Ghost World Details

A welcome, refreshing tale of two best friends coping with life after high school. Thora Birch is mesmerising as Enid, the main protagonist who pours scorn on fast food, contemporary music and those who don't make her grade. If you're tired of movies where good looking guys fall for perfect girls, usually followed by predictable third acts that pan out exactly the way you thought, then Ghost World gives you a fresh spin on that formula. Steve Buscemi is as great as ever as the geeky record collector while Bob Balaban is delightful as Enid's ineffectual dad. Good direction by Crumb's Terry Zwigoff makes this well worth renting.

Impeccable

This is the kind of movie that makes you thank The Lord for the Lumiere brothers; from its opening scenes through to the final frame Ghost World exudes excellence.

That it made just over 4 million dollars at the box office is nothing short of criminal; you can keep your soulless Star Wars prequels, dire MI2 and brain-dead Pearl Harbour, I wouldn't swap this movie experience for all the meaningless popcorn movies in the world.

That Scarlett Johansson was a mere 16 when she made this movie is in the same same league as Jodie Foster's 14 year-old turn in Taxi Driver. Thora Birch is, however the main character as Enid, who together with Johanssen's Rebecca are the non-conforming school misfits.

The film starts with their graduation and unfolds with an examination of their tentative steps into the world of work where laconic quips and 'out there' garb is likely to get you fired on your first day. Enid finds herself increasingly drawn to Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a middle-aged music enthusiast, and her whole world order comes shattering to the ground when events beyond her control turn her life upside-down.

A rare treasurable gem with a script to die for.