American Splendor
2003 · 101 min · Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Harvey Pekar is file clerk at the local VA hospital. His interactions with his co-workers offer some relief from the monotony, and their discussions encompass everything from music to the decline of American culture to new flavors of jellybeans and life itself. At home, Harvey fills his days with reading, writing and listening to jazz. His apartment is filled with thousands of books and LPs, and he regularly scours Cleveland's thrift stores and garage sales for more, savoring the rare joy of a 25-cent find. It is at one of these junk sales that Harvey meets Robert Crumb, a greeting card artist and music enthusiast. When, years later, Crumb finds international success for his underground comics, the idea that comic books can be a valid art form for adults inspires Harvey to write his own brand of comic book. An admirer of naturalist writers like Theodore Dreiser, Harvey makes his American Splendor a truthful, unsentimental record of his working-class life, a warts-and-all self portrait. First published in 1976, the comic earns Harvey cult fame throughout the 1980s and eventually leads him to the sardonic Joyce Barber, a partner in a Delaware comic book store who end ups being Harvey's true soul mate as they experience the bizarre byproducts of Harvey's cult celebrity stature.
Emotional fingerprint
American Splendor (2003) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Humor 30%, Empathy 25%, Melancholy 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Humor30%
- Empathy25%
- Melancholy20%
- Nostalgia15%
- Satisfaction10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Humor, Empathy, Melancholy. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Biography. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Humor, Empathy and Melancholy. Its IMDb rating of 7.4/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 73/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Humor
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Relief
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Humor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Humor | 45 % | 30 % | 27 % | 35 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Sadness | 45 % | 35 % | 30 % | 29 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 13′ | Humor | 39 % | 29 % | 21 % | 28 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 18′ | Humor | 39 % | 25 % | 16 % | 31 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 23′ | Humor | 44 % | 28 % | 16 % | 35 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Humor | 48 % | 33 % | 25 % | 36 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Sadness | 55 % | 46 % | 46 % | 26 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Sadness | 56 % | 51 % | 49 % | 20 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 43′ | Humor | 50 % | 44 % | 25 % | 29 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Empathy | 50 % | 38 % | 11 % | 39 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Humor | 49 % | 30 % | 18 % | 43 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 58′ | Humor | 44 % | 25 % | 21 % | 38 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Humor | 45 % | 25 % | 16 % | 35 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Humor | 51 % | 29 % | 16 % | 34 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Tension | 61 % | 43 % | 32 % | 21 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Tension | 69 % | 58 % | 50 % | 10 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 83′ | Empathy | 73 % | 66 % | 61 % | 5 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Sadness | 78 % | 70 % | 59 % | 6 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 93′ | Relief | 74 % | 61 % | 35 % | 20 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 98′ | Humor | 65 % | 50 % | 22 % | 33 % |
Cinderella
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about American Splendor. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Alice Quinn
Lana
Young Harvey
Joyce Brabner
Toby Radloff
Guitarist
Batman
Superman
Green Lantern
Housewife
Details
- Directed by
- Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
- Written by
- Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2003
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Humor
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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