Despite its title, 2001’s Ghost World is not a horror movie but rather is a movie about finding one’s place in the world or moving through the world as a ghost, unable to impact others despite one’s most honest intentions. Thora Birch (American Beauty, The Hole) plays the lead of Enid, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate trying to figure out what to do next in the months following her graduation. She has no plans for college or work. She barely knows what she will do for the day when she wakes up. A key member of her life is her best friend Becky (Scarlett Johansson – Match Point, Lost in Translation), who, at the beginning of the film, seems to share the same brain. Another is Seymour (Steve Buscemi – Reservoir Dogs, Armageddon), a self-proclaimed loser Enid befriends following a mean prank she pulled on him.

Enid drifts aimlessly through a path of loneliness that she can barely identify. With Beck, Enid has a best friend, a confident, and, most importantly, somebody with whom to share time. They stumble upon Seymour after Enid finds his name through a dating service and sets up a meeting with him at a local diner after creating a false profile. As Seymour orders a milkshake at the counter while waiting for his date to appear, Enid, Becky, and their friend Josh (Brad Renfro – Bully, The Jacket) sit in a nearby booth, mocking him. Enid convinces her two friends to follow Seymour home in a further display of cruelty. A few days later, Enid and Becky show up at Seymour’s weekly garage sale, perhaps so Enid can feel better about herself by continuing to make fun of him. However, when Seymour introduces herself to some Blues records, she sees that maybe he isn’t as big of a loser as she first thought. Seymour is a music lover, and his appreciation and understanding of music win Enid over. The two quickly form a unique friendship.

Set in a dreary Los Angeles during, most likely, the early 1980s, Ghost World is very much a character movie. It is challenging to effectively develop a single character in the time frame of this movie. Director Terry Zwigoff (Bad Santa, Crumb) perfectly progresses all three main characters. You see Enid, Becky, and Seymour very differently at the movie’s start than you do two hours later. This progression is neither forced nor rushed. There isn’t a wasted minute. We see Becky grow up, pick up a steady job, move into her apartment, and slowly distance herself from the less focused and unreliable Enid. The development of the other two characters is much more profound and thus will not be mentioned here. However, it is important to understand that Enid’s decisions to feel better about herself affect the lives of the other characters in this movie.

If you only see one movie a week, I would avoid Ghost World. Many more exciting films and movies will be more memorable in ten years. If you are a film buff and a fan of character-driven dramas, you might enjoy Ghost World. If nothing else, you’ll be satisfied that you gave it a chance. During the first twenty minutes, I wondered aloud what I had gotten myself into. There was little flow in the movie early on, and it took a while to see where this movie was going or if I even cared. But the deeper I got into it, the more I began appreciating it. And while it is not a great movie (or even a good one), I’m glad I watched it. Though it was corny at times, it always seemed genuine. The performances were convincing, and I’m surprised Terry Zwigoff hasn’t directed more movies since this one. He did a great job progressing three identifiable characters.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 10/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 10/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 10/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 8.5/10
Hook and Reel 7/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
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