Ghost World
Composite Score: 83.13
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas, Bob Balaban, Stacey Travis, Charles C. Stevenson Jr., Tom McGowan, and Brian George
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Writer: Terry Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Coming of Age
MPAA Rating: R for strong language and some sexual content
Box Office: $8.76 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Ghost World is Terry Zwigoff’s collaborative adaptation of Daniel Clowes’s comic book/graphic novel of the same name. It tells the story of two cynical young women in the summer after their senior year of high school as they search for meaning and purpose in romance, art, and friendship. The film stars Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson as Enid and Rebecca – best friends who have decided to move into an apartment together at the summer’s end and pursue careers after high school. Entanglements with single, older record-enthusiast Seymour and their part-time crush and convenience store clerk Josh lead both young women down their own paths of self-discovery that are sure to grip audiences with their surprising relatability and oddly endearing humor.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Though it encapsulates wonderfully so much of what it means to be a disillusioned teen/young adult in an increasingly commercialized world, some of Ghost World’s plot points can be construed as fairly problematic, even by 1990s standards. The central relationship of the film – that between Enid and Seymour – leaves an uncomfortable taste in your mouth for a variety of reasons. Firstly, Enid only befriends Seymour out of a feeling of guilt for the way that she and Rebecca set him up on a fake blind date, leaving him all alone at a diner – not the healthiest start to a friendship. Secondly, the age gap between the two characters (at least ten years, if not closer to twenty) gives it an oddly predatory vibe, even though Seymour does not seem interested in Enid romantically for most of the film. Her flirtations still come across as odd even though both characters are of the age of consent. Then there is Enid’s final admission that Seymour is “her hero”, making the relationship and its many twists and turns that much stranger by the end of it all. Where so much of the rest of the film worked perfectly for me, it bothers me a bit that this central relationship has such an off-putting energy, but maybe it’s supposed to, what do I know?
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Ghost World is a film that captures well the feeling of listlessness that follows the graduation from high school, encapsulating it in the characters of two alt girls and their development over the summer. Scarlett Johansson’s Rebecca takes the more “conventional” approach – getting a job, finding an apartment, and flirting with guys her age – even as she doesn’t necessarily have the answers to everything that comes next. Her sincerity and awkwardness in the role really sell the character and make Rebecca (who is really a secondary character to the film’s plot) into someone that many viewers can relate to on some level. Enid’s portrayal might be more against the grain, but it is no less relatable. Yes, she might befriend (and flirt with) an uncomfortably older man, but when that relationship is framed against her seemingly complete lack of direction at this time, it begins to take shape as just another mildly unhealthy relationship formed after high school to try to get a sense of oneself. The fact that her character has even less of her life figured out than Rebecca by the film’s end might actually be the most realistic portrayal that the film puts forth – I would argue that, even after college, most students don’t have an overly clear direction of where their life is headed. The open-ended nature of the narrative allows us to really insert ourselves back into those shoes and (hopefully) root for her to find success, whatever that may look like for her.
Helping sell the film’s realism are the performances by Birch and Johansson, supported by Buscemi as well. Scarlett Johansson’s subdued cynicism that morphs into mild self-assurance by the film’s end, truly sells the audience on the character of Rebecca. Steve Buscemi’s Seymour is awkward and unconventional enough to be believably single but compelling enough to make sense as a potential romantic partner for Enid or some other woman in a way that most of his record collecting counterparts are not. Thora Birch shines as Enid, delivering cynicism and scathing criticisms with enough with to make what should be a despicable character actually lovable. Her manic pixie dreamgirl-esque sense of fashion and line delivery work as the audience begins to get glimpses underneath the façade to the uncertain teen underneath, making the film’s open-ended narrative that much more compelling.
Strong performances from Scarlett Johansson, Thora Birch, and Steve Buscemi carry Ghost World’s relatable story of teenage self-discovery through to its uncertain conclusion in brilliant fashion, crafting a film worthy of its place among the Greatest Films of All Time. Though the relationship between Enid and Seymour might not be the most conventional or well-crafted, the rest of the film’s components more than overcome that weakness and discomfort. This film is currently free to stream with adds on Tubi or Freevee or to rent on most streaming services for those interested in checking it out.
