Stuck Inside #1: Ghost World

I normally opt for essays rather than reviews when writing about film, but during this indefinite period of isolation, I thought I’d use the abundance of time to write some capsule reviews of films I’m long overdue for watching.

Perhaps it’s due to my only passing familiarity with Daniel Clowes’ “Ghost World” comic upon which this film is based, or maybe I was misled by the bright, colorful, and offbeat aesthetic presentation of the film’s marketing, but I kept waiting for this movie to get weird. Like really weird. Sure, the characters are weird enough, but considering the length of the movie, I spent much of it waiting for the moment when Ghost World would become something wholly unique and it never happened for me.

I know this is probably heresy to a certain demographic of Gen-Xers and older millenials, but aside from Thora Birch’s performance, and the costume design, there isn’t much here that stands out as particularly memorable. Steve Buscemi turns in a good performance, but he’s playing to type. I’m afraid I’m criticizing this movie for not being the movie I had in mind beforehand, which is a habit I generally hate.

I don’t say any of this to imply the movie is particularly bad, it just didn’t stick with me. As a portrait of late 90s/early-aughts suburban ennui and teenage snark and cynicism, it falls in line with a number of similar entries (though, like the similar Daria, it’s refreshing to get this perspective from female characters). This may be a result of having seen many similar films and shows that came about afterwards. What was fresh in 2001 just isn’t to me in 2020, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I suppose where the movie shows its greatest strength is in its characterization. Top to bottom, each of these characters feels as true to life as can be. Where many versions of characters like Enid and Rebecca fail is that they tend to feel too adult. The references too sharp, the wit alittle to advance. But in Ghost World, writers Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff strike a perfect balance between naivety and superiority. They think they know, but they have no idea. They’re annoying, moody, and inconsiderate. They’re…high-schoolers. As they should be.

Maybe a rewatch will paint a different picture, but for now, I’ll just keep thinking “what the hell ever happened to Thora Birch?”.