to have been invented by a corp committee composed of former frat 'dudes' pitching ideas for 'worst night ever' that aren't funny and mostly don't even make sense. Most (all?) of the 'crazy' people whom whatever the guys name is meets in his 'romp' thru nyc are women, who proceed to beguile him with their alluring sex appeal (with the exception of poor Teri Garr, who for some reason is made out to be some pathetic spinster... or something...) only to send him running once they reveal their true 'scary' woman-personalities. Isn't that always the way of it?? This movie is sexist, stupid, unlikeable, unfunny and makes little to no sense. Madcap is one thing. This is more like nocap. I've always thought Scorcese was overrated, especially considering all of the movies he's made in the past ten years have sucked besides the Departed, and that honestly wasn't even that great. Don't even bother with the trailer for this one


I pray all the days for never have a night like the night of Paul (Griffin Dune).

He meets a very sexy girl and she invite him to her home......well this is a good start .....but later he feels fear about the girl and her friend and he goes out. Wihtout any money the only thing that he want is to return to his home........in all the movie he have a problem: with another blond girl, with a bar tender, with some criminal, with the police and finally the loneliest woman in the night is the only one that help him to return home.

This a very special film because is just great but is not very know and maybe the reason is some films like Goodfellas, Taxi Driver and Raging bull.

Yes, we can't say that after hours is the best of Scorsese because, well Scorsese has a lot of classics, but still After hours is a masterpiece, and a must see for all and not only for Scorsese's fans.

Is a similar case to other of Marty's films: Casino, because Casino is a masterpiece but a lot of people think that is a copy of Goodfellas......is the same.

More about the film: i love it because is a very unique story and because of the great cast.......Scorsese can't be better.

In conclusion: After Hours can't be compared with the best films of Marty like Goodfellas or Taxi Driver but is a very original film and for me is a Masterpiece that maybe in some years latter this film has the attention that it deserves.


Paul (Griffin Dunne) has just started training a fellow worker on the computer system for their firm. The co-worker has trouble paying attention, for he confides to Paul that he is upwardly mobile and will soon leave the mundane word processing tasks to underlings. This gets Paul to thinking about his life...is it too blase for words? When he returns home to his boring apartment and starts to watch another boring show on the television, he snaps. It is getting late, about 10 o'clock, but he decides to head for the nearest coffee shop. It is there that he meets an interesting woman (Roseanna Arquette) when he observes that she is reading the novel called Tropic of Cancer. She gives Paul her phone number and leaves. Back at his digs, Paul makes the call and is startled to get an invitation from the lady to visit her apartment in Soho. Isn't it getting very late? Nevertheless, he hails a cab and begins the "after hours" journey of a lifetime. From candles, to books on burn victims, to ladies who like go-go boots and The Monkees, to skinheads, to burglars, to sculptors into bondage, and more, this is a nightmare of a night. Will Paul make it home alive? This film is a brilliant black comedy of errors. Dunne is superb as the man who just wanted a bit of excitement in his world, not a hair raising encounter with the underbelly of existence in the wee hours of the morning. The rest of the cast, including Arquette, Linda Fiorentino, Cheech and Chong, Teri Garr, and others, is also absolutely wonderful. The sets, costumes, and production amenities are fine, as is Scorsese's great direction. However, the script is the triumphant winner here, being intricate, ingenious, and very, very funny. The final scene of the film, involving a fall from a moving van, is awesome and side splittingly comic. If you have any objections to humor that is far from wholesome, you should probably bypass this movie, unfortunately. But, if you want to experience the thrill of exhilarating and gleeful film making, this movie should not be missed. After all is said and done, this film deserves to be on the list of the top fifty flicks of all time.


In the tradition of Desperately Seeking Susan, Repo Man and Something Wild is After Hours, a dramady set in the Soho and Greenwich village area. The slow moving story starts with an average Joe (played by Griffin Dunne who is tired of his boring routine and decides to meet a blind date(Rossana Arquette) after a brief encounter on the telephone. While in the taxi, He loses the only 20 dollar bill he has in wallet, which seems to set off bad Karma for our hero. He is thrusted suddenly in a Soho nightmare of bizarre characters and incidents that have him a wanted list crimes he didn't commit. After Hours is a Dark and strangely funny movie that a lot about the karma we create for ourselves in our own lives and the exit out!!! Very funny movie


This has to be one of the best series ever released in North America! I used to love watching this series when I was in about Grade 3. It came out right on the heels of the original 'Star Wars' which I was addicted to, and this one hooked me.

The 5 G-Force members are supervised by Intergalactic Federation Security Chief Anderson, and directed by 7-Zark-7, a robot who inhabits an underwater defense center appropriately called 'Center Neptune'. Their ship, the Phoenix, is based here. They routinely find themselves up against invading forces from an alien world called Spectra, which wants to enslave Earth & other Federation planets. Spectra is ruled by a dark figure named Zoltar and his boss, the Great Spirit. These two are somewhat similar to the central villains in the first Star Wars trilogy - Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, although it is doubtful that either of these legendary movie villains would have tolerated the many failures that Zoltar endured. The Spectran leadership is constantly attacking various Earth resources that they plan to steal, as well as to force Earth into submission. This is usually done in the form of huge death machines in the shape of animals or birds ('Panic of the Peacock', 'Beast with a Sweet Tooth', 'Attack of the Alien Wasp'), but sometimes G-Force found themselves up against pirates ('Ace from Outer Space') or mercenaries ('A Swarm of Robot Ants') though Spectra was usually involved in some way.

The only annoying thing I can honestly say about the series was that G-Force constantly emerged victorious. Although on several occasions their ship was damaged ('Raid on Riga', 'Giant from Planet Zyr'), or in one case, completely destroyed ('Raid of the Space Octopus'), they consistently sent the Spectrans back in defeat. A little variety might have made the series more interesting though it's easy to understand why the writers made it this way. It was, after all, intended for the younger set.

This entire series needs to be released on DVD. It can't come soon enough!


While the quality may not be the best, the concept and action were perfect for anyone under the age of 12! Now, years later, I find myself remembering the oddest parts of this show, mostly the outfits and vehicles. I seem to remember the Cartoon Network running this late at night; a nostalgic must-see!

Ace Goodheart and crew boarding their ship, the Phoenix, to do battle with the menace from space,...or some such place. The creative force behind these concepts is impressive, most impressive!


Movies that criticise the world can fall into many traps, leaving the viewer to feel jaded by the film's experience. Ghost World's witty appraisal of 'America' successfully avoids being childishly caustic or self-important and thus emerges as one of the best films of 2001. We sympathise with Enid (the luscious Thora Birch) without being expected to completely believe that her cynical world-view is necessarily the right one. Enid's (and her best-friend Rebecca's)negativity is turned on all around them, and their obsessive need to be cool but on their own terms sees them take post-modernism to its absurd conclusion.

 Enid's bizarre costume choices mean that she stands out from the rest of her baggy-panted generation, and in one scene is infuriated that no-one, even Rebecca, understands her 'original 1977 punk look' she's testing out.

The fact that we should not fully empathise with Enid is shown by the contrasting character arc of Rebecca. There is a definite sense that she grows up over the course of the movie, but not in a "what have we learned about life" Disney way. Perhaps she has sold out to the conservative ideals that seemed so repulsive to them at the beginning of the movie, but just as Enid ultimately fulfils her desires, so does Becky live out her 'seventh grade fantasy'. The important thing is not the choices people make, but whether they make choices with which they are happy.

