Matthew D
Hilarious ennui in melancholic teenage girls with a very poignant ending.
Director Terry Zwigoff’s coming of age black comedy Ghost World (2001) is a fascinating and silly film that ends up recreating a very distinct loneliness that wayward teenagers feel as they go out into the real world after graduating high school. Zwigoff’s melancholic direction can also be playful. His heavy atmosphere feels like the whole world is empty aside from the oddballs for endlessly amusing encounters with strangers. Cinematographer Affonso Beato’s wide and shadowy shots of California make the girls’ world feel so sparse and isolating. I felt empathy for their loneliness and confusion in life. Zwigoff’s dreamy slow burn style as a director reminded me a great deal of both David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch. Like if they had directed their own Heathers or Booksmart.
His depiction of these sad teenage girls goes from quirky hilarity to devastating sadness, but also a hopeful poignant ending if you believe in Zwigoff’s version that Enid gets to grow up. Otherwise, other viewers could easily take Thora Birch’s interpretation that Enid cannot adjust to real life and rides off on that bus to just end it all. I initially felt that the latter somber ending was real as Enid just cannot seem to change or grow up, but I’d like to think she matures in time. Ghost World definitely shows how teenagers get bored and depressed to the point of contemplating teenage suicide, even if that’s not explicit.
Author Daniel Clowes crafts two forlorn teenage girls that grow apart after high school and find their own way out of solitude and misanthropy. I love that John Malkovich was a producer on Ghost World. Clowes came up with a brilliantly subtle story that Zwigoff tells in such a mature and amusing fashion. Ghost World is a very funny and charming film that also balances a heartfelt depiction of isolation and how hurtful that feels. I thought Zwigoff shows you how teenagers listening to old records and movies can develop a real feeling of being out of touch with today’s youth and practices. It’s all fun to have hobbies, but Ghost World shows you that collecting in isolation can be demoralizing and depressing. Try to get out there and have fun when you can, whether that be attending concerts, buying things, eating different cuisine, traveling around, sincerely trying dating someone, and hanging out with friends.
We choose our own path in life and can take steps towards a brighter future if we want, which was what I took from Ghost World. You should also try to stay close and keep in touch with your best friends, so as not to grow apart, but also acknowledge when certain relationships are not going to work out in the end as you’ve both changed. Also that everyone is hurting inside, has their own quirky interests, and we all have to find our own way to cope with life’s boredom, sadness, depression, mundanity, repetition, and oddities by taking a positive outlook and trying to really live instead of just survive. It’s notable that I related more to the sorrowful and awkward outcast Enid when Ghost World first released, but now I relate more to the hopeful Rebecca who wants better for herself.
Thora Birch is phenomenal as the hilariously misanthropic Goth girl and desperately lonely heroine Enid. Birch balances genuinely funny insults with a nuanced depiction of depression. Enid can be awful to others, but she’s hardest on herself. I can see how Birch considered Enid suicidal and hopeless as she estranges herself from her best friend and father. But I can also see in Birch’s bubbly and yearning performance a hopefulness for something more out of life like Zwigoff intended as director. Maybe Enid does turn out okay?
Scarlett Johansson is wonderful as the blonde outcast Rebecca, who tries her very best to adjust to adulthood. I like that she gets a barista job to support herself, even if it sucks. I like that she wants to live on her own to be more independent and even tries to listen to music that is outside of her wheelhouse to meet that nice guy. I have real hope for Rebecca doing well after the events of Ghost World as if she’s representative of all the girls who grew up and became mature women in charge of their own future. She feels like she has agency and choices that Enid feels she lacks. Scarlett is very funny, then quite moving and sympathetic in her own subtle way. We can see Rebecca longing for her friend, but also frustrated that she’s outgrown her.
Steve Buscemi is amazing as the lonely record collecting loser Seymour, who befriends Enid due to their mutual misery and misanthropy. Buscemi is funny and ensures that Seymour never feels too creepy as this older guy who fancies Enid, but also wants a woman his own age to be able to be like everyone else. I’d like to think he gets a job he enjoys and maybe reconnects with Dana. Buscemi feels so natural as a hopeless guy that I think audiences will always relate to on some level. Stacey Travis is very nice and bubbly as Dana, who brings out the best in Buscemi’s Seymour. Tom McGowan’s blunt pal Joe is a fun foil for Seymour like David Cross’ sleazy loser friend Gerrold.
