Recommend or Not? Ghost World
The assignment is simple (150 to 200 words). Would you or would you not recommend the film, Ghost World, to a friend? Give your reasons clearly and please refer to the events and characters in the film in your comment.
Official Ghost World Web Site (Production notes; original trailer; videos of filming; cast and crew lists)
22 comments:
What I recommend to my students I wholeheartedly recommend to my friends: the film, Ghost World. Enid is sometimes compared to Holden Caufield of The Catcher in the Rye. She, too, looks out on the world with a clear eye and better yet, a sharp but insightful tongue. Looking at the ingredient list of “buttery” toppings at my local store, I agree with Enid’s apt description of the popcorn topping as “yellow chemical sludge.” Seymour, too, makes the film worth viewing. I see his face as Enid “pretend” drops his rare 78 and then imagine Enid’s transparent phone ringing and Seymour’s voice, hurt and perplexed at her sudden change of heart. At The Sidewinder convenience store, Doug comes in, shirtless, for two packs of cigarettes and a fistful of beef jerky. The film is funny, sometimes, but uncomfortable, too, when we see the “ghost world” for what it is: a fake (and soulless) world where everything has a price, but nothing a value. And, because we care about Enid (in spite of her faults), we share her pain at not finding a place in this world, a world that, in many ways, mirrors our own.
I will recommend “Ghost World” to most of my friends who like to watch brilliantly made low budget art movies based on slow comical storyline, with a few but great artists. Enid along with her friends Rebecca and Josh excellently fits into the role of modern children, none of them knowing what they want from their life. Both Enid and Seymour “cannot relate with 99 percent of the humanity”. Enid is attracted to Seymour because he is honest and posses a lot of antique items while others around her have nothing of interest to her. Enid slept with Seymour to satisfy her own companionship need after she realized that the new girlfriend Dana is taking Seymour away from her. With Enid and Seymour’s roles a mixture of seriousness, humor, and confusion - tertiary characters of shirtless Doug, arts teacher, and bosses of Josh and Enid tries to add comedy. Most of the people watch commercial movies for entertainment purpose - having a combination of love, imagination, action, crime, police, mystery, humor, etc. with everything clearly laid out. This movie ends where most of the commercial movies begin, an ending left to the viewer interpretation. (194 words)
I will not recommend the “Ghost World” movie to my friends as I know they don’t like this kind of film. However, it is a comedy movie. The good point in the movie is the acting of the performers, (Enid, Rebecca and Seymour). They played their roles perfectly. The movie also had funny dialogues which made me laugh a lot. Regarding the soundtracks, it was great and sunk very well, especially into the last scene. Beside that, there were no special details that stayed in my mind after watching the movie. As a result, it’s a pretty effortless movie compared to the other movies that I usually watch. Often, in order to study a movie, I watch it more than once, but in this case it wasn’t worth the effort, at least for me. And I still don’t quite understand the ending. Moreover, I believe it’s a quite low-budget film since I didn’t see any creativity at all. Perhaps, it was the filmmaker’s idea when he made this movie.
(170 words)
No because this movie was terrible.
(6 Words)
Ghost world failed to meet my expectation as a movie watcher. After seeing a movie, I must be completely persuaded by quality of acting, cinematography and plot of the story before I tell others to watch it. Hanging from the edge of my seat and my eyes glued to the screen for two hours, I was not convinced by Ghost World, so I will not recommend it to anyone. I found it dreadfully boring except with a few profanity dialogues which were intentionally inserted in the script to create a humor, but it did demonstrate satire and acute observations through misfit characters with chronic social problems. As far as Enid’s (Thora Birch) struggles in the story, there were no solutions or suggestions at the end; however, it vividly portrayed the reality of adolescence and confusion at early stage of life. Most teenagers in life believe if they drop out of school, refuse to get a job, learn basic survival skills and seek mentorship, they somehow magically find their true self and destiny for the rest of their life. Life is not that simple. We must do more of what works, and we must do less of what doesn’t work. (199 words)
Another recommendation (written in December, 2008)
Ghost World rules! How could you not love a movie where a teenage girl says, about a man 25 years older than herself, that “He's the exact opposite of everything I really hate.” Where else could you see Enid, the quirky protagonist of Terry Zwigoff’s film, trying out various disguises, turning herself “post punk” (complete with green hair) at one moment and then visiting her best friend, Rebecca at her barista’s job wearing a catwoman cowl purchased at the local sex shop the next? Enid’s no angel, but that’s what I love about her. She tells it like it is, saying to an astonished movie theater patron, that her popcorn is “smothered in delicious yellow-chemical sludge!” True, but how often does anyone ever really say it? She seems irredeemable but she’s not. When Seymour, her unlikely friend (and eventually, lover), says to her that he “can't relate to 99.9% of humanity,” she counters with, “I don't think it's totally hopeless.” And, in the end, Enid leaves behind (literally and metaphorically) the ghost world, travelling on the mysterious bus without numbers over the bridge and away. My friends would love a movie like this, I’m sure.—195 words
I’d rather not to recommend the movie “Ghost World” to my friends. In the real world we’ve had enough bad examples; I don’t believe they should be presented in the movie, because bad influences spread fast.