The movie's main targets are people who betray themselves in an effort to fit in, and their resulting stupidity by doing so. But the people who have remained true to their values (like Steve Buscemi's Seymour, in a performance that should have been at least nominated for an Academy Award), are portrayed as leading equally vacuous lives. Seymour's infrequent attempts to achieve 'normality' are galling for us to observe, and near soul-destroying for him to experience.

This is an excellent movie. Thora Birch gives her most confident performance to date, and Scarlett Johansson is superbly laconic as Enid's icy side-kick. The supporting cast all shine. Strongly recommended!


I guess different people can extract different meanings from GHOST WORLD and all nail exactly why it was made. For me, it was the chronicle of that small group of people who don't, and probably never will, quite fit into this world. They're here on the fringes though, just existing in their own parallel universe, or their own "ghost world." Though it sounds depressing, this film is hardly a downer, it's full of humor, satire and acute observations on life. The overall production is excellent (the brightness and colors in the photography, costumes and sets is stunning)... plus it pulls off the impossible by successfully steering toward dead-on seriousness near the conclusion to drive it's point across.

It begins at graduation with Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), two very perceptive high school outcasts who see right through the facade of their juvenile peers and want nothing to do with it. For Rebecca this self-ostracizing is just a passing phasing, but for Enid you get the strong impression this is going to always be her way of life. It's not that she doesn't get it, it's that she's doesn't understand IT or people or the games of life. There's a brief emotional turning point for Enid when a cruel practical joke backfires and she becomes involved with the target, the nerdy and very sardonic Seymour (Steve Buscemi), who may just be the kindred spirit Enid was looking for. The shared scenes between Enid and Seymour, though doomed to take a bad turn, are handled with tenderness by the director and actors and are quite memorable and touching.

Highlights are an excellent scene in a blues club that just about nails the American outlook on life and our lack of reverence and the ones in Enid's remedial art class, with the most misguided and pretentious teacher (Illeana Douglas) you could imagine. The girls are wonderful, and Steve Buscemi was unfairly overlooked at awards time (big shocker). Anyway, he's never been this good before. The fact this premise, these ideas and these original and interesting characters came from a comic book makes me realize I've completely overlooked the artistic possibilities within that medium.


Best friends Enid and Rebecca graduate from high school and find themselves forced to enter the real world. Enid (more than Rebecca) is a counter-culture rebel who hates this world of frauds and losers, and she subsequently has trouble getting and keeping a job. One day the girls decide to play a prank on a lonely middle-aged loser named Seymour. Their plan backfires, though, and Enid becomes a little obsessed with the man. First she feels sorry for Seymour, then he becomes something of a hero to her, and she resolves to help him at least find a girlfriend. "Maybe I just can't stand the thought of a world where a guy like you can't get a date," she tells him. Meanwhile, Enid seems to be avoiding the challenge of getting her own life started.

Terry Zwigoff ("Crumb") directs this film based on a script by Dan Clowes, who also created the original comic book. "Ghost World" attempts to be a kitsch-free, counter-culture coming-of-age film, and for the most part it succeeds. The characters are very believable, honest, and engaging. The downbeat Seymour is played wonderfully by Steve Buscemi, and Thora Birch in her striking performance as Enid follows up her "American Beauty" role with another discontent but sympathetic misfit teen character. Perhaps the greatest disappointment in "Ghost World," however, is that Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca is marginalized midway through the film. Regarding the story: It is debatable whether the film is entirely free of kitsch. As with "American Beauty," the sudden romantic opportunities which fall into Seymour's lap smell suspiciously of middle-aged wish fulfillment. Also, one might ask for a slightly tighter ending, as the film finishes without much resolution--except for one rather simple but touching scene between Enid and Seymour. On the whole, however, the film is a delight, producing some very memorable characters to whom, in the end, the audience will be sorry to say goodbye.


GHOST WORLD / (2001) **** (out of four)

For those of us who tire of standard teen movies, here's the film to brighten our day. It's a monkey wrench in the cranks of the tedious genre that features actors in their mid-twenties portraying stereotypical high-school characters shamelessly indulging predictable plots of frivolous romance. Where most movies set in high schools find resolve in romantics, "Ghost World" dares to be different.

Yet it contains all the usual ingredients-aimless main characters, one-dimensional side characters, high school graduation, moronic parents, sexual revelations, a romance-but it tastes different. This movie doesn't believe high school is the root of youth complications; it knows that school isn't where the confusion lies-it's after graduation when the complexities begin.

The movie opens as a high school senior dances along with a music video. Sounds like a typical teenager? Well, not really. The music this girl listens to isn't exactly mainstream. Nothing about Enid (Thora Birch from "American Beauty") is ordinary.

The same goes for her best friend, Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson). She is slightly more focused than the aimless Enid, but, as they graduate from high school in the opening scenes, neither of them know what they want out of life.

Rebecca and Enid find interesting people to follow, exploit, and embarrass, just for their own leisure, but even this loses its edge. Making the most (or least) of their situation, the girls stumble upon an outstandingly pathetic personal ad. As a joke, they respond. However, when they meet this man, Enid becomes infatuated with him.

In their post high school days, Enid and Rebecca find themselves slowly drifting apart. Rebecca is eager to get an apartment and get on with her life, while Enid lives by the day, following one infatuation after another. As their attitudes gradually change from cynical to sober, Enid and Rebecca's emerging differences become blatantly obvious, but painfully realized.

"Ghost World" refers to the world in which these characters live, a town slowly being overcome by shopping malls and coffee shops; a town that slowly loses its distinctions and becomes a ghost of what it once was.

My small town of Mason, MI speaks for itself. Once a minuscule farming suburb of the state's capital, it's now a breeding ground for new subdivisions, factories, stores, gas stations, trailer parks, and businesses. Before you know it, it will be a densely populated city like the capital itself.

"Ghost World" makes harsh points, but it never loses its sense of humor. Enid is so full of bitter cynicism that we have to laugh. She indulges the dialogue. It's often tactlessly frank, savoring every opportunity to bash, thrash, ridicule, or insult anyone or anything for any reason.

Society tends to repress our caustic desire to insult a fellow man, but "Ghost World" doesn't hesitate. It takes a lot of risks, but never steps in the wrong direction. It connects us with these characters. They are so casually antisocial that we can't help but to love them. At times, the movie doesn't require dialogue. It simply examines the character's surroundings. We get to know these people so well, we know exactly what they're thinking before they say it. They are a part of our instincts to react on impulse.

But a character is only as good as the actor behind it. "Ghost World" features enormously engaging performances. Brad Renfro gives his nobody store clerk a raw blandness. Illeana Douglas injects a kind of controlled eccentricity into her role as an art teacher. Steve Buscemi creates a hopeless record player collector out of repressed emotion, and lack thereof.

Scarlett Johansson gives Rebecca a dry, depressed mood. Thora Birch steals the whole show with a straightforward, fearless performance. Although the movie never defines the relationship between Enid and Rebecca, the actors themselves make it clear. They create an enticing charisma that gradually turns to an awkward tension.