Brad Renfro’s bored teenage clerk Josh is super funny as Enid and Rebecca’s driving friend they like to torment. Brian George is a scream as Josh’s Sidewinder boss, who is always yelling at him. Dave Sheridan’s muscle bound dude Doug hanging out at the Sidewinder is a riot, especially in his big fight with Seymour. Illeana Douglas is a riot as the airhead art teacher Roberta Allsworth, who likes pretentious modern art that is ugly, but can have a contrived message that justifies an artist’s lack of talent. Bob Balaban’s quiet father to Enid is heartbreaking that he cannot communicate with his daughter, especially if you believe Enid goes onto commit suicide. I like that even his odd loser ends up with Teri Garr’s chipper Maxine. Debra Azar’s annoying Melorra just wanted to befriend Enid and Rebecca, but they always blow her off. Patrick Fischler’s cameo as the video clerk is so fun like Bruce Glover’s weird wheelchair guy Feldman at the cafe.
Editors Michael R. Miller and Carole Kravetz Aykanian’s steady cutting keeps the story moving along without rushing past all of Enid’s sincerely dramatic feelings or Rebecca’s quiet inner suffering and maturing. Jack English’s lighting ranges from shadowy noir style to bright daylight shots for a vivid look at these teenage girls’ various moods. Production designer Edward T. McAvoy’s modest homes look so realistic and lived in for these heroines. Alan E. Muraoka’s empty world changes from cozy to more neon and developed as Enid feels estranged in her own world. Set decorators Vincent Luizzi, Robert Lee Robinson, Kris Fuller, John Rankin, and Lisa Fischer put clothes, puppets, plushes, posters, and old records all over each person’s rooms.
Composer David Kitay’s forlorn film score hits hard. The old blues and ragtime records set a contemplative tone to Ghost World. Costume designer Mary Zophres gives Thora Birch all these entertaining colorful punk and goth assorted outfits, while Scarlett Johansson’s Rebecca becomes increasingly preppy in her chic fashion style. Makeup artist James Ryder makes Enid look ghostly pale and Rebecca into a blushing well adjusted teenager.
In all, Ghost World gets lonely girls, melancholic guys, and finds sympathy for everyone lingering on in life.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
07/27/25
Full Review
Stephen C
Funny in 1 hour and 51 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Strong Language and Some Sexual Content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $6,200,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
07/22/25
Full Review
Julian S.
A small masterpiece—understated yet laced with razor-sharp wit and an effortless blend of vintage cool and contemporary edge. GHOST WORLD remains peerless.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
07/20/25
Full Review
john h
A worthwhile watch to get to know Thora Birch independently as an actress and watch the future superstar Scarlet Johanson perform in one of her earliest recognized movie roles. Ghost World is jointed in a quirky, weird but unique angle that reflects the awkwardness of Birch's character in the film adaptation. Buscemi's performance is another reason to give this teen film a chance.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
06/01/25
Full Review
Yash B
"Ghost World" is very quirky and unique, and at times it is very funny as a result. This movie, however, stands out because of how sincere and honest it is. I feel like it tackles topics like change in pivotal moments of our lives and uses its wacky characters to deliver something real. The story itself isn't always the most exciting, but the performances and writing are what give the film its zing and energy. Overall, it is a unique coming-of-age story with a lot of honest themes under the surface, and plenty of laughs along the way.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
05/04/25
Full Review
Blu B
A Comedy Classic. Really good acting across the board. Birch & Buscemi got great chemistry and are both really good in this. The characters in general are given really good dialouge and great offbeat quirky humor that consistently works. The cinematography and soundtrack is solid too. The direction is kinda basic, looks like a 00's era film more than a 70's film, and relies a lot on the colorful characters that gives this life. It's bright, has unique asetics with the 70's style backdrop, but doesn't beat you over the head reminding you of the time it takes place. Everything else is really well done. Enid is such a likeable, immature, and human character and made even more interesting with Rebecca & Seymour. It can be a bit jumpy setting up the relationships with Enid's father, rebecca, Seymour, and herself. But once the relationship with Seymour becomes more established it really finds it's rhythm and never lets up. This is about how immature it is to see others who are "boring" & "normal" as beneath you and eventually seeing them as heroes for doing the tough thing called adulthood. It also is bittersweet as you realize another facet of that is growing apart from ones that were a big part of your life in high school as you come of age as well and how that's not a bad thing. It's scary but the courage to do it is given by those "boring" everyday heroes. Anyone who is a fan of quirky comedies, coming of age stories, the director, indie flicks or any actors in this should give it a try.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
04/02/25
Full Review
Read all reviews
Continue with Google
>
