american splendor - the official shooting script (2003)

8/4/2019 American Splendor - The Official Shooting Script (2003)

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American Splendor

by

Robert Pulcini

and

Shari Springer Berman

The Official Shooting Script -For Educational Purposes Only


2/100

FADE IN:

INT. HARVEYS BEDROOM - NIGHT

A BEDROOM MIRROR.

The room is dark. A perfectly square mirror hangs crooked ona wall.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, the reflection of a mans facecomes into focus. He stares straight ahead, perhaps studyinghis own unrecognizable reflection. Its quite clear this isa portrait of sickness; the mans pallor is gray, his eyesare confused. There is something most definitely wrong.

Tentatively, the figure steps away from the mirror, leavingthe frame empty and dark.

ANGLE ON BED

Like a ghost, the naked man (Harvey) stands over his bedstaring down at his sleeping wife (Joyce). In the eerielight, hes almost translucent.

HARVEY(faintly)

Joyce ... Joyce?

Joyce springs up, alarmed.

JOYCE

Whats wrong, Harvey? What are youdoing up?

Harvey just stands there for a moment saying nothing.

JOYCE (contd)

What is it?

HARVEY(delirious, out of breath)

Tell me the truth. Am I some guywho writes about himself in a comicbook? Or am I just --am I just a

character in that book?

Joyce rubs her eyes.

JOYCE

Harvey ...


3/100

2.

HARVEYIf I die, will dat character keepgoin? Or will he just fade away...

Joyce just stares at him, unsure how to answer. Suddenly

Harvey collapses.

Joyce leaps from the bed, nervous, hysterical. She gets downon the floor and shakes him.

JOYCEOmigod, Harvey! Harvey, wake up!

CLOSE ON HARVEYS FACE

His eyes remain closed, his expression far, far away.

FADE TO BLACK:

EXT. CLEVELAND ROW HOUSE - FALL - 1956 - DAY

FADE UP ON:

A surreal kaleidoscope of black, white and red. Similar tothe mirror scene above, the colors slowly come into focus,revealing the chiseled features of a familiar face. But thistime we see that it is not a real face, but rather a plasticmask of the D.C. Comic hero -- SUPERMAN.

INTERTITLE: CLEVELAND OHIO, 1956

CLOSE ON SUPERMAN MASK

It glows eerily in the light of a porch lamp. A childspupils glare through the eye holes ...

The camera pans from SUPERMAN to the masked face of anothercaped-crusader: BATMAN. Batman turns toward his loyal side-kick ROBIN, who clutches a plastic, trick-or-treat pumpkin.Next, we find THE GREEN LANTERN as he reaches up to ring thedoorbell. The camera finally rests on the last boy: anunkempt KID wearing no costume at all.

Looking irritated and removed from the rest of the group, theKID shoves his hands in the pockets of his shearling coat.He spits and rolls his eyes as a lady answers the door.

The brick home is as working class as it gets. The lady atthe door is a 1950s HOUSEWIFE.


4/100

3.

BOYS(in unison)

Trick or treat!!

HOUSEWIFEWell, look at this! All the super-

heroes on the porch! Aint thatcute.

The Lady drops a candy apple in each boys container.

HOUSEWIFE (contd)(still yelling)

We got Superman here, Batman, hissidekick ROBIN, ohh, The GreenLantern even ...

She finally stops at the costumeless KID. He halfheartedlyholds up a ratty, stained pillowcase.

HOUSEWIFE (contd)And what about you young man?

KIDWhat about what?

The other boys giggle. The kid flashes them a kick yer asslook.

HOUSEWIFEWho are you supposed to be?

The kid shrugs.

KIDIm Harvey Pekar (pronounced PeeCar).

HOUSEWIFEHarvey Pekar? That doesnt soundlike a super hero to me...

BOYS(mumbling)

Pecker, Pecker ...

KIDI aint no super hero, lady. Imjust a kid from the neighborhood,alright?

The Housewife stares at him, confused.


5/100

4.

KID (contd)Ahh, forget this...

Frustrated, the kid throws his pillowcase down. He trudgesoff as the others watch in confusion.

KID (contd)Why is everybody so stoopid?

BEGIN NERVOUS JAZZ SCORE

WE FOLLOW the schlumpy kid (aka HARVEY PEKAR) as he sulksdown the street...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. CLEVELAND ROW HOUSE - FALL - 1975 - DUSK

INTERTITLE: CLEVELAND OHIO, 1975

A grown-up version of HARVEY PEKAR (now mid-thirties) stompsalong the same Cleveland street. Unfortunately, 20 yearshave made this rust belt neighborhood a bit rustier. TheGROWN UP HARVEY dons the same shearling coat, sports thesame disheveled hair, and wears the same curmudgeonlyexpression.

