Movies - Ghost World

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	Movies - Ghost World

Ghost World is a 2001 film by Terry Zwigoff, based on a graphic novel (comic book) by Daniel Clowes, also titled Ghost World. The film stars Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi, and Scarlett Johansson.

Plot

The story focuses on the relationship of two teenage female friends (Enid and Rebecca) who are somewhat outside of the normal high school social order in suburban Los Angeles. After graduating from high school, Enid spends the summer trying to find fellow outsider Seymour a girlfriend while Rebecca works at a Starbucks-type coffee shop trying to earn enough money to rent an apartment. Enid plans to move out of her father's house and share an apartment with Rebecca, but Enid does not live up to her monetary responsibilities the way Rebecca does. With Enid's help, Seymour musters the courage to date (and later dump) Dana, a woman he is attracted to. By the end of the summer, Rebecca rents the apartment without Enid, while Enid is stuck trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.

Cast

Thora Birch
as Enid, an artistic, cynical teenager
Scarlett Johansson
as Rebecca, Enid's best friend
Steve Buscemi
as Seymour
Brad Renfro
as Josh
Illeana Douglas
as Roberta Allsworth, Enid's art teacher
Bob Balaban
as Enid's father
Stacey Travis
as Dana
Teri Garr
as Maxine
Dave Sheridan as Doug, an eccentric loiterer

Trivia

The opening sequence of the film includes a clip from the 1966 Bollywood
musical Gumnaam, in which the famous singer Mohammed Rafi
sings the lively dance tune "Jaan Pehechaan Ho."
The Coon Chicken Inn was a real restaurant chain, founded in 1925 in Salt Lake City. However it folded in the late '50s and never changed its name to Cook's Chicken, as in the film. Interestingly, although perhaps coincidentally, the second Coon Chicken Inn opened in Seattle in 1929, on Lake City Way, the same street that the original Ghost World comic's publishing company, Fantagraphics Books, sits today. Located directly across the street from the former location of the restaurant is a "Cook's Auto Rebuild."
Besides being an adaptation of the comic book of the same name, originally serialized in Eightball magazine, Ghost World includes some material from other Eightball shorts such as "Art School Confidential". In addition, the character played by Steve Buscemi was only a minor part of the comic and was made significant at Zwigoff's suggestion. Another change includes Rebecca having a rather diminished role compared to her role in the comic, which gave a more balanced amount of attention to both girls.
Seymour's room was modeled after director Terry Zwigoff's own — particularly the shelved record collection, pinup art and historical memorabilia.

Enid calls the waiter Allen, "Weird Al" – a reference to "Weird Al" Yankovic
. The character in the movie has a similar hair style to Weird Al's.
When Enid asks Seymour's opinion of a certain blues record, the audience can see that it is by blues enthusiast Robert Crumb, with Crumb's cover art. Seymour says that it isn't very good.
The Coon Chicken Inn mascot painting used in the film was made by Robert Crumb.
Enid's notebook was created for the film by Sophie Crumb, Robert Crumb's and Aline Kominsky-Crumb's daughter.
It is rumored that Christina Ricci
was one possible selection for the role of Enid, but by the time casting started she was considered too old for the part.
It is also rumored that the studio, MGM, was pushing director Zwigoff to cast more popular teen actors at the time for the key roles. Instead of Birch, Johansson and Brad Renfro, MGM was insisting on Jennifer Love Hewitt
, Sarah Michelle Gellar
and Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Interested in directing Ghost World as a feature film for some time, Zwigoff sat in on an acting class in San Francisco. Zwigoff said that after the class had wrapped up, he had approached the instructor and asked if she could hold a crash course for him in how to direct actors.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Ghost World (film) ]

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Movies - Ghost World

Plot

Cast

Trivia

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