Teenagers are moody and difficult to deal with. Nevertheless, people should have basic moral standards, such as respect, caring, and trustworthy, especially when they are over 18 years old.
Main character Enid could not respect her father, her classmates, and always showed bad attitude toward people around her. She was not polite, and always said dirty words.
Enid, who was a drama queen, didn’t care about people’s feelings. She first turned down her father’s girlfriend’s job offer, then accepted and quit at first day. She ruined Seymour’s relationship. She also broke her words, to rent an apartment and live together, with her best friend Rebecca.
All the adults around Enid were “afraid” of her.
We all sometime stuck in somewhere in our lives, “I don’t know” never is a good answer. To go somewhere we don’t know is not a solution. It is not funny when thousands and millions Enid live in this world, then you know what the “ghost world” is.
-198 words-
I strongly recommend my friends to watch the film, Ghost World. It contains many advices for all parents and adolescents. Forexample, Enid is a young girl; who suppose to attend her school conscientiously. however, she met Seymour, who does not level her age and has his own girl friend called Dona. She took over Seymour. Enid left with out any profession while her friend Josh had good mark at school and their teacher confused of Enid’s art presentation. I also recommend this film to the parents and know how their children trapped by dramatic love and destroy their life in vain. The other thing is that adolescent is dangerous age because Enid and her friend Josh are disrespectful. Foexample, they flattered a man who sat at the bus stop and every where they go they do not think that the others are better than them. So that is why I recommend this film to my friends and every parent to watch this film to get lesson how to grow up and have a level friend before entering in bad condition and end up with regret. My advice here is that once we or our children messed up from the very beginning of the age, it is so hard to achieve what was gone. Our world is Ghost World and every thing seems precious. However, it is a fake world and cheated us when we are adolescent. Every viewer can easily understand from this film that we are living in such Ghost World and help all what to do.
"Ghost World' doesn't really make it to my must-see movies list; however, if someone asked me if it's worth watching, I'd answer "yes". It's a nice, light movie with quite original and realistic plot and characters. Though, at first, the film may seem plain, there's definitely a deeper meaning to it, quite the opposite of today's hollywood movies.
“Ghost World” is meaningful but black humor; however, I would recommend it to some of my friends, whose children have troubles or who need to better understand adolescence, because Enid is a typical portrait of adolescent treachery. While watching this film, my feeling was complex and ponderous. It was difficult to understand why Enid exhibits such outrageous behavior and indulges in all the latest fads. When the Graduation speaker says, “High school is like the training wheels for the bicycle of real life.” Enid rolls her eyes; she doesn’t care about the meaning of real life. However, after high school, she doesn’t really know what she wants in life. For this reason, I'm intrigued with Enid's cynical world-view, and her obsessive need to be cool. “Seymour is almost kind of cool,” is a ridiculous declaration. Otherwise, “I think only stupid people have good relationships,” makes me think that her social attitude is destructive. As a valuable education film, it is a witty appraisal of American society which successfully avoids portraying adolescence as being self-important.
(174 words)
I wouldnt recommend this film to any of my friends, because I myself didnt enjoy it. I wouldnt tell my friends to watch something I didnt enjoy myself. Watching this film made feel like it was all running in slow motion, and like it was never going to end. Enid and Rebecca really didnt have much going for them. They both didnt have other friends other then eachother.After they ended school they started walking away from eachother and the goals that they had set for eachother.Enid befriends Seymour,who doesnt really have more them a life than the girls. I just fould this film boring and senceless.I dont really think any of my friends would enjoy it.