"Ghost World" captures part of our journey from childhood to adulthood with poetic grace and cynical wit. Though it's not really a coming-of-age film, where a young character finally takes a place in the world. Enid never finds her place, decides her future, or chooses a path. By the end of the story, she simply becomes aware of her possible options. This movie is just the beginning of her story.


Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) are best friends having difficulties in social attitude with other people. After graduating in high-school, they decide to get a job and rent a house of their own. However, Enid need to attend the Arts summer school to graduate and the unsociable behavior of Enid makes her lose her job. Meanwhile, they play a prank with Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a middle-age collector of long-plays record that feels also difficulties of relationship, and Seymour and Enid become friends. Along the days, Enid reaches maturity and a different view of life.

"Ghost World" is an excellent low-budget cult-movie nominated for Oscar in the category of Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published and awarded in another twenty-five (25) prizes plus twenty-four (24) nominations in different festivals. The caustic and mature adolescent-coming-to-age story is centered in the weird and rebel Enid facing and overcoming the need to join the real world after the high-school period, and is brilliantly directed by Terry Zwigoff, who also writes the wonderful screenplay with Daniel Clowes. The performance of Thora Birch, probably in her best role, also deserved a nomination to the Oscar. Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi and the supporting cast are also awesome. I really loved "Ghost World" a lot, and I would like to thank my great movie-lover friend Ricardo that recommended this gem. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Ghost World  Aprendendo a Viver" / a.k.a. "Mundo Cão" ("Ghost World  Leaning to Live" / "Dog's World")


Two female high school grads plan to get jobs and hang together, but bonds become frayed and paths separate after one of the girls ends up on an unintended journey of self-discovery. From the comic-book which takes a perverse delight in celebrating the geeky side of all of us, "Ghost World" is profane and cynical, but also surprisingly blithe and bright. I rather enjoyed it but realize it's not for every taste. Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson are incredibly rich and vivid in their roles (low-keyed, deadpan, but not blanks); their love-hate friendship is convincing and blessedly free of melodramatics--even they seem to cherish the personality conflicts that come up, it may give them more ammunition. As for the ending, I'm not sure if it's ingenious or a cop-out, but it did leave me touched (in a bemused, nostalgic way). It's a movie with much to offer. ***1/2 from ****


I love this movie. It is so simple. Just an episode from the lives of two girls who have just finished high school. Nothing fancy, nothing spectacular, or unusual. Just a situation that we've all been through, but shown through a different set of eyes.

The performances by Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson (hottie), and Steve Buscemi are very good and the story is heart warming and often very funny.

Movies like this are seldom and Hollywood tends to make it's films unnecessarily spectacular these days. It sometimes works, but is often quite ridiculous. Think - Michael Bay.

This is film is highly recommended to anyone who cares about life. 10/10

Rated R: profanity


The first time I saw this movie I f***ing went insane! Best movie I had ever seen! I saw it on the first day of school that year, so it started me off pumped. It meant so much to me, and accentuated and made sense of many parts of my life. I cannot explain how close I am to this movie. My best fiend saw it with me too, and we have been a lot closer since then.

It was very smartly written, realistic as hell- not necessarily the actions, but the feelings behind the actions taken in this movie.

It is basically about this girl named Enid (Thora Birch) who has just graduated high school, and doesn't know where her life is going. She quickly discriminates against others, though I think that most of the time, she is justified. Enid and her friend Rebecca are spending the whole movie thinking about getting an apartment, but Enid procrastinates. She basically stops caring about anything that will help her in life, and entertains herself by hating everything that she can. This makes her depressed, and she loves it. Enid becomes involved with an older jazz/ragtime enthusiast named Seymour (Steve Buscemi) who has issues relating to others. Enid likes/ is intrigued by him, and feels that he can relate to her better than anyone else that she knows in her world. Seymour is her drug. As a drama, Ghost World was great. The first half of the movie, though, was one of the funniest, darkest setups I have ever seen. A lot of sarcastic humor that many would call ______ist, but whatever. It's got some of the best one liners I've ever heard. I will not go on and on about the ending, because other reviewers have overly voiced their 10 line opinions about how it's so good that it's gone past bad and back to good again or really "sucky and artsy". About the ending, I will say this- It is not a normal Hollywood ending. That's good. Hollywood is redundant.

"A tampon in a teacup?"

"It's my response to a women's right to choose. It's something I feel super strongly about!"


"We graduated from high school. How totally amazing", says a sarcastic Enid Coleslaw (Thora Birch, in the best performance of her career), at the beginning of "Ghost World". Enid and her best friend, Rebecca (a 15 year-old Scarlett Johansson) discuss how much they longed for their graduation day, and when it finally came, it wasn't as cheerful as they were expecting. While Rebecca finds a job and tries to move on, Enid doesn't know what to do with her life and spends most of her time with Seymour (Steve Buscemi, playing the most humane variation of all the 'losers' he's been playing his whole life, and that's why he's so great at it), a lonely older man whose biggest pleasure is collecting rare, old records.

The more I watch "Ghost World", the more I like it. This is a very special, really beautiful film, that speaks to the heart. It's both hilarious (really one of the funniest films I've ever seen - Enid's yard sale, her first day of work at a movie theater, just to name a couple of favourite scenes, crack me up every time) and moving, with a bittersweet feel to it that's underlined by David Kitay's musical theme. Terry Zwigoff's ("Crumb") script, co-written by Daniel Clowes based on his own comic books, has a remarkable respect for its characters, most of them adorable and pathetic at once - including Josh (Brad Renfro), a boy Enid and Rebecca love to mess around with. One week ago, when I was re-watching this movie with some friends who had never seen it, we commented on how miserable Josh is - and how sad it was to hear about Renfro's premature death a few days later.

If you ever felt lost in your own world, not knowing what do with your life, you're gonna relate to this film. The feeling I get from it is a little similar to THAT other film with Scarlett Johansson, the sublime "Lost in Translation". For me, any movie as sincere and well crafted as "Ghost World" and "Lost in Translation" is a classic, and deserves a spot on my all-time favourites' list. 10/10.


Ghost World (2001), by cult director Terry Zwigoff (Bad Santa (2003)) is aimed at the intelligent, open minded and cultured teenagers who are aware of what is ahead of them, yet choose to enjoy the life of a child and not wanting to grow up. Keeping in mind it is a film, it could be enjoyed by anyone.

Amazing to see a teenaged-based film that doesn't revolve around titties, toilet humor, beer and drugs but more so revolves around culture and intelligence and pushes the fact that not all teenagers are useless. In fact there are many teenagers out there who are rather intelligent, mature and wise beyond their years yet still like their basic humour associated with other peoples demise, which in this film, is done amazingly well and it is quite relatable when we see Enid and Rebecca laughing at the "satanists" in the diner. My friends and I usually laugh at that typical fat, dirty old man in the city who hits on young girls or those freaky-looking folks who have no sense of fashion, which, as mean as it is, is just a little fun, which is exactly what these girls do and this relates to modern teenagers.