CREDIT SEQUENCE - ANIMATED SEQUENCE

INTERCUT HARVEY WALKING WITH COMIC BOOK PANELS OF THE CARTOON

HARVEY IN ACTION. This is not your typical super-hero stuff.Instead it features our man engaging in such daredevil featsas:

INT. CITY BUS - FALL 1975 - DAY

--Riding the city bus.

INT. V.A. HOSPITAL - DAY

--Working as a file clerk at the Veterans Hospital.

INT. HARVEYS APARTMENT / KITCHEN - DAY

--Trying to wash dishes.


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5.

INT. SUPERMARKET - DAY

--Waiting on line at the supermarket.

EXT. GARAGE SALE - DAY

--Buying used records from a garage sale table.

INT. GREASY SPOON DINER - DAY

--Eating junk food at a greasy spoon.

INT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - DAY

Harvey fixes a rip in his coat with Elmers Glue.

(Note: Each Cartoon Harvey looks similar but unique... Avariation on a theme. This is because his cartoons are drawnby different comic artists.)

Intermittently, bold cartoon credits flash across the screen:

FROM OFF THE STREETS OF CLEVELAND COMES ...

Followed by the explosive title:

AMERICAN SPLENDOR

The high-energy music and upbeat titles -- in direct contrastto the sulking image of Harvey -- continue through theremainder of the credits.

EXT. CLEVELAND STREET OVERLOOKING FACTORIES - DAY

Were now on HARVEYS back as he continues his forlornjourney. We move forward, past him, to peer over the hill atthe factories below.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)

Okay. Were throwing a lot at yahere, so lemme step in an help yacatch up. This is the story aboutcomic books, an a guy who made awhole life outta them. You couldeven say comics saved his life.This guy here, hes our man, HarveyPekar -- all grown up and goinnowhere.


7/100

6.REAL HARVEY(cont'd)

Although hes a pretty scholarlycat, he never got much of a formaleducation. For the most part, heslived in shit neighborhoods, heldshit jobs, and is now knee deepinto a second disastrous marriage.So if yer lookin for romance or

escapism or some fantasy figure tosave the day, guess what? Ya gotthe wrong movie.

SUDDENLY EVERYTHING--THE MUSIC, THE CREDITS, THE IMAGES--COMES TO A HALT.

CUT TO:

INT. SOUND STAGE - PRESENT - DAY

HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE

The REAL HARVEY PEKAR (not the actor who trudged through thecredits) sits behind a microphone, supplying the voice overabove. He clutches a movie script in his hand.

The frame is spare, with a few well-chosen items to indicatethat hes in a recording session.

Although he is significantly older than the man who portrayshim, the Real Harvey is every bit as much of a sad sack...maybe even more.

He is large and slightly threatening with knitted brows andwild eyes. Yet there is something kind and vulnerable abouthim -- a teddy bear who could kick your ass.

Off Camera, WE HEAR the voices of the male and femaledirectors (us -- BOB and SHARI) coaching the Real Harveythrough his voice over. Harveys irritable and contrary,saying that the whole Halloween incident never even happened.But I dont care man. Im just doing this for the dough.We learn that Harvey is a reluctant participant in a filmbeing made about his life.

SUDDENLY, his third wife JOYCE BRABNER -- an intelligent

control freak obsessed with all things negative -- joins inthe conversation. Pushing back her huge glasses, shereprimands Harvey like he is an infant: Harvey you aretalking too loud, Harvey you are being difficult. Harveyjust rolls his eyes. Joyce gets offended. It is clear theyhave had this argument a million times. As Joyce stormsoff...


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7.

Harvey explains that his wife is trying to take over themovie. He laments that she is his third wife, and he has noluck with women. Man, chicks just dont dig me. Thatswhy he marries anyone who will have him. And I marry themfast before they get to know the real me...

END HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE

CUT TO:

INT. EXAMINATION ROOM - WINTER - 1975 - DAY

INTERTITLE: 1975

HARVEY sits on a table in his T-shirt and underwear. ADOCTOR unwraps a tongue depressor.

Harveys voice is hoarse, raspy and barely audible. It

sounds like it hurts for him to talk. Yet, he cant stopranting.

HARVEYDoc, you gotta help me. My oldladys dumping me cause I canttalk. She says Im a socialembarrassment. Now that shes gother PhD, shes some hot shitacademic star an Im nuthin but afile clerk with nothin ta say anno voice ta say it. But me bein a

file clerk was fine when I wrotethe damn check for her tuition--

DOCTOR #1Harvey, stop talking please, andopen wide.

He points the tongue depressor at Harveys mouth but he justkeeps on going.

HARVEYI just dont get it ... We weredoin okay for a while. Then we

took that stupid belated honeymoon.I started losin my voice on theplane. Can you believe that... Onthe plane, doc?