- 122 words
I’d love to recommend the movie Ghost world to my friends though I strongly doubt that they would watch it. I found the movie very humorous and entertaining because of good scenes like the one where the main character Enid, strolled from place to place only to find out that she had no one to go to, that even the old man at the bus stop who seemed to be waiting for the bus was the only one who had stayed (though at the end of the movie, the old man also boarded the bus). It also has good scores, at the beginning of the movie they played a lot of good punk-rock tunes and great blues music at the latter parts. I found the scene where Seymour and Enid went to a sports bar, watched a great musician play on the stage, while others ignored him and watched at the big plasma televisions placed all over the place. After that, a band of young men, claming to be bluesmen and would play a great delta blues music, however, they played a loud music with their distorted electric guitars, far from the real delta blues which is mostly played with acoustic slide guitar. The scene reminded me of the 1986 movie Crossroads. Listen to Robert Johnson, the king of delta blues and you‘ll know what I am talking about. The whole movie depicted a story of an adolescent woman, trapped between the world of the young and of the adults. Lost and confused, abandoned and alone, afraid of moving forward and facing the responsibilities, Enid successfully represented the age group. And above all the reasons why I should recommend this movie to my friends, Scarlett Johansson is steaming hot, and Steve Buscemi is one weird-looking but, with no doubt, is also one of the greatest actors I’ve seen!
The hearing ear can strongly influence our thoughts and deeds, as a result I will not recommend the film “Ghost World” to any one, especially to my children, because the use of profaned word is unacceptable to me. Some assert that dialogue peppered with profanity is offensive, while others claim obscene, another calls freedom of expression. Listening to both sides may make this all seem to be a matter of semantics. But film content is not just a matter for trivial debate. It is a valid concern, not only for parents, but also for all who value moral standards. Whenever I take a chance and go against my better judgment and venture back into a movie theater, I always feel like a worse person when I come out, and I do feel the same way watching the “Ghost World, I’m embarrassed for the people who made this trash, and I’m embarrassed for myself. It’s like watching the stuff that I’ve just watched had made me a smaller human-being. Unquestionable, then, movies have the power to influence our heart, our thoughts, and our behavior. Should we not therefore be selective about what we watch?
Word 193
I would not recommend the film ’Ghost World’ to my friends. First, I like spectacular action movies with the background of history, war, and beautiful regions. I started with western movies like “Shane” and “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral”, in my middle school, and changed to history movie like “Knights of the Round Table”, ‘Ben-Hur” and war movie like “The young lions”, “Gone with the Wind” and James Bond’s 007 series.
“Ghost World” is quite different kind of movie what I used to enjoy. The movie started with high tempo dancing, which is ridiculous. The second scene of graduation ceremony of high school is also abnormal.
Enid and Rebecca have a lot of time because they didn’t continue their study in college. It seems Enid has no mother and she has a hobby to sketch something in her notebook. Their activity seems no special meaning to me. Why and where does Enid depart at the end of movie? It should be awful and dangerous thing in the viewpoint of her father. Who is the goast in this movie? Why the title is named “Goast World”?
-185 words, Nov. 24, 2009
At first, I thought it’s a tale of teenage girl’s; however, I got to see lots more than surface. Yes, definitely I would recommend Ghost World to my friends, because, through the film, I could hear a heart cry from us all and also identify with the humanity that the director wish to convey to the viewer. Enid, a recent high school graduate, who is sarcastic about everything but somehow cannot pour herself into the mold that provided by the world, searches for something different than what she sees. Despite her perceptive nature, the sharp judgments are often being shaded by her abrasive manners. While trying many peculiar things; Enid meets Seymour, an older version of her, who “can’t relate to ninety-nine percent of humanity.” He tries to fill his lonely life by collecting “stuff” obsessively, even though he admits that it’s not a healthy lifestyle--that must be the only way he could think of how to masquerade the pain. On the other hand, Norman, an aged gentleman, who waits for the almost disconnected bus with no hustle and bustle, sits still on the bench patiently until the bus comes. From three characters, I saw the different seasons of life and their ways to handle the humanity. (209 words)
I would certainly recommend the movie “Ghost World” to my friends. This movie perfectly shows how the “generation gap” was developed among family members. Enid and Rebecca were typical adolescents – did not believe in traditional norms; by habitually using F, S words, they pretended to be cool and behaved unscrupulously. At the same time, they were sensitive and naive; the fact that they did not have a clear idea of what they really want made them more rely on others – if not parents, must be friends, or just anyone close at hand, such as Seymour. In the scenes where Enid’s father tried to discuss with her over breakfast table about her further education, he seemed so careful; he even chary of entering her room, as if he deliberately distanced him from her. No wonder Enid would hide her own feelings by not talking to him about his girlfriend. What if Enid’s Dad had tried to be closer with his daughter, and made himself available when Enid needed somebody to turn to? This movie made me realize that communication could be the biggest obstacle even between a father and daughter; that both adolescents and their parents need to learn a better way to connect each others.