What Ghost World also holds is mountains and mountains of culture all dating way back to the 1960's Bollywood films and the 1970's underground music which is so satisfying to see now as so many people my age don't comprehend or care for, they prefer trash that MTV spits in our faces and know we'll love it and buy but the thing is, because the majority is rather culturally inept and likes anything dating from 2001 to modern times, leaves the other types left out, where do they go? They must dig and dig under all this modern pop culture to find the real hip stuff, the real cool stuff that our mothers and fathers listened to and watched when they were kids, and Ghost World is satisfying because its so up to date with the minority and yet references so many musicians, artists and films and its striking out to those MTV kids and others, the MTV kids who don't know who Pink Floyd is, or the ones who've never heard of the film Midnight Express or 8½ which is even mentioned in this film. It's a relief and leaves a smile on such non-conformist types, the ones who aren't "emo" or "gangsta" or this or that. It could be for everyone of course, but this film is clearly aimed at particular audiences.

Now, on with the actual film itself. I would say apart from the great style and culture of the movie, its still great; acting, characters, story, ending, everything. The whole movie is brilliance in a bottle. Enid and Rebecca, best friends, alternative hip kids, have just graduated school rolling their eyes over their fellow pop loving peers but Enid doesn't want to grow up, she doesn't want to change herself for a bunch of customers at a job, she doesn't want to move out of home. She wants to be in a kid forever, which so many kids our age can relate to. Many of us don't want to grow up. Where Rebecca is mature and all, she's waiting for Enid to move into an apartment with her and get a job but Enid is far too busy with her nerdy record collecting friend Seymour who she previously stood up for as a joke. As time goes on Enid spends more and more of her spare time with Seymour, and ends up losing her school certificate because she didn't turn up to the art show and everything for her falls apart. "Ever wanted to just disappear and no one would ever ask what happened to you" Enid said to Rebecca. "No." She replies.

As we saw previously in the film, an old senile man waits at the bus stop for a bus that doesn't come by anymore. Enid says to him at some stage "ever since my life fell apart you're the only one I can rely on because I know you'll always be here" or something along those lines, where as, this somewhat explains that Enid's entire world is changing, except this one lonesome man at the bus stop but once he says he is leaving this means her entire life is changing. He catches the bus symbolizing everything has changed for Enid. Even in the end, Enid has caught that same bus which represents after all the things Enid has put herself through she is finally accepting to grow up and start her life. A great, relatable and cultured film, with for me ranks grade A marks in my book. This film is beyond recommendation; this film should be seen by everyone, whether you like it or not, you can't just be ignorant, you have to look into this film and analysis it.


Enid and Rebecca are two cynical teenagers who live in a world in which everything seems phony and contrived. Everyone belongs to a clique or a group, and all these groups are seen to be hollow and devoid of any worthwhile substance.

The film is broken down into three acts. The first act consists of Enid and Rebecca observing and critiquing the world around them. The world is devoid of value and people lack sophistication, filling their times with banal activities and pointless gestures. Time and again, characters are shown to lack depth. They have no appreciation of quality or craftsmanship and simply have no desire to learn or understand.

Enid and Rebecca, of course, are not like this. They're two artists, constantly observing and chartering what goes on around them. This acute perception makes them sick. They can't relate to 99 percent of the people around them. If life is so sick and everyone so annoying, how can these girls properly function in the world? If ignorance is bliss, how can these two enlightened teens exist in a world so unenlightened and stupid?

Plato called art and philosophy the highest occupations precisely because they are profoundly useless. In understanding and observing his world, man is able to transcend the basic routines of his animal life. The downside is, the more you understand things, the less you identify with the herd. The less you identify with others, the more horrible you feel (see Antonioni).

After college, Enid and Rebecca are thus faced with an important question. What next? How do I function and where do I go? Rebecca's answer is to throw away her artistic sensibilities and adopt a more practical view of life. She decides to get a practical job, buy a little apartment and become just another faceless peon to society. She just wants to be normal. This is paradoxically seen as both a step forward into adulthood and a regressive step back into childishness. Yes Rebecca steps forward and assumes adult responsibilities, but her responsibilities are based on a child's view of what an adult should be. In one great shot, Rebecca stands before an ironing board, her transformation into womanhood complete. She's so wrapped up in actually getting on with life, that she hasn't the time or inclination to stop and ponder the banal monster she's become.

Enid, in contrast, can't accept this blissful ignorance. She needs to find substance. Somewhere. Anywhere. The answer, of course, seems to be in enrolling in an art college. Isn't this where all observational, overly sensitive outcasts go? But no, even this art class seems pretentious and hypocritical. Everything is a stupid facade. Where can she just be herself?

The second act of the film deals with Enid falling in love with Seymore, brilliantly played by Steve Buscemi. He's a middle aged man who lives in the past, collecting old records and antiques. "You think this is healthy," he says, "I can't connect with people so I fill my life with this stuff." The irony is that everyone collects and does routine stuff. Seymore and Enid just have an awareness of why it's done. They're outside the box, looking inwards.

Like "Fight Club" the film is completely angry at pop culture. The radio annoys Seymore, with it's constant advertising and pompous DJs. "I feel like I'm being jabbed in the face," he says. Earlier in the film, a customer moans at a video store clerk for not stocking Fellini's 8 ½ (yet the store has the Kim Basinger sex film 9 ½ weeks). Abstract this further and you have the angry assault of "Clockwork Orange's" post modern furniture, music and art.

There's some subtle symbolism in the film. Enid constantly tries to latch on to past fashion trends and musical genres as she tries to create an identity for herself. An outdated pair of Levis always seems to be strewn on the sidewalk. There are two garage sales, but the same record is sold in each case. It's also interesting that Enid and Rebecca are only sexually attracted to specific types of boys. At the start of the film, Enid sympathises with a guy called Dennis and both girls are attracted to another kid called Josh. Why? Because both these guys have that genuine rarity of being exactly what they appear to be. No pretence. No attempts to be cool. Even though Dennis is a dweeb, he isn't trying to be anything else. And Josh, basically a dishevelled kid, seems open and honest. The girls feel a connection because these kids represent some form of truth.

The last act of the film deals with Enid trying to set Seymore up on a date. Symbolically, she understands that if she can get an outcast like Seymore to function in society, then maybe there is hope for her too. Unfortunately, Seymore's relationship with his date falls apart. Enid, feeling hopeless, thus hops on board a bus. She hopes to leave town. She hopes to travel the world and maybe find herself. Find something she can latch on to. One can view this ending with optimism, but it's also naive to assume that Enid's internal "problem" can be solved by changing her external surroundings.

The film thus ends on very much the same note as George Lucas' "American Graffeti", with the artist flying away, a sense of sad possibility lingering in the air.

8.5/10- Terry Zwigoff has made 3 pretty great films. "Bad Santa", "Ghost World" and "Crumb". This film makes a nice companion piece to "400 Blows", "American Graffiti", "Ratatouille", "Harold and Maude" and "Fight Club". I guess you can also equate it with Antonioni's work, though his films deal less with the artist, and more with the disillusionment that comes with perception. It's interesting that aside from Pixar's and Hal Ashby's film, all films that deal with artists in this way end on a depressing note.


This is the story of Enid (Tora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) after they finish the high school. Both have problems to be related with people and they spend their time hanging around and bothering creeps. When they met Seymour (Steve Buscemi) who is a social outsider who loves to collect old vinyl records, the life of Enid will change forever.

