Ghost World (2001) | Movie Review + Ending Interpretation

[@david3551]

Well Norman was clearly alive during the beginning and middle of the movie. As both Enid and Rebecca notice him. Although, only Enid communicates with him, Rebecca does acknowledge Norman is physically there when Enid mentions the line being inactive for 2 years. A clue comes from Norman. In the movie Norman becomes a touchstone for Enid. A constant in her life. In their last interaction, he tells her he won’t be there much longer. He knew he was dying. In my opinion Enid un-alived herself. Some people say the symbolism doesn’t add up because of her luggage. Norman never had any luggage. In Enid’s case it was voluntary. The voluntary part explains the luggage. She was self-destructive. At school, at home, and at work. She inadvertently ruined Seymour’s life. Because of her actions he broke up a with a perfectly good woman, he loses his job and apartment because of her “art” project. The end shows he was forced to move in with his mom. She would have dragged Rebecca down too but later changed her mind about moving in with her. Also in a weird way she manipulated Seymour. In the end, Enid could not live with herself.

[@Ann_T_Social]

I love "Ghost World" so much. I was more Seymour's age than Enid's when it came out, but I'll eternally be an Enid inside. Thora Birch really nailed that character, the writing is so spot-on and the ambiguous ending is perfect in my opinion ~ it's still one of my favorite movies.

[@scienz]

Enid is my spirit animal

[@Swashbuckler332]

The imagery on the disc itself is modelled after the spindle labels of the records depicted in the film. The information about the artist, song and whatnot usually printed on an existing spindle with the record label's logo prominently displayed.

[@davidbcalhoun]

This is correct! Criterion has also done this with other discs. If there's something unusual in the packaging, it's likely a movie tie-in (e.g. the hidden blueprint in Lone Wolf and Cub)

[@bobhuber8480]

You put it very well and succinctly. I’m the kind of internet dick that would probably say, hmmm. I like how you thought that might have been the old way of how Criterion labeled their discs. Guess it wasn’t obvious to you that it’s supposed to look like the records Seymour collects.

[@jonathanflores9874]

I graduated 2001. I watched it for the first time after getting ghosted from someone I liked. This movie cheered me up and still does 23 years later. ❤

[@michellelekas211]

AT THE END OF THE FILM, THE OLD MAN DIES, AND ENID KILLS HERSELF. WATCH IT AGAIN, DUDE. To be "Happy" and to live a "Productive" life to Enid is the same as living in Hell. She chooses the Ghostworld instead. LOVE this movie.

[@Boosted18]

Interesting take on the old man, the ending and tiltle of the movie... I see it differently. Ghost World is a reference to her own self produced, stifled "phantasmic" world. To her, everyone is dumb, dead and alone and though she's a big do nothing, she believes she's smarter than everyone. She's just a "know it all" kid who actually knows not much because she doesn't take the time to "go deep" with things... she's just surface level. The old man even tells her "you don't know what you're talking about" when she tells him that bus line no longer exists. Bottom line, she was wrong and he wasn't a crazy old man waiting for a bus that never comes. She just never took the time to see the full picture. Finally, in the end as her world is crashing down, she sees him again and feels that he is someone who she can still pity and feel superior over, but when the bus arrives, she realizes she was even wrong about him and she was the pitiful one all along. She takes it as a cue to start looking and exploring deeper and takes the bus that she thought didn't exist to see where it goes and essentially start to explore "the unknown".

[@michellelekas211]

She is taking the ghost bus (that stopped running years ago) to her death. Lovely, nihilistic ending.

[@milk_cow_blues]

I totally agree with your point of view. Also, I think Ghost World is the classic story of the cynical, intelligent, irreverent teenager who is overcome by the reality of life. As much as Erin resists, there comes a point where she is not so unique and different, and that her story has already been lived before by many individuals, and all of them have ended up succumbing to life sooner or later. What I find most interesting about the film is how it seeks to criticize the era of consumption and individualism, but ends up accepting that it is something highly internalized in modern society. I just think the most painful thing for Erin in the end is realizing that she's not as different as she thinks. She can't do anything to change the course of things, because, in fact, it is something she is a part of.

[@Boosted18]

Also, like a ghost, she resists "moving on" and progressing and just wants to continue in her circle of "haunts", though (and just like a ghost), she is unaware of this fact... Ghost World.

[@adrianmilan9348]

The imagery on the disc is a clever reference to the vintage 78rpm record labels that Seymour obsessively collects. Criterion rules…

[@stephenjones9726]

Great film review. I think your interpretation of the ending was spot on. As for the Criterion disc art, I think they were trying to make it have the look of an old vinyl LP’s label since Steve Buscemi’s character was so fond of vintage records in the movie.

[@Horror-Man]

Ghost World, Frances Ha, Superbad, Withnail and I: 4 great films about the cool, weird, funny, rebellious friend we all had once in our younger years who we eventually abandon.

[@justinmiller3754]

My interpretation of the end was the old man finally passed away and when Enid boards the bus she had committed suicide. Bringing with her all her baggage. It may be a simplified conclusion because I can also see your interpretation being true as well. Either way I did enjoy this movie 👍👍

[@chrisbrandt6245]

I just discovered this film this year and absolutely loved it. Excellent review and also an 8/10 for me

[@mattwales2734]

Ghost World is based on a series of stories out of the comic book Eightball by Daniel Clowes. The cover art on the disk is also by Clowes. Art School Confidential is another collaboration of Zwigoff and Clowes.

