The true story of a determinedly ordinary comic book hero, American Splendor was a hit on the festival circuit, scoring gongs from Sundance to Cannes. "Sweet, funny and off-kilter", its quirky appeal may not have translated into big bucks at the box office; however, it's earned a significant cult following and made a minor celebrity out of its subject, Harvey Pekar. Despite his many claims to the contrary, Pekar seems to relish his newfound status - he's all over this disc like ink on blotting paper.

Canne-tankerous...

From Cleveland To Cannes: The Road To Splendor is a potted journal of Harvey Pekar's adventures at the 56th Cannes Film Festival. Or as Harvey puts it, "At 63-years-old I finally made it to Europe and wasn't that thrilled about it." Refreshingly nonplussed by the glitz and glam of the French Riviera, Pekar endears himself even more by turning down the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Jean-Claude Van Damme. No doubt it'll put a smile on your face, but running at just under four minutes, this featurette offers only fleeting appeal.

Besides watching the movie, you'll get deeper insight into what makes Pekar tick in an interview given to BBC Collective. He's disarmingly frank, although there's a definite glint in his eye when he reveals: "I'm depressed all the time." He goes on to confess that he recently checked himself into a hospital after the completion of the film left him feeling "directionless". Bummer.

For a little light relief, actors Hope Davis and Paul Giamatti are on hand with some amusing insight into the difficulties they had completing a scene without cracking up. That's one of five 60 second snippets going behind-the-scenes on the production. Not surprisingly, you get only minimal insight into the special effects that went into creating the comic book environments Pekar inhabits in the movie.

Fast Food For Thought

Hope and Paul get together again for a lively audio commentary along with writing/directing team Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, plus Harvey Pekar and his wife Joyce Brabner, and Harvey's long-time friend (and self-proclaimed nerd) Toby Radloff.

Berman and Pulcini talk a little about the nitty-gritty of making the movie, but are often interrupted by Harvey and Joyce pointing out the factual inaccuracies. Indeed, Joyce can hardly hide the resentment in her voice when she explains that Harvey took her to McDonald's for their first date - as opposed to the much more upmarket TGI Friday's. Radloff also manifests an unhealthy obsession with fast food franchises, and you may think his lines were scripted by Quentin Tarantino, as he rabbits endlessly about the merits of the "In'n'Out Burger".

The smalltown charm of American Splendor is kept perfectly intact for this transfer to DVD, but its focus is too narrow. Berman and Pulcini were praised for employing a unique blend of animation and live action to tell the story, but we're only afforded brief glimpses into their technique. All together it makes for a colorful, but disappointingly two-dimensional presentation.