The screenplay of this memorable film was based on a comic book with the same name, created by Daniel Clowes. The plot is very simple but excellent and there are a lot of memorable dialogs and two memorable characters that makes this film as one of the most original films ever and that is, without a doubt, Terry Zwigoff's masterpiece. The way that the film start, when we can see how Enid and Rebecca spend their time, is really strange in consequence of the strange attitude of the characters . I mean when they follow the "satanic" couple is really bizarre but later they just forget about them in less than a minute and they stop in a restaurant, and it's even more bizarre. And there are lots of this kind of scenes that makes this characters truly memorable and the best thing is that they are believable. And the other main character, Seymour, is also great. The lines of all the characters are really great and the critic to the ignorant society too, specially the scene when a man is looking for the film "8 1/2" by Fellini and the video clerk give him the film "Nine 1/2 Weeks" with Mickey Rourke.

Well, the cast is perfect; Tora Birch is amazing in the best character of the film, Scarlett Johansson is perfect in all the ways and Steve Buscemi is excellent like always in a memorable character. The rest of the cast is excellent too like the rest of the secondary characters like Josh (Brad Renfro) or Roberta Allsworth (Illeana Douglas). And the music is another perfect thing of this film just like in every other masterpiece like this one.

Conclusion: i really love this film that is highly re-watchable and for me is one the best films of the 00's and amazingly original. I haven't read the comic book but Daniel Clowes, the creator, write the film too so i think is very similar to the comic book, that i'm going to get soon. So watch this film, is funny thanks to the great satire to the society but also is sad thanks to one character who doesn't know what to do with her life and is quite disappointed with the rest of the world. A ghost world. 10 out of 10


Wow is the only thing I can say about this movie. There never was and will never be anything like it. It is the only movie that I watched more than 20 times, sometimes twice in a row. It is the best movie on the planet! I think that Thora Birch is the only one who could play Enid because nobody else would be that convincing. Every single time I watch this movie I discover something new and that is why I keep watching it. If there are original movies left in this world, then one of them should definitely be Ghost World. Now, I could keep talking about this for hours and still I would have to say more. The best way to find out what I'm talking about is to watch it.


I was surprised to find that Ghost World is a comic book adaptation. The film is full of quirkiness and a same-time embracing of geeks/dorks as well as pitying them. We start with two semi-outcast high school students graduating high school. From then, we primarily follow Enid (Thora Birch), who finds herself in an existential phase of her life, having escaped from her hated experience, but finding herself in a meaningless and pointless world, with little direction of her own. And this is a comedy that somehow works, even when burdened by such philosophical weight.

The comedy in Ghost World is not the gut-busting type, but rather the quiet situational type that's amusing. At the same time, as we laugh at the nerds, geek, freaks, dorks and dweebs that inhabit Ghost World, the film works to humanize them in our eyes and raise a sympathy for them. Suddenly their eccentricities seem less strange and more interesting. And like Enid, we find ourselves drawn to them.

This film has a bit in common in terms of tone with the heavier American Splendor as well as the lighter Napoleon Dynamite, featuring an offbeat humor style and complete with curious characters. Despite the comedy, this film is a drama at its core, dealing with a youth's entry to the "real world", complete with all its harshness and disappointments. As we watch the film, we see her best-friendship with Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) tested, struggle with young love and infatuation and try to find her way in a world that doesn't feed her direction, but asks her to discover it for herself. And like many young people, she finds it very difficult to deal with the responsibility.

And in the drama, we find the heart of the film, watching Enid with compassionate eyes through her struggles.

Steve Buscimi completes the primary cast as Seymour, a jazz/blues geek who Enid takes on as her first mission once she graduates, finding in him a sort of spiritual corollary. The performances are solid, with the humor played deadpan and the drama dramatic. The direction is of the classic invisible Hollywood style and the pace of the film is fine. I think the ending is a little bit of a cop-out, but I guess that's how some stories go.

I thought it was a good, quirky little film and if you're a fan of those kinds of films, I'd recommend Ghost World to you. 8/10


Enid (Thora Birch) says to her father, as he tells her where she could apply for a job. The film encompasses surrealism, depression, teen angst and people who feel disenfranchised. Basically, everyone.

As one reviewer mentioned, it is not a formulaic Disney movie, nor is it a Gothic depressive movie, like "Disturbing Behavior" or other teen movies. This film actually stands out on its own, and the performances are excellent. Steve Buscemi is believable and sympathetic as the local loser who Enid and her friend decide to stalk. Ileana Douglas portrays Enid's art teacher (classically quirky). Enid is required to take art class for the summer "for retard losers" she tells Teri Garr, her father's girlfriend.

Enid and her friend find the world out of school has little more to offer- The hypocrisy of graduation; when the class president speaks: "I liked her so much better when she was a crack head" Johannson sneers. Classic.

Enid also reflects that she will miss the geeky classmate who she will never see again- a familiar sense that "what is to come" may also be a disappointment. The underlying theme of Seymour's (Buscemi's) collection of 78's, and a lost world, is touching and effective. He works as a VP at what was formerly known as "Coon Chicken". Enid develops an interest in this, and brings the logo to her art class,where Douglas commends her for her awareness of the subject. Yes, there were places like that, Seymour says, now it is less out in the open. The possibility that we all live in a ghost world of our own is not just a remote possibility.

This film is excellent for its creative portrayal of disenfranchisement, discontent, and the humor that saves us from despair. Johansson offers comic relief when Enid visits her at the local coffee house where she works: ..."mostly I just want to kill everyone"... The starkness and impersonal environment of the strip malls, the Sidewinder where Brad Renfro makes slushies, the "fake 50's diner" where weird Al works- all these places are familiar americana. Hopefully John Malkovich will make a sequel. 10/10


The end of high school can be a polarizing experience. On the one hand, its the start of a whole new and exciting life. But on the other, its a terrifying prospect. Its the first time in a young person's life when they can get out into the real world and see what lies in wait for them. Either exciting surprises or grave disappointments.

Ghost World, my choice for best teen film of 2001, neatly captures the mindset of anguished teenagers at this particular crossroads in life. Its not always accessible, but in this day and age of cookie cutter teen fodder, that's something of a relief.

The two teens Ghost World chooses to observe are Enid and Rebecca, both wonderfully played by Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson. The opening scene witnesses their high school graduation. Something Enid & Rebecca greet with almost casual indifference. Their lives are undeniably changing, they just haven't decided if its for better or worse.

Ghost World is a film that seems to occupy a bizarre buffer zone between two netherworlds. Its a skewed vision of suburbia, not unlike something out of a Tim Burton or a John Waters film. And director Terry Zwigoff paints a quite appealing portrait of an oddball utopia slowly being swallowed up by "progress" such as mini-marts and consumerism.

Enid & Rebecca are casual observers. Anything that falls below their radar, you can bet Enid will have some witty rejoinder or dry comment dripping in sarcasm on hand, while Rebecca stands off to the side mulling it over and chipping in if and when necessary.

The film charts the deterioration of their friendship. Although Enid is in no hurry to grow up and get on with things, Rebecca senses an inevitability to her life. Being a non-conformist is one thing, but at some point, we all have to conform to some of life's expectations of us.

Rebecca gets a job at Starbucks (or something like it) and goes apartment hunting for herself and Enid. Things like these don't interest Enid. She's trapped in a perpetual fantasy. A bubble she believes will remain intact. And when she does try to follow Rebecca's example, doing a regular job, its like watching a dog walk on its hind legs.