DOCTOR #1Bad timing, I guess. Now pleasesay Ah, Mr. Pekar.


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8.

HARVEYAhhh.

(without missing a beat)Ahhh ruined the trip. I gotcrazy, started to worry my voicewould never come back. I mean, my

wife didnt know me so long beforewe got hitched. What if shetotally forgets what Im like?Man, its torture--

DOCTOR #1Shhh ....

The Doctor shines a penlight into Harveys mouth and looksaround.

DOCTOR #1 (contd)Uh-huh.

He raises an eyebrow. Harvey catches this. Hypochondriaovertakes him.

HARVEY(the penlight in hismouth)

What? Is it bad, doc?

The Doctor removes the penlight.

DOCTOR #1

Its not good.

Harvey jumps off the table.

HARVEYIts cancer? First I got maritalproblems and now yer tellin me Igot throat cancer? Omigod ...

DOCTOR #1Harvey, calm down. Its notcancer. You have a nodule on yourvocal chords. Probably from

screaming and yelling too much.And if you dont stop talking andgive it a rest, youre gonna loseyour voice completely.

Relieved, Harvey calms down. He nods, agreeing to be good.


10/100

9.

HARVEYWhew ... Okay, okay. But fer howlong?

DOCTOR #1A few months.

HARVEY(loudly)

Months!!

Suddenly Harveys voice cracks under his effort to raise it.He sheepishly grabs his throat.

DOCTOR #1See? More of that and youll dopermanent damage. Now go home,keep your mouth shut, and hopefullywe wont have to operate.

Operate? Harvey gets nervous again. The Doctor throws himhis clothing.

CUT TO:

EXT. CLEVELAND STREET - WINTER - 1975 - DAY

A silent sequence. A dejected HARVEY walks home alone alongan empty lot. Day-old dirty snow clings to the ground.

He wanders through a down-in-the-heels neighborhood, passingrun-down stores and ramshackle apartments.

EXT. BUS STOP - WINTER - 1975 - DAY

Harvey approaches TOBY -- a dumpy 20-something going on 60-something in ridiculous, mismatched polyester clothing. Heis odd, awkward and talks with a monotone, robotic voice. Inshort, he is a super dork.

TOBYHi Harvey. You werent in work

today. Are you okay, Harvey?

Harvey barely looks up. He nods his head yes and keepswalking.

TOBY (contd)(yelling after him)

Im heading downtown to the WhiteCastle. Wanna come, Harvey?


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10.

Harvey leaves Toby behind and turns the corner.

EXT. DELI - WINTER - 1975 - DAY

Two WOMEN argue loudly over a payphone.

SPANISH WOMAN #1 (IN SPANISH)I already told you, Im waiting for

a call!

SPANISH WOMAN #2Oh yeah? Since when is this your

private office?!

SPANISH WOMAN #1Since you can kiss my ass.

Harvey stops in his tracks and stares at them, jealous of

their ability to speak.

CLOSE UP: SPANISH WOMAN #1s MOUTH

HARVEY(to himself)

Look at em yakkin. How do theydo it?

Out of the corner of her eye, WOMAN #2 notices Harveyeavesdropping.

WOMAN #2(yelling at Harvey)Ay, what are you looking at?Maricone!

Startled, Harvey moves on.

EXT. ACROSS FROM A PARK - WINTER - 1975 - DAY

He passes a group of KIDS playing in the snow. They scream,yell and laugh with abandon.

HARVEY(shaking his head)

They all make it seem so easy.

Then, BAM! Harvey is awakened from his reverie by asnowball. The kids laugh loudly. He wipes away the snow andwalks on.

A VOICE OVER interrupts the scene.


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11.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Heres our man walking home fromthe doctors. Hes got the weightof the world on him. And fer what,really? Cause his throats alittle screwy? Man, people in

India are starvin to death everyday. His problems are nothin.

CUT TO:

EXT. BRIDGE OVER TRAIN TRACKS - DAY

Totally dejected, HARVEY crosses over train tracks on his wayhome.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Still, he cant help feelin

paranoid, like some supernaturalforce is conspiring against him torob him of his voice.

EXT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - WINTER - 1975 - DAY

Harvey sulks up the steps of his brick low-rise apartmentbuilding. He passes an ELDERLY NEIGHBOR coming down the walkwith her shopping cart. Harvey unlocks the door.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)

Maybe his old lady will go easy onhim today, when she sees how upsethe is.

INT. HARVEYS LIVING ROOM - WINTER - 1975 - DAY

Harveys second wife LANA -- a hippyish chic with long hairand a bad attitude -- pulls books off a shelf and selectivelythrows them onto the floor or packs them into a milk crate.An overstuffed suitcase sits beside her. Shes obviouslyleaving him. HARVEY enters the room.

