Ghost World

R

Released Jun 16, 2001

1 hr. 51 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

93%

165 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The story of neo-cool Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) who, faced with graduation from high school, take a hard look at the world they wryly observe and decide what they really want. When Enid takes an interest in the offbeat Seymour (Steve Buscemi) and Rebecca focuses her attention on their mutual romantic fixation Josh (Brad Renfro), the girls' friendship is forever changed.

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Critics Consensus

With acerbic wit, Terry Zwigoff fashions Daniel Clowes' graphic novel into an intelligent, comedic trip through deadpan teen angst.

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g j

Stunningly poignant and bleak comedy with stellar cast and beautiful set-pieces. Comparable to Withnail and I and Welcome to the Dollhouse in the quality and style.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/20/23

Full Review

Alec B

For a film about the inevitable loss of friendship and the meaningless search for purpose in life, "Ghost World" still manages to be hilarious. A remarkable achievement.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

Kacey M

A girl with not one solid attachment in her life taking an obsessive interest in an older man she sees herself in. Some would argue not quite statutory rape but I would say it is at least close enough to make me feel very uncomfortable. I thought a lot of the style and colour palette of filming was cool and the soundtrack interesting but there could have been other avenues of storyline that portrayed the same ideas without trying to entice you to romanticise a sexual relationship between a barely graduated high-schooler and a middle aged man.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/12/23

Full Review

StephenPaul C

LOL, the funniest 01 hour: and 51 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/17/23

Full Review

Lucy L

Such a sweet yet dark tale about outcasts and friendships.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/26/23

Full Review

Wayne K

If you're familiar with the work of Todd Solondz, especially his 1995 film Welcome To The Dollhouse, then you'll likely be a fan of Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World, which contains the same blend of acerbic wit, dashes of black comedy and cynical characters existing in a cruel world. I'm not saying it's a rip-off or anything, but it definitely has these similarities. The 2 leads are the kind you might recognise from people in your own lives: Outcast and jaded, fitting in nowhere while also having little desire to do so. There's moments when the central character, Enid, does things that are objectionable at best and outright horrible at worst, but the film doesn't let her get away with these things. She suffers for her misdeeds, and in the end she's a changed person. The character with the most compelling arc, to me at least, was Steve Buscemi's character Seymour. Beautifully played and sympathetically handled, his is a late life awakening that I imagine many can understand and relate to. It's a shame that Johannsen's Rebecca doesn't get as much screentime as her partner in crime, but she is given important things to do that come into play later on. It's very much a dialogue-driven film, and since the dialogue is smart and frequently funny, that's not a problem. It's not the definitive statement on teen angst and alienation, but it's a quirky, clever and amusing examination of it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Terry Zwigoff

Director

Thora Birch

Enid

Scarlett Johansson

Rebecca

Steve Buscemi

Seymour

Brad Renfro

Josh

Illeana Douglas

Roberta

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

The greatest distinction of "Ghost World" is its singular spirit. Here's a dark, deadpan comedy about alienated kids that manages to be smart, surpassingly odd, extremely funny and mysteriously endearing at the same time.

Apr 12, 2013

Full Review

David Denby

New Yorker

See it for Birch's hostile stare and Johansson's devastating monotone.

Apr 12, 2013

Full Review

Scott Tobias

AV Club

Most of Ghost World is funny, but the laughs are inextricably tied to the painful alienation and self-loathing that comes with living on society's fringes.

Jul 14, 2010

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

[Director Terry Zwigoff] has a gift for understated moments of wry humor and a sensitivity to the ennui surrounding the lost Generation Y girls so busy sniping and skewering the “losers” around them to find any direction in their own floating lives

May 6, 2023

Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

This kind of subtle moral isn’t as readily available to most audiences, but should appeal to the younger generation who are strapped with the burden of carrying society into a new century filled with strife, misery and great opportunity.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 20, 2022

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Ghost World remains pretty special in its old-boned melancholy.

Dec 1, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

The story of neo-cool Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) who, faced with graduation from high school, take a hard look at the world they wryly observe and decide what they really want. When Enid takes an interest in the offbeat Seymour (Steve Buscemi) and Rebecca focuses her attention on their mutual romantic fixation Josh (Brad Renfro), the girls' friendship is forever changed.

Director: Terry Zwigoff
Executive Producer: Pippa Cross, Janette Day
Screenwriter: Terry Zwigoff, Daniel Clowes, Daniel Clowes
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Jersey Films, United Artists
Rating: R (Strong Language|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 16, 2001, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.2M
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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