Enid wasn't meant for normal life. She loves to stand out from everyone around her. And she has an eclectic wardrobe for each and every (social) occasion. Rebecca may be an outsider too, but perhaps she recognises it as one of life's many phases.

So with Enid & Rebecca growing further and further apart, Enid finds solace in Seymour (a perfectly cast Steve Buscemi), a record collector unlucky in love. Enid plays a rather cruel joke on Seymour by responding to a personal ad he put in the paper. She stands him up, sort of, by observing him from a distance (like she does with everything), and becomes fascinated by this oddity of a man.

She senses a kindred spirit in Seymour. Someone who doesn't fit in, a social misfit, and inept at life's ironies. But when she actually gets Seymour a date, he starts spending less and less time with Enid. And as Enid's perfectly perceptive world falls apart, she spirals into depression and despair.

Ghost World is the type of teen film you pray for, and when it finally comes, you almost feel like slapping yourself in astonishment. A teen film that's witty, sharp but most of all, perceptive. Also one of its nicest touches is the fact it stars actual teenagers for a change, not adults ten years older.

Ghost World comes with a positively anti-authoritarian stamp on it. I sense Terry Zwigoff is a bit of a non-conformist himself. And he's selected two superb actresses to carry the film off with aplomb.

Thora Birch is the undisputed star. She so neatly captures Enid's character you couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. Her performance is so wonderful the way it rotates from cynicism, intuition and eventually gut-wrenching despair. Each line of dialogue she delivers to perfection. From capital letter to full stop. And yet despite being attuned to the world around her, she is naive in her way. She has the vain belief things will always stay the same. Observing the world at a coldly detached distance. But as the world makes her a participant, its something that shatters her world forever. What an impressive, heartbreaking performance from someone so young.

Ghost World came at a time just before Scarlett Johansson's career took off. And although she doesn't get as much screen time as Birch, she's equally impressive. She quite modestly allows Birch to take the spotlight because she knows its Enid's life story that's captured our interest. Johansson's performance is more subtle than Birch's, but she is necessary, because she provides an effective counterpoint to Enid's role without having to do very much at all. Which is why Scarlett Johansson is such a wonderful actress. But she'd have to wait for Lost in Translation to show her true mettle, where she plays a character not all that different from Rebecca.

Steve Buscemi is in his element as Seymour. He's the man we hope to never become. Buscemi is known for choosing quirky, off-centre roles and Seymour is no exception. A man of few joys and even fewer accomplishments.

The crux of Ghost World is Enid. What she slowly senses is that her defiantly defended role as life's abject observer can't go on forever. One day, she will have to grow up. And perhaps she does at the end. The last thing we ever see of her is getting on a bus. Where she's going is a mystery. But at least she's getting out of town. Perhaps progress has finally caught up with Enid.

Cherish Ghost World. Its the perfect antidote to predictable teen movies and their comfortable clichés.


This is a very funny and sad movie about two girls (Enid and Rebecca) just entering the real world trying to figure out what to do with life, just as Seymour, a middle aged man, struggles through his own life as he has trouble relating to other people. While Enid and Rebecca discover that life outside of high school isn't as great as they imagined it to be, Seymour (who already knows about the loneliness of life) tries for once in his life to actually start living instead of just floating through life. Steve Buscemi, who plays Seymour, has one of his most memorable performances, and Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson are perfect fits for their roles. Anyone who feels like they don't quite fit in with society will surely find something to like in this movie. There has never been a teen movie like this, and there probably isn't any that are better than this. And don't forget about the old man waiting for the bus. Could this old man have the answer?


Now that I know the film is based on a comic book, it figures. As I watched it without knowing that, I was reminded of MTV's Daria, especially in the way the main character, Enid, reacts to mostly everything and everyone with a mix of sarcasm and apathy. Thora Birch plays yet another teenage misfit, it's hard to tell if she's so good at it or if you're just used to seeing her in that role. There are times when the clichés and caricatures can become a bit too heavy, but overall it works.

Everything in the film has a sketch-like quality, from the photography and setting to the plot itself, which is more like a series of vignettes. Sketches are also how Enid describes the reality around her, by drawing on her diary. There's a theme of fakeness running through the film and several brief comedy scenes serve to illustrate that - like when Enid and her friend are sitting in a fifties "authentic" diner and 80's music comes through the juke box. It's one of the signs of the uninspiring, suspended surreality they live in.

Enid's friend, Rebecca, played by Scarlet Johansson, is a marginal character, she doesn't get much of a role in the film, other than to serve as contrast for Enid. She ends up adapting more easily, gets a job and a flat, and their relationship grows colder as Enid has more and more difficulty following her friend's example, or even deciding if she wants to follow that route at all. There's a scene where Rebecca, frustrated by Enid's inability to make up her mind, blurts out rather cruelly "good luck living with your father for the rest of your life". That remark, along with the situation it refers to, is one of the things that lead Enid to realize she needs to take some decisions or they'll all be taken for her by others. That is what the whole film basically revolves around.

There are funny bits of social satire, like the misguided controversy over Enid's art piece and the failure of her teacher to stand up for her. For Enid, even good experiences start from unpromising circumstances and her own most careless indifference. The idea of life as a matter of success vs. failure, winners vs. losers is debunked.

Steve Buscemi is, as ever, absolutely brilliant as the "dork" Seymour. His character is also in many ways a caricature, but he gives it real depth. The unlikely affair developing between him and Enid is the most genuine part of the film. What happens to Seymour in the end is dealt with a heavier dose of comedy than perhaps would have been necessary, while Enid's future is more poetically left open-ended. For anyone expecting some sort of definite closure, this is going to be disappointing, but I don't think it is one of the flaws of the film. It just doesn't have a typical plot development so there is no contradiction in the ending being so vague. The final scene makes nice use of a tiny sub-plot that was both comical and loaded with heavier symbolism, the old man sitting on a bench waiting for a bus that never seems to come. When Enid finally catches her own bus we don't know where it leads and what she plans to do or with what money, but, as someone who really cannot stand cheesy happy endings, I thought this was a nice way of closing the film. She finally gets the courage to enact her wish about leaving in exactly the way she had talked of before. It does work as a resolution in an understated way, showing us how, after waiting for something to happen from outside, she finally decided it was up to her to start taking control of her life.

All in all, an enjoyable, lighthearted and bittersweet satirical comedy, with good acting (did I mention Buscemi is fabulous?) and amusing dialogues and situations. Just don't expect too much out of it, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. 7/10


**** SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN ***

There were a lot of things I liked about this movie: the humour and the characters, but it was basically Thora Birch that carried it - the character of Enid was terrific, reminding me a lot of Daria (who I also like).

The movie itself reminded me of "The Graduate", with the main point being the search by the main character for a direction in life, and the final scene being a bus-ride out of town. The interest was held by wondering what Enid WOULD ACTUALLY DO, as she didn't seem to like any of her options.

It fell down in a number of ways though: I really disliked the 2-dimensional way in which the character of Enid's father was treated - it seemed like a really cynical way of ruling out the "family" option. The ending was a complete cop-out - her simply skipping town on a bus is NOT A CHOICE. Even the people who like the movie don't like the ending, and have come up with various "mystical" or suicidal interpretations to excuse it.