HARVEY(whispering)

Ay ... What is this?

Harveys voice breaks up.

LANAExactly what it looks like.


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12.

HARVEY(loud)

Whattya mean!! You mean yerdumpin me?! Fer what?

(his voice really rips)Ah, shit!

That last yell did it. Harvey grabs throat in pain, tornbetween his throat discomfort and trying to stop his wifefrom leaving.

LANALook, your plebeian lifestyle isntworking for me anymore.Clevelands not working for meanymore. I gotta get out of herebefore I kill myself.

HARVEY

But--

She gathers her bags and heads for the door. Harvey trailsher, trying to reason.

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

HARVEY (contd)(mouthing, just a wheeze)

Please! Wait, honey ... Justlisten to what I got to say ...

She turns and stares at him. Harvey tries to say something.But now nothing at all comes out of his mouth. Only wheezesair.

He tries again. No sound at all.

Finally LANA gives up, turns back towards the door andleaves.

SLAM!!

CUT TO:

INT. V.A. HOSPITAL - 1975 - DAY

At his cubicle in the file room, Harvey fills a cart withfiles. Hes physically at work, but mentally in a daze.


14/100

13.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Heres our man--yeah alright,heres me --or the guy playin me,anyway, though he dont looknothin like me, but whatever. Soits a few months later an Im

workin my flunky, file-clerk gigat the V.A. Hospital. My voicestill aint back yet. Things seemlike they cant get any worse...

A nurse pops her head in. Harvey hands her a file.

NURSEThank you, Harvey dear.

He doesnt hear her, still stewing about LANA. He shoves thelast files in the cart and pushes it away.

HARVEY(to himself)

Plebeian ... where the hell did sheget that shit?

CUT TO:

INT. FILE ROOM -- A FEW MOMENTS LATER

We see rows and rows of endless files ...

Still in a daze, Harvey removes the files from the cart andputs them on the shelves.

MR. BOATS (O.S.)Avoid the reeking herd!

Shun the polluted flock!

Live like that stoic bird,

The eagle of the rock!

Harvey turns around. Mr. Boats -- a portly, African-Americanmaintenance worker wearing a bow-tie -- steps into Harveysrow. He has a tool box.

HARVEYHuh? Oh. Hiya, Mr. Boats.

Harvey resumes shelving.

BOATSYou know what that means, son?


15/100

14.

HARVEYYeah. Its from an Elinor HoytWylie poem. It means stay awayfrom the crowds of common ordinarypeople an do yer own thing.

Mr. Boats laughs.

BOATSNope, it means dont compromiseyourself for women. Aint gonna doyou no good! Get away from em assoon as you can!

HARVEYWell I aint got no woman now. SoIm living like the stoic bird,man.

MR. BOATSThe only way to live, son.

Somehow this doesnt make Harvey feel any better about hislife.

INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY -- DAY

Harvey carries an armful of files. Mr. Boats still trailshim, lugging his tool box.

Suddenly, Mr. Boats points out a young African-American FILECLERK wearing a pair of big headphones on his afro. He movesas if hes listening to music.

MR. BOATSLook at that fool over there.Whats he wearing?

HARVEYHuh? Thats an A.M.-F.M. radiohes listening to... They got emfixed up now like a pair ofearmuffs.

MR. BOATS(INAPPROPRIATELY ANGERED)

MMPH! Isnt that somethin! Peoplehave gone crazy. Theyll buy anykinda junk! Probably listening tothat loud rock stuff. Junk, junk,its all junk!


16/100

15.

HARVEYWell, I dont know. Rock musicsgot some good qualities. I mean itaint jazz or nothin.

Mr. Boats looks at him like hes crazy.

MR. BOATSSay, when you gonna bring me insome good records? Some Nat KingCole with Strings...

HARVEYI dont got any of that, Mr.Boats...

Mr. Boats stops and yells down the hall at Harvey.

MR. BOATS

Yeah, you got it... Youre keepinit at home, though! You wont turnloose the good stuff... You justsell the junk!

Harvey shakes his head as Mr. Boats finishes his diatribe.Mr. Boats turns into a room.

MR. BOATS (contd)(singing)

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa. Men have

named you.

CUT TO:



Harvey sits on outdoor furniture. A few props are featuredin the frame indicating a garage-sale-like setting (includinga record player). Directly in front of Harvey are boxes ofused records.

HARVEY shows us his prodigious record collection. Thousandsof LPs -- rare jazz, blues, fusion, klezmer, etc. -- arepiled in floor-to-ceiling bookcases.

He tells us about his love of jazz and how he started writingjazz reviews and music articles. He finds the first recordthat he reviewed and puts it on his turntable. As the musicplays...


