Who would have thought that the life of a file clerk in Cleveland, Ohio would have been the basis for one of the most entertaining films of recent times? The file clerk is Harvey Pekar, the author of the "American Splendor" graphic novels (originally illustrated by R. Crumb), which describe the trials not of superheroes against villains, but against much more mundane (but still malevolent) beings such as supervisors and landlords. The film tells the story of Harvey's life and the people in it, including his wife Joyce (a fan who comes to visit and with whom he falls into a relationship based as much on shared neuroses as anything), and his friend Toby, the "world-class nerd."

While Harvey's story is entertaining in itself, the real joy of this film is the way it melds together the actors playing out Harvey's life, some animation sequences, and the real people - Harvey, Joyce and Toby who appear much like subjects in a documentary and also who provide some commentary on the film and the actors who are playing them. While Harvey states at the beginning that "If you're the kind of person looking for romance or fantasy or escapism, you've got the wrong movie," this is both a bitingly funny and ultimately life affirming film.