The main problem is that there is a PERFECTLY OBVIOUS solution to Enid's "problems", which is that she should GO TO COLLEGE. She would have another few years to grow up and develop proper social skills. This is what college is for. At least in "The Graduate" Dustin Hoffman was a COLLEGE graduate, so his struggles were more grounded in adult sensitivities.

Anyway, I think I'm making this sound worse than it was. I did really like it for the most part, but felt that it lost it's way a little, and ended badly. 7/10.


This is one movie I anticipated above any other. I am a big fan of Thora Birch, and liked Steve Buscemi a lot ever since his brilliant "Trees Lounge". I am also a huge fan of the graphic novel, and all similar comic books. So I waited with baited breath to see this movie. I have to say I wasn't disappointed. All of the edgy black humor and sarcasm of the comic book is translated to the screen, and a lot of care has been taken to recreate the look of the town. Fans of the comic will immediately recognise the images of Daniel Clowes's masterpiece. The darker side of the story, the disillusionment, is all there as well. Thora Birch and Scarlet Johansson play the two girls brilliantly, staying true to the characters of the comic. The cool soundtrack is a big plus too.

This film will move you, and make you laugh and cry. Don't miss it!


Since I'm a huge fan of comic books as well as "cartoony" or comic book based movies, I decided to review this one. When I saw this movie, one or two years ago, I was in my final year of high school, about the same age as the characters in this movie. I too have had a horrible experience in high school. However, I can't say I could relate to the dark world that is portrayed in Ghost World. I have read the comic book after watching the movie. Both of the versions of "Ghost World" portray a world full of sad and annoying people, pedophiles, typical idiotic high school students, and most of all, people faking individuality.

I don't think "Ghost World" is meant to be realistic, but it's meant to portray this world that we live in. Enid and her friend are the main characters who think they are above everyone else, including the depressed guy that is Seymour. However, things don't turn out as they planned. I thought Enid and her friend were very realistic characters. They aren't shown as heroines who are greater than everyone else because of how different they are and how they don't let themselves controlled by society. On the contrary. This is a good point for the movie, since the realism isn't too overwhelming. However, the depressing atmosphere of the movie can be if you aren't into this. As the movie keeps going, it gets more and more depressing and the ending just leaves you with a "bitter taste in your mouth".

It's not that "Ghost World" didn't move me. It did, greatly. But maybe the reason why I didn't like it as much as a lot of people did was because it mainly brought negative feelings to me. I really liked the story as well as the characters, but it was just too hard to stomach. There was very little optimism in the movie. It also seems to be telling the viewers that it's impossible to be an individual in this world, and that you'll always be just another [ insert a subculture or a name here ] to people, which I don't agree with personally.


Ghost World is one of the better teen or comming of age movie i have seen in a while. The story was very sweet, and it gives people who are hopeless (like myself) hope. This is because the ugly, but unique dork of the movie gets to find true love! I don't usually see that in todays movies

The movie consists of many interesting characters, and the actors who played the characters did an outstanding job (especially Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi). The settings in the movie was good, and I liked how the movie used different room colors for different occasions in this movie.

There are some problems of this movie: 1. The movie was a little bit long, and sometimes the story drags. 2. Scarlett Johanson character seemed pretty small, it would be nice to more a little bit of Scarlett Johanson character.

This movie was funny, sweet, and interesting. If you are sick of the ordinary teen movies, you should watch this interesting little teen movie called Ghost World :)


i liked this movie, it was something different, something new and i totally loved Thora Birch( one of the coolest actresses around) as the protaganist. The only thing that was lacking was the ending, i found it too symbolic, because it was saying that enids life had not yet begun and her getting on the bus was the start of her life- meh. Besides that i gave the film a seven. Scarlett Johanssen also is pretty cool.


Ghost World" is an indie treasure.

Rarely do films stick in one's mind a few minutes after seeing them. I have been walking around laughing all day today about scenes in this movie. Other reviews have adequately cataloged the plot, characters and substance of "Ghost World", so I will focus on the beauty of its flavor.

Enid sees the functioning of the adults in her life as the subject of her ironic amusement, and, indeed, the actors brilliantly flesh out the subtle (and not so subtle) humor in their struggles. Every supporting role from the guy who brings his laptop to Starbucks every day to answer the free-coffee trivia questions to the mullet-headed bare-chested convenience store customer with his parking lot numb chuck antics are just hilarious. If ever in life you've looked at a person and wondered for a moment exactly how they got to be who they are, you might see many of their ilk here.

The obvious gem is Steve Buscemi as Seymour, one of my favorite actors. His character reminds me of the Thoreau quote: "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." He is a man approaching his middle years whose life consists of his dull job, his obese farting roommate, his mother, and his large and obsessive collection of old records that have a room of their own. Not hateful nor whiney about his lot, he simply keeps trying at life, even though his combination of intelligence, appreciation of subtlety and unfortunate odd looks keep him from the mainstream life connections that might fulfill him. Gentle and resigning, he is man who, like many, has come to accept himself and life as things he really can't do anything about. Buscemi manages to play both the fragile patheticness of Seymour and his sweetness, so that we can see why Enid is drawn to him.

This movie (as some of the reviews show) is not for everyone. But, it's definitely one of my new favorites.


Definitely it is a VERY GOOD movie because it makes you think a lot. I haven't figure out all, yet, but the scene of Seymour, his therapist & his mother tells you more about how similar Seymour and Enid are... she moves to live with Rebbeca and when his life crashes she will go to live with her father...there are many questions yet...and that scene is realy GREAT, it helps you to understand a little bit more about the story...


Here's a movie I wish I'd seen when I was 16: edgy, almost lovable main characters that are weird enough to identify with and an interesting plotline that makes most other "teen" movies bow their heads in shame.

Also, I've read the original comic, that the film is based on, months before seeing the movie, so I was actually surprised how much I liked the movie. Ghost World the Comic (in my humble opinion) is one of the most overrated graphic novels of our times. It was nice, but nothing so special. So when the movie turned out good, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Some elements of the original comics plot were altered for the movie version, which I don't actually mind, because Dan Clowes was one of the screenwriters and was at charge (at least to some extent) in bringing his own comic to the big screen. One of the changes, that I didn't like, was the ending. The ending in the comic was much better, although it might have been difficult to recreate it in a movie (anyone seen a nicely done ageing-makeup in a movie? :D)


Pleasantly surprised as I tuned in on a Monday mid-morning to see something as refreshingly quirky as this film. Thora Birch really played the part very well, and the movie overall had great character development. Fresh and true look into what really happens to some teens as they try to transition from high school life to the reality that is the "real world". Funny and Unique. 4 stars from me.


Steve Buscemi and Thora Birch...it really doesn't get much better than this, unless Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, and Johnny Depp popped up somehow. Then that would be just overkill. Anyway, this is the best I've seen Buscemi in, and Thora Birch cranks up the angst and cynicism she utilized in American Beauty in her role as Enid. She and Scarlett Johansson remind me of Daria and Jane from the cartoon "Daria." "Ghost World" is one of those films that proves how much more effective a story can be without all the sugarcoating popular in Hollywood. The open, thought-provoking ending haunted me like that in Donnie Darko. My only qualm is that Enid could be realistically caustic to the point of being unlikable, but she is so REAL! This is what a teen movie SHOULD be...9/10.


Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) are two close friends who've just graduated from high school, and are trying to decide what to do with their lives. Enid is a dark-haired arch cynic who is tired of living at home with her ineffectual dad (Bob Balaban) and his annoyingly perky girlfriend Maxine (Teri Garr), while Rebecca is prettier and a bit cheerier, but no more certain about her future. While the two girls have vague plans of getting an apartment together, they seem content to while away their summer hanging out and indulging in their shared infatuation with Josh (Brad Renfro), a friend from school who works at a convenience store and doesn't seem to be especially attracted to either of them. Enid discovers that in order to get her diploma, she'll have to take an additional class over the summer, where she winds up studying art with Roberta (Illeana Douglas), who is determined to encourage Enid's creative impulses, whether Enid likes it or not. Enid meets Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a geeky record collector more than twice her age, and while they would seem to have little in common (and Rebecca thinks he's a creep), Enid discovers a kindred spirit in fellow misfit Seymour, who shares her disgust with the world around them, and a relationship begins to develop between the two. I found Ghost World a very enjoyable movie, but it was sad too. I thought the "mullet man" in the convenience store was hilarious. I thought Steve Buscemi, one of my favorite actors did an outstanding job in this movie as did Birch and Johansson.


It wasn't that this movie was particularly bad. I like the pictures, there are characters you can identify it and still: The film is not going anywhere, it's just moving along. It's a series of mini-plots, loosely connected by having the same characters in it. The parts are well made, but the composition is arbitratry in a way that the movie is actually less than the sum of it's parts.

The problem is that the protagonists don't have a goal. They are undecided in what they want to do with their lives, and they never actually make that decision and stick by it. That may or may not be an accurate description of real life in the suburbs, but it certainly makes for bad drama: Somebody without a goal can neither succeed nor fail, she's just going nowhere. Everything will just go round in circles, with slight changes from time to time. So what's the point in watching? Nothing will come out of it anyway.

So ultimately this movie looks like somebody decided that it might be a cool idea to point a camera at two girls and an older guy and see what happens. After the time is up, still nothing has happened. So we just switch off at that point and call it a movie.


"The Schocking Miss Pilgrim" a curiosity piece rarely seen these days. The film focus on the early women's right movement in the late 19th Century. Some of the ideas from that time still resonate these days, although there is no comparison. Director George Seaton delivers an entertainment movie that is enhanced by some unheard music by George and Ira Gershwin that is a delight to the ear.

Betty Grable, a charismatic actress, portrays Cynthia Pilgrim, who has just finished a sort of secretarial school in which the use of the typewriter by a female was a breakthrough. Ms. Pilgrim is assigned to Boston where she is the first woman employed by a solid old firm that only employs male personnel. Soon Cynthia changes the perception of the office about women in the work place, winning the heart of her boss John Pritchard.

The musical numbers are delightful without being flashy. Ms. Grable and Dick Haymes make some nice music together. Mr. Haymes with his melodic voice is one of the best things in the film. Also, Anne Revere and Gene Lockhart do excellent work in minor roles.

This film should be seen more often because of the charismatic Ms. Grable and her costar Dick Haymes.


Because of the prominence of the abolition movement in the 1830s -1860s, other American social movements of the day are not thought of very much. If you are interested, read Tyler's book FREEDOM'S FERMENT, which discusses the international peace movement, woman's rights, and other movements of equal interest in that period - only these did not lead to Civil War. The woman's suffrage movement had begun in 1848 in upstate New York, but it really does not get the momentum that made it memorable until the 1870s. Then Susan B. Anthony goes on trial (also in New York State) for daring to try to vote in a national election. Also Victoria Woodhull throws her hat into the ring (unofficially) for the Presidency in 1872. Later Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organize the woman's movement, so that after they both die in the early 1900s it grows until it achieves suffrage by Federal Constitutional Amendment in 1919.

THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM is not the only film to tackle early woman's suffrage. There is a bit about the movement in the character of Miss Massingale in THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL, who keeps confronting (and romancing) Burt Lancaster's army Colonel. But THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM is actually the only film from that looks at the movement at a critical moment in it's history. A little background is needed here.

In the early days of the women's suffrage movement, there was considerable debate regarding allying the movement with other social movements of the day. However, Anthony and Stanton were convinced by Frederick Douglass to work for abolition, because if slavery was abolished (Douglas argued) woman's servitude would have to follow soon after. But in the post-Civil War years, the relationship between Douglass and the suffrage leadership soured. Douglass, once the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments got passed, was more concerned about African American (read African-American males) consolidating and expanding their gains. He started to curb joint efforts with Stanton and Anthony on woman's rights, claiming that it just was not the time (although his previous argument had been to strike when the fire was hot!). Anthony and Stanton eventually over-reacted. They never forgave the betrayal by Douglass, and soon they managed to make the woman's suffrage movement lily white (and rather racist towards the former male slaves who now - theoretically - could vote). A small African-American woman's suffrage movement pushed forward too, but it was fighting antagonism by male African-Americans, and racism by white women who should have been their sisters in arms.

The lesson though was now burned into the heads of the woman's movement - don't ally yourself with other causes. And, interestingly enough, this is the center for part of the plot of THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM. Betty Grable tries to keep her friends from allying themselves with another social movement which grew with woman's suffrage - Prohibition. She is unable to do so. In the decades from 1870 - 1920 many woman suffrage figures, like Carrie Nation, were also outspoken supporters of prohibition. These women (like Nation) had homes that had been wrecked by alcoholic husbands, so their stand and unity with Prohibitionists made sense. But the bulk of the woman's movement avoided this, because they did not want their political agenda tainted by a rival one. The same situation happened in the English suffrage movement too, when Mrs. Pankhurst's daughters split on allying with the British Labor Party, and the anti-war movement. Sylvia Pankhurst remained united with Labor leader and pacifist Keir Hardie, but her sister Cristobel was clever enough to offer to support the war effort in return for Asquith and Lloyd George's support for woman's voting rights.

THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM has several things working for it. The two leads had a good story. Dick Haymes was actually better in this film as the hero who learns to respect working women, than he was as the son in STATE FAIR. Grable actually had a role in a musical that did not begin and end with her gorgeous legs, and moderately pleasing singing voice - it is her meatiest musical role. The Gershwin score is minor Gershwin, but still enjoyable. Like minor Marx Brothers or minor Van Gogh etchings, they are still better than most people's best. The supporting character actors cast, led by Gene Lockhart, Allan Joslyn, and Elizabeth Patterson manage to give a gentleness to the story, befitting the setting in Boston in the "Gilded Age". It is a nice musical - not great, but enjoyable.


This is a first class musical. Several of the songs have become standards and continue to turn up in Gershwin orchestral compilations and in the repertoires of top cabaret artists. Ira Gershwin's lyrics for this show were among his wittiest ever.

Betty Grable and Dick Haymes are in great voice. separately and in duet.

The scenes in the boarding house peopled by eccentrics were highly original and very funny.

It is inconceivable that this film has not been released on VHS or DVD, and that there is no CD of the soundtrack.

It is my hope that some connoisseur of show tunes in the music business, like Michael Feinstein, will press for its release in some form.