17/100

16.

Harvey talks about how he started buying and selling records.This leads into how he first met ROBERT CRUMB.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. CLEVELAND GARAGE SALE - FALL - 1962 - DAY

INTERTITLE: 1962

HARVEY (a little more hair but the exact same style) and abunch of his BUDDIES sift through old records at a junk sale.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)In the early sixties I was withsome buddies at a junk sale lookingfor some choice sides when I metthis shy, retiring cat fromPhiladelphia named Bob Crumb. You

know the guy; Fritz the Cat, Mr.Natural an all-- they made a movieabout him, too.

One of Harveys pals -- MARTY -- pulls a record out of a box.

MARTYCmon, Harv. You dig Jay McShann.You gonna buy that or what?

Harvey jumps up from his search to check out the LP.

HARVEYI dont know, Marty. Its got alamination crack in it...

(checking out the price)A quarter. Maybe I can get himdown.

MARTYYou are one cheap bastard Harvey.

HARVEYYeah, I know Im tight, man, but Ilive on a government wage.

A skinny guy with a big nose, glasses and a ratty trench coattaps Harvey on the shoulder. He is soft-spoken, a bit shyand very odd - a young ROBERT CRUMB.

CRUMBYou collect Jay McShann, man?


18/100

17.

HARVEYYeah, man. How bout you?

CRUMBYeah but most of my records areback in Philly.

A greaser-type guy in a leather jacket, PAHLS, joins them.

PAHLSHarv, meet my buddy Bob Crumb. Hejust moved to town. Hes an artistat American Greeting Card Company.

HARVEYThats cool.

PAHLSYou should see his comics, Harv.

They are outta sight.

HARVEY(interested)

Yeah? Im into comics myself.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. HARVEYS LIVING ROOM - FALL - 1962 - DAY

A disheveled mess that gives new meaning to the term bachelor

pad. Records and books are strewn everywhere.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)So Crumb showed me this comic booknovel he was working on -- THE BIGYUM YUM BOOK. Id never seenanything like it.

HARVEY marches back and forth holding Crumbs illustratedcomic novel. CRUMB sits on the floor nursing a beer andsorting through vintage comic books. Harveys bursting withso much enthusiasm, its almost aggressive.

HARVEYIts terrific, man! I really digyour work.

Crumb ignores Harveys praise.

CRUMB(holding up a vintagecomic)


19/100

18.CRUMB(cont'd)

This PETER WHEAT book is by WaltKelly... Its pretty rare.

HARVEYYeah? Can I get good bread for it?

CRUMB

Nah! Not yet.

Harvey flops down in an overstuffed chair. Stuffing fliesout. He sips his beer.

HARVEYListen man, lets get back to yourbook. What are you gonna do withit?

CRUMB(looking up)

I hadnt thought about it. Its

just an exercise.

Harvey flips through the book.

HARVEYIts more than an exercise. Itsbreaking ground, man. Theres somewild shit in here.

Crumb is immune to Harveys enthusiasm.

CRUMB

Youre spitting on me, Harvey.

CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS LIVING ROOM - FALL - 1962 - LATER

CRUMB lies on the couch sketching while HARVEY reads more ofTHE YUM YUM BOOK. A scratchy jazz record plays.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Crumb and I hung out a lot backthen. We had records and comics in

common.

ANGLE ON CRUMBS DRAWING

We see Crumb is actually sketching Harvey, slumped in a chairreading a book. Crumb makes Harvey look like a smelly,sweaty madman with ratty clothing.

Crumb holds the sketch of Harvey up to show him.


20/100

19.

CRUMB(laughing)

Check it out, man. Pretty scary.

Harvey glances up at his portrait, completely unself-conscious.

HARVEYYeah, ya dont know the half of it.

Harvey goes back to reading. Crumb back to sketching.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Eventually people got hip toCrumbs art work and he startedhangin out with a Bohemian crowd.After a while, he got sick ofgreeting cards and moved away toSan Francisco where he got the

whole underground comic scene offthe ground.

Crumb slowly evaporates from the room, leaving Harvey totallyalone.

ANGLE ON 45 RECORD SPINNING AND SPINNING

REAL HARVEY (V.O.) (contd)Hed come back ta Cleveland everyfew years, an peopled treat himlike a celebrity.

The record spins and spins ...

END FLASHBACK

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. BUS STOP - 1975 - DAY

ANOTHER R. CRUMB DRAWING OF HARVEY (Now circa 1975)

On a sketch pad we see a deranged, tormented Harvey sitting

alone on a park bench. He pulls at his hair, and looks asthough he may murder the next person who walks by.