[@variousspaghetti]

Great review...Twigoff also did a film called Art School Confidential that I need to return to because I remember minimal about it. I'm sure this has been answered a bunch already in the comments but yeah, the disc just looks like an older LP in design...(looking at all the previous comments)...yep this has been addressed a billion times haha.

[@Lightraymuse]

Loved this movie from when it first came out. Postmodernism, the courage to change and evolve, to move, to find something else. Not necessarily a rejection of meaning but a rejection of circumstance that makes meaning stale and context-less. These are the emotions and thought triggered for me, a call for the phoenix to rebirth itself.

[@KalleVilenius]

Never seen the film version but I can recommend the original comic. Fantagraphics recently released a big book collecting 18 issues of Dan Clowes' Eightball, which is the magazine where Ghost World was serialized, them's good comics.

[@iansharp7422]

Such a funny movie. Thora Birch was hilarious but all of the actors were good.

[@nathanmaier5080]

Thanks for reviewing Ghost World

[@reverietapes]

First watched it in June then bought it during the recent sale as well. This is a movie that I found very relatable. I peaked in high school and had my time interrupted by a pandemic, then having to adapt to being an adult without a solid social space. I shared a lot of similarities with Enid and Seymour's situations and I'm happy I own this movie now. 9/10

[@dantheman77743]

Great review man.

[@IntergalacticDustBunny]

Part of me thinks after watching this film that Enid (Thora Birch) might not have been real the entire time, that she might have been a facet of Rebecca's (Scarlett Johansson) mind, and that the whole film was some subconscious thing in Rebecca's mind, and when Rebecca started to "grow up" she didn't need Enid anymore the way a child outgrows an imaginary friend so Enid vanished, as represented by the bus at the end. It is a bit of a reach but clearly that bus is otherworldly and Enid isn't taking a trip to Detroit or anything, she's going somewhere otherworldly.

[@timmellis5038]

I like your interpretation. In case you don't know, there's the graphic novel, Ghost World, by Daniel Clowes. It's different than the movie, a little. I'm reading all his books now. So far, they're all good. Anyways as for Enid, for me, I think, "She took the midnight train going anywhere." I think she was real, got on the bus, and let fate take her wherever.

[@ericsartanahorner]

One of my favorite movies

[@sammeyphammey349]

I happened to have watched Wednesday before I saw this movie so I spent the majority of this film believing that birtch could have played Wednesday

[@jjwhy321y3]

I remember the bonus end scene. I can't remember if its after credits roll. It's with Seymour and funniest scene in movie.

[@punchfisttop]

In my top ten.

[@bmoneyrancidfan91]

The main character was so cynical and a poser . she did seymour wrong

[@mrs.wontkins9294]

This film is such a mood

[@justinhunt4767]

Fax

[@cjlaity1]

This was one of, if not the, first roles that Scarlett Johansson played. Who would have thunk twenty years later she'd have such a big head about herself that she'd ruin her career over a dispute regarding how much money she deserved for playing a super hero.

[@ethanedwards7557]

She had a ton of roles before this. She was great as a kid in Manny and Lo.

[@cjlaity1]

@@ethanedwards7557 -- yeah but I mean mainstream. This was the first role I saw her in no doubt about it.

[@danielramsey6141]

And honestly she’s right. It really hurts.

[@danielramsey6141]

Hmmm, you know what. Lately I’ve been having these bouts of Nostalgia. Where I remember the Best and Worst times of my life and youth. But I mostly remember the people and places that exist, or use to be. And when going back to visit a few places, their this sense of longing for those past moments. Now that I look at it. Ghost World plays off of those same bouts of Nostalgia. The Yesteryears of our past pushing us towards a future where we’ll be on our own. The Old man might be a Ghost who lived in the past or might represent Enid’s past! She clings onto it because she remembers when things use to be fun. When things were simple and weren’t as confusing and real as they are now.

[@scienz]

the blu ray disc "criterion" design looks like the label of one of Seymour's old records. There ya go.

[@givemeliberty700]

I love this movie, never understood why I think becuase I'm an Enid lol

[@bmoneyrancidfan91]

The disc supposed to be a 78 record

[@channelswillbethedeathofyo5925]

There's no suicide at the end. It's a girl getting on a bus moving on down the line. It's called growing up.

[@timmellis5038]

I just read the graphic novel that I didn't know existed. It's different, good, and I recommend it. I saw the movie a long time ago and thought it was great. I just think Enid didn't know where she was headed after high school, and the bus, that stopped coming by, came by, she got on, not knowing where it would take her. So I agree with you. "She took the midnight train going anywhere." I never thought it was a suicide.

[@drjayteamk4531]

I ALSO THINK SHE KILLED HERSELF. CAUSE SHE SIMPLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HER LIFE

[@justinhunt4767]

Classic

[@amerykahfuller893]

Am I the only one that thinks that is weird and damn near disgusting that this movie has black characters that are stereotypes of Black people and has music from Black culture that is made before Jim Crow ended BUT NOT ONE BLACK person is in this movie or has a line in this movie

[@coltononline]

Not true. Scarlet J is an African American. But your point is well taken. There were also no trans-racial bipocs, queer Indian amputees, BBW Latinx with speech impediments or post-bottom surgery North Korean octogenarians. We should mostly peacefully protest the crap out of this movie!

[@xoliyah6553]

@@coltononline no she isn’t..

[@FollowThatDream76]

I don’t get it. You don’t know what your talking about.

[@jackedkerouac4414]

How can a movie have stereotypical black characters ʼʼBUT NOT ONE BLACK personʼʼ? Make it make sense.

[@amerykahfuller893]

@@FollowThatDream76 it’s not that I don’t know what I’m talking about is that I have a opinion soooooo yeah……..