(205 words)
I would not recommend this movie to my friend. The plot of the whole movie is aimless. That might be what the theme is all about. But, I still feel quite itchy for what happened. For example, during the art show, the audiences were trying to take down the Seymour’s artwork , her teacher was expecting Enid to be there at least to explain the artwork, but where was she, wondering on the street after leaving Seymour’s apartment. When she was offered the scholarship, her teacher was more excited, but she just didn’t care. Seymour rejected Enid right away when he realized the beginning of his new relationship. What was their friendship for, it seemed like didn’t mean anything to him. Enid’s father, what was his role in the family, he looked so useless, his voice shook when talking with her daughter, why didn’t he ever make some effort to have a good conversation with his daughter and tried to help in her life struggle. The whole plot of the movie made me feel so uncomfortable; I still felt something could be done better than this.
186 words
Would I recommend “Ghost World” to a friend? Of course I would. This is incredibly unique and unconventional movie which now I feel like people need to watch more of – not your typical Hollywood film. The non-mainstream ending is what made me like this movie overall. The main characters play their roles perfectly and efficiently, as watching makes you connect with each. The movie starts off with Enid and Rebecca graduating high school thinking that their plans are the same – to get a job and move in together. That all changes, throughout the movie we see Enid and Rebecca slowly part ways; Enid not being able to find a job and befriending Seymour and Rebecca who gets her own place and a job. As Seymour and Enid relationship deepens, Rebecca and Enid grow further apart. To me, this shows a problem that a majority of adolescents face when having finished high school, just portrayed in a very different way. I find this movie did a great job of showing the difficulties faced by the adolescent life.
177 Words.
I am glad to recommend this movie “Ghost World” to my friend because it was just that good of a movie. The characters, the story, the location all of it was just perfect. I guess different people can extract different meanings from GHOST WORLD and all nail exactly why it was made. For me, it was the chronicle of that small group of people who don't, and probably never will, quite fit into this world. Rebecca and Enid find interesting people to follow, exploit, and embarrass, just for their own leisure, but even this loses its edge. "Ghost World" refers to the world in which these characters live, a town slowly being overcome by shopping malls and coffee shops; a town that slowly loses its distinctions and becomes a ghost of what it once was. "Ghost World" makes harsh points, but it never loses its sense of humor. "Ghost World" captures part of our journey from childhood to adulthood with poetic grace and cynical wit. Enid never finds her place, decides her future, or chooses a path. By the end of the story, she simply becomes aware of her possible options. They realized real life misery and funk more than GHOST WORLD.
--202 words
I would not recommend my friends to watch this movie “Ghost World” becuase the theme of the movie is too nevegative in my opinion. The protagonist Enid is one of those typical teenagers who basically think everyone is against her, while she herself just screws everyone up. She lives in her narrow well and believes no-one cares about her, but the truth is she tosses everyone’s hands away. The movie ends in a way that she is going to be better and everyone is starting to accept her, but sarcasticly, she chooses to run away and continues to live her miserable life. I dislike the way the movie ends without resolution, leaving no positive messeges in the story.
I actually enjoyed watching “Ghost World,” and I think I would recommend it to my friends. This wasn’t a thrilling action movie which I love watching but I found it quite humorous and fun. I felt kind of boring at first, because the movie showed these two girls, Enid and Rebecca just talking, but as I watched, I got really into it. Also I noticed that Enid’s dad was always there for her and tried to help her, but she refused. My favorite character from the movie was “Doug,” who was in the supermarket half naked drinking beer. I loved how he acted and it was hilarious. My favorite scene was when “Doug” was choking “Seymour,” made me laugh.
-119 words
“Ghost World” is a movie that criticizes the world, is a dark story I think is not for every taste, and definitely, I would not recommend to my friends. The film is irreverent and cynical. Its black humorous consideration of what success in “America” should be. I sympathize with Enid without being expected to completely believe that her cynical world-view is necessarily the right one. Enid's and Rebecca’s obsessive need to be cool negativity is turned on all around them. I think the movie’s main target are people who betray themselves in a effort to fit in, and their resulting lack of common sense by doing so. Even when Seymour, who has remained true to his values, is seemed as leading similarity dim lives. I did not enjoy it.
130 words
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