INTERTITLE: BACK TO 1975

As the pencil adds shading to Harveys face, WE HEAR:


21/100

20.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Once he came to visit when I wasreally feelin bad. It was rightaround the time of my throatoperation, an right after mysecond wife left me. At first it

was pretty weird. I mean, here mylife was falling apart aneverything was going great for him.I was on my second divorce an hewas a big hit with the chicks. Iwas a nothin file clerk and he wasthis famous cartoonist.

HARVEY and R. CRUMB sit on a park bench together by a busstop. A distraught Harvey whines while Crumb just sketches.Harveys voice is still raspy.

HARVEY

I dunno, man. On the one hand mostwomen gettin graduate degreeswouldnt give a guy like me thetime a day. An she married mean everything, so I gotta give hersome kinda credit. But then shegot so mean to me in the end. Anit aint like I tried tkeep hercaptive or anything like that,yknow?

Crumb may or may not be listening to Harvey. Its hard to

tell.

HARVEY (contd)An then on top of it I lost myvoice for three months. I stillsound like shit, but before I hadnothin. Man, talk about hell. Istarted forgettin what I soundlike, yknow? So I started writinstuff down--stories an things, mypoints a view, ideas. I evenpublished a couple jazz recordreviews. I guess that ended up

bein a good thing.

CRUMBUh-huh.

HARVEYBut dont think I buy into thisgrowth crap.


22/100

21.HARVEY(cont'd)

Everybody talks about how badexperiences can cause ya tgrow,an all that cliched stuff. Ivehad enough bad experiences andgrowth to last me plenty.

(a beat)Right now, Id be glad to trade

some growth for happiness.

For a moment, they both just sit there saying nothing to eachother, each man in his own private universe.

Finally Harvey looks over to Crumb.

HARVEY (contd)So how long are ya stayin inCleveland?

Crumb never looks up from his picture.

CRUMBI dunno, man. I gotta go visitthis chick in New York. And Imreally busy with the comic bookstuff. Its good bread and all manbut Im getting fed up with thewhole scene.

HARVEYWhat are ya talkin about? Yermakin a good living doin yer art?Sheesh. How many guys get that

lucky in their life, huh?

CRUMBYeah, I dunno.

HARVEYYa know man, people are startin toknow the name Crumb. When youcroak youre gonna leave somethingbehind.

CRUMBYeah, my ashes and some crappy

doodles. Its not like Im BlindLemon Jefferson or Big MamaThornton.

HARVEYCmon, man. It sure beats workina gig like mine -- being a nobodyflunky and sellin records on theside for a buck.


23/100

22.

CRUMBYeah, well thats true ...

Harvey nods in agreement, mulling this over. Hes not at alloffended.

CUT TO:

INT. V.A. HOSPITAL - 1975 - DAY

CLOSE ON A FILE DRAWER MARKED: RECENTLY DECEASED.

A hand reaches into the frame and opens the drawer.

By rote, HARVEY fumbles with a large stack of expiredpatient files. He places each into the appropriatealphabetical deceased drawer.

Attempting to grab another batch, Harvey accidentally knocksthe entire pile onto the floor.

HARVEYDamn it!

He crouches down to survey the mess -- a collage of expiredlives laid out before his eyes.

We move past dozens of anonymous names -- William Anderson,Louis Collins, Mark DAmico, Tyrone Moore, Franklin Ray,etc... Each file has a red Deceased stamp.

Depressed, HARVEY is transfixed by the files surrounding himon the floor. Suddenly he stops and picks one up.

ANGLE ON FOLDER: It is marked, CHARLIE MARSHALL.

He opens the folder and reads the stats...

Born: 1920 in ClevelandDied: 1920 in ClevelandOccupation: Clerk

ANGLE ON HARVEY: He swallows hard as he reads about

Charlies small, invisible and now vanished life...

He tosses the folder back onto the pile.

CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - 1975 - MORNING


24/100

23.

CLOSE ON: TWO STICK FIGURES IN AN EMPTY FRAME

HARVEY sits at a table with a pen in hand and a blank sheetof paper in front of him. Nothing seems to come to him.

He flips through a pile of comic books -- everything from

D.C. Comic Super Heroes to underground works such as CrumbsMr. Natural and Zap Comix. No inspiration. Harvey throwsthem down in frustration.

HARVEYIm starvin.

CUT TO:

INT. SUPERMARKET - 1975 - DAY

HARVEY pushes a cart through the cramped aisles of a crowded

supermarket. He pulls a few cans of Beef-A-Roni off theshelf and heads off to pay. Reaching the check-out area, heevaluates the situation.

ANGLE ON CHECK-OUT COUNTERS:

There are three lines to choose from. Two of the countershave long waits. The third is much shorter but there is anOLD JEWISH LADY next in line.

SUDDENLY, THE SCREEN SPLITS IN TWO:

The LEFT SIDE OF THE FRAME remains Harvey at the supermarketdeliberating over the check-out lines.

