Here’s a 2001 black comedy directed by Terry Zwigoff and starring Thora Birch, a very young Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Buscemi.
It’s an unusual film, styled like an indie romp, following the adventures of two rebellious teenage girls as they first mock, then befriend, an awkward middle-aged man.
OMG There are No Smartphones in Ghost World
Ghost World is an ode to rebellious teenage goth girls around the 2000 mark. The girls at high school who were moody, stuck it to the system, and then went into society and kicked some butt.
That made Thora Birch ideal for the lead role. She was a big emerging star back in 2001, having starred in the massive hit American Beauty (1999). By the time Ghost World turned up, she’d turned 18. She’s still acting in films, just small indie flicks.
Scarlett Johansson is actually ONE DAY younger than our esteemed editor Mr. Wapojif, so she was 15 in this. It blows out minds a bit she was acting in a film, whereas we were still at high school being stupid.
Anyway, the star of the film is Thora Birch. Johansson’s character pretty much drops out of the film about 30 minutes in, replaced by Birch’s character Enid striking up an unlikely friendship with a middle-aged man called Seymour (Buscemi).
Enid is best mates with Rebecca (Johansson). The two are outcasts at high school, don’t care about that, and enjoy hanging out and bitching about everyone. They’re happy to take the piss out and be very judgemental, plus have no life plans other than getting a flat together after high school.
Then two important things happen:
- They meet the quiet, mild-mannered Seymour (Buscemi)
- Rebecca gets a job in a café and real life kicks in
Rebecca immediately starts taking her responsibilities seriously, which leads to conflict with Enid. Then when they meet Seymour, Enid views him as a fellow outsider and one she can shape and influence.
Basically, Enid isn’t ready to grow up (themes explored in the excellent 2012 film Frances Ha) and so, to keep herself busy, she decides to get Seymour a girlfriend. It’s not explicitly said in the film, but his obsession with old blues albums, social awkwardness, and issues with noise suggest he’s undiagnosed autistic.
For Buscemi, it was an understated role. He had loads of character roles like this around the time, notably as the “kinda funny looking” dude in Fargo (1996), as a subdued maniac in Con Air (1997), and a quietly amusing turn in The Big Lebowski (1998).
Directors just knew to cast him in roles as his cool factor was off the charts.
What happens over the film is Enid and Seymour’s unlikely friendship blossoming, which takes a hit when he does actually get a girlfriend and she finds it out he’s hanging out with an 18-year-old. And so he starts to distance himself a bit, which leads to Ghost World’s famous ending where the narrative slips into a fantastical element (no spoilers, but it’s open to interpretation).
There’s a comment on YouTube about the film we found very affecting (the power of culture here):
“Every time I get a bit of a knock in my life, something doesn’t go the way I was hoping and I feel my confidence waning, I put on Ghost World again and everything feels like it’s gonna be ok.”
We think that’s what Ghost World is for a lot of people, a bit of a nostalgia trip. If you were young and you watched this in 2001, it’ll have significant nostalgia factor. We do think it was a film for teenage girls back 25 years ago and that’s a great thing—something relatable at a time when that was less common.
For us watching it the first time, it has its weaknesses and perhaps isn’t as great as we’ve seen some make out online (at least in our opinion). But it’s still an enjoyable romp, notable for its three lead actors, and its cult classic status shows the love and appreciation for it half a century later.
The Production of Ghost World
The film was adapted from a 1990s comic book series by Daniel Clowes. It wasn’t a hit, with a $7 million budget resulting in an $8 million box office return.
However, it did get an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Obviously, Scarlett Johansson has since gone on to be a massive Hollywood star in all sorts of major films. It’s interesting seeing her here self-deprecating about being an “average” student and whatnot, plus, not finding the characters very relatable for herself.
Also cast was a hapless character called Josh who the girls are friends with, but playfully mock. This was played by Brad Renfro who at 19 in 2001 already had a big list of films he’d been in (including the major 1996 production Sleepers). Unfortunately, Renfro died at age 25 in January 2008.
We found that out after watching the film (Renfro had struggled with drug addiction issues), so it adds an extra layer to the plot.
Not least due to the nature of Ghost World’s mysterious ending, which seems to hint Enid is either growing up and starting a new life (or intends to end it). This does all make for a complex cult film that continues to get a lot of attention.