However, the RIGHT SIDE OF THE FRAME now contains a CRUMBSTYLE COMIC PANEL DEPICTING THE EXACT SAME SCENARIO. ABUBBLE appears over CARTOON HARVEYS head revealing histhoughts. It reads: Pickin the right check-out line is anart...Theres a lot of things you gotta consider.

ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FRAME... Harvey decides to get behindthe Old Lady.

MEANWHILE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE FRAME... Cartoon

Harvey stands behind the Old Lady.

A new BUBBLE reads: It may be the shortest line but I amtakin a chance cause shes an Old Jewish Lady.

BACK TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FRAME... The CASHIER rings upthe Old Ladys purchases -- a few kitchen glasses.


25/100

24.

OLD JEWISH LADY(Yiddish Accent)

Listen, goily, dese glasses are sixfor $2.00 because I couldnt carrytwelf... But I vanted twelf sotoday Im buying six more... But

you should only charge me $1.50 fordem... Its ok, you can esk demeneger.

Harvey rolls his eyes and stamps his foot impatiently. Heknows hes in trouble now.

CASHIER(yelling)

Frank! I need a price check.

SUDDENLY, THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN BECOMES FULLYANIMATED... Instead of still comic panels with balloons, the

Cartoon Harvey now rants directly into the camera.

CARTOON HARVEYMan, Old Jewish Ladies will argueforever with a cashier aboutanything. Get behind them in aline an yer gonna wait forever!

The Human Harvey seems oblivious to his cartoon replica. Heimpatiently leans on his cart, waiting and seething.

CARTOON HARVEY (contd)

I mean, Im a yid myself, an thewomen in my family are like that...But I never got used to it... I maybe cheap, but I got limits!

ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN... The MANAGER finallyarrives. The Old Lady haggles with him, too.

OLD JEWISH LADYPlease. Let me splain von moretime.

MEANWHILE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE... The Cartoon Harvey turns

to address the Human Harvey, who actually looks him in theeyes. It now seems Human Harvey can actually hear hiscartoon alter ego.

CARTOON HARVEYWake up! Youre whole lifesgettin eaten away by this kindacrap! What kind of existence isthis?


26/100

25.CARTOON HARVEY(cont'd)

Is this all a workin stiff likeyou can expect? Ya gonna suffer insilence fer the rest a yer life?!Or ya gonna make a mark. Huh?Huh?

IN AN INSTANT, THE CARTOON HARVEY DISAPPEARS AND THE LIVE

ACTION SCENE TAKES OVER THE WHOLE FRAME.

Suddenly motivated by an odd notion, Harvey abandons hisgrocery cart and runs out of the supermarket.

CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS KITCHEN -- NIGHT

Bursting with ideas, Harvey (wearing his undershirt andboxers) starts story-boarding his first comic with stickfigures.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. HARVEYS KITCHEN - 1975 - MORNING

A bleary-eyed HARVEY, still clad in an undershirt and boxers,dozes off over a bowl of Corn Flakes. On the table next tosome spilled milk are a stack of papers covered withscribbling. He clearly has been slaving over this work allnight.

ANGLE ON PAPERS:

At the top is a quickly scribbled title, Standing Behind OldJewish Ladies In Supermarket Lines.

These are ad hoc versions of a comic book. The pages aredivided like a tick-tack-toe board. Each square is filledwith crude stick figure drawings and lots of writing.

An alarm clock goes off. Harveys eyes fly open.

HARVEYShit. Work.

Harvey yawns, then notices the pile of papers. He perusesthem, proud of his work. He gets up and looks out thewindow.


27/100

26.

I/E. HARVEYS APARTMENT - HARVEYS POV - 1975 - MORNING

It is yet another grey day in Cleveland. The neighborhood isrun-down. Garbage is strewn everywhere.

The following scene unfolds through the window:

Two UNSIGHTLY WORKERS lug an old, smelly mattress from agarage towards the garbage cans on the curb. Theirconversation is distant, but entirely audible.

MATTRESS GUY #1So how smart is she?

MATTRESS GUY #2I dunno. I guess shes aboutaverage.

MATTRESS GUY #1Average? Hey, man. Average isdumb!

They drop the mattress in place. With the window framingthese guys, the scene FREEZES, looking just like a comic bookpanel.

INT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - DAY

Harvey turns around from the scene and ponders it. He moves

back towards his pile of stick-figure drawings.

CLOSE ON PAPER

Harvey scribbles the words AMERICAN SPLENDOR at the top ofthe page.

CUT TO:

INT. CLEVELAND DINER - 1975 - DAY

The following scene is shot through the restaurant window.

We see reflections of people walking by.

A tense HARVEY starts at CRUMB as he eats a burger and readsHarveys mock-ups. Harvey doesnt touch his burger deluxeand nervously talks in his laryngitis-afflicted voice.


28/100

27.

HARVEYSee, ever since I read your stuff,man Ive been thinking I couldwrite comic book stories that weredifferent from anything being done.

CRUMB(munching on a fry)

Uh-huh.

HARVEYIm thinkin, the guys who doanimal comics and super-hero stuffare really limited cause theygotta try to appeal to kids. Andunderground comics like yours havebeen really subversive or openedthings up politically. But thereis still plenty more ta be done

with em, too, yknow?

CRUMBPass me the ketchup?

HARVEYI mean with pictures and words, itcould be more of an art form. Likethose French movies are. Or DeSica over in Italy, yknow? ... SoI tried writin some things aboutreal life. Stuff the everymans

gotta deal with.

Crumb finally looks up from Harveys work.

CRUMBThese are about you.

HARVEYEr, yeah ...

CRUMBYou turned yourself into a comichero?

HARVEYSorta, yeah. But no idealizedshit. No phony bullshit. The realthing, yknow? Ordinary life ispretty complex stuff.

Crumb reads more. Harvey waits anxiously. Finally Crumbstarts to chuckle.


29/100

28.

CRUMBThese are really good, Harv.

HARVEY(insecure)

Really? Ya think so?

Crumb shuffles through more.

CRUMBYeah. This is great stuff, man. Idig it. Can I take them home andillustrate them?

Harvey is practically bursting.

HARVEYWow!!

Harveys voice breaks like a kid in puberty. He clears histhroat. And something miraculous happens...

When Harvey opens his mouth to speak his LARYNGITIS IS GONE!

HARVEY (contd)Youd do that for me, man? Thatdbe great! I cant draw a straightline!

CRUMBHey, whats up with your voice,

Harv? All of a sudden it soundsfine.

HARVEY(thrilled)

I dont know, man! I guess youcured me!

INT. V.A. HOSPITAL - SNACK ROOM HALLWAY - DAY

HARVEY bounds towards the snack room where a group ofhospital workers and patients hang out. He bangs on the

window to get their attention. When they look up, Harveywaves a comic book in the air.

DISSOLVE TO:


30/100

29.

INT. V.A. HOSPITAL - SNACK ROOM - DAY

A GLOSSY, FULL-COLOR COMIC BOOK FEATURING THE TWO MATTRESSGUYS: Scrawled across the top in big red letters reads,AMERICAN SPLENDOR. Vol. #1

A mans finger points to the words, All Stories by HarveyPekar. Art by R. Crumb.

The comic book sits atop a table in the dreary snack room. Acrowd of HOSPITAL WORKERS, PATIENTS, DOCTORS, MAINTENANCEWORKERS, etc. (under ten total) gather around a proud HARVEYwho shows off his work. For the first time, he seems almosthappy.

HARVEY(beaming)

See that? All stories by yours

truly.

A WWII VET PATIENT with a portable IV cranes to get aglimpse.

WW II VET PATIENTHot off the presses, huh? We got aregular Hemingway here.

HARVEYNo way, Jack, I dont go in forthat macho crap.

DOCTOR #3 chimes in.

DOCTOR #3I didnt know you could draw,Pekar.

HARVEYNah! I dont draw. I just writethe stories. A buddy of mine andsome of his friends do the artwork.

TOBY, the supernerd from the bus stop, grabs the comic bookoff the table and peruses it.

TOBYHarvey, am I in here? You promisedI would be in here.


31/100

30.

HARVEYYeah! Yeah! Youre in there,alright? Jeez, Toby.

SUDDENLY, MR. BOATS -- Harveys philosophical co-worker --pushes his way thorough the crowd. He snatches the comic out

of Tobys hand.

MR. BOATSLet me see this.

TOBYMr. Boats, its not polite to grabthings. Next time--

MR. BOATSSon, you done good. Ya know, I wasup in Toronto a few weeks back anI saw the Red Chinese Ballet...

As Mr. Boats talks, the crowd starts to disperse.

MR. BOATS (contd)Now that was beautiful. The waythose people were dancing together.Those Chinese work hard. I tellya, they work hard -- Where iseverybody goin?

Mr. Boats hands the comic book back to Harvey and turns onhis heels. Through the window he notices TWO VETS IN

WHEELCHAIRS moving down the hall.

MR. BOATS (contd)Where these sickly men rushin offto? They aint goin nowhere fornow. Maybe not for a long time.But damn if they aint in a rush toget there.

Harvey stands there, his moment of glory passed. But itsokay. He flips through his comic and smiles.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET CORNER - ASSOC. OF POLISH WOMEN - 1975 - DAY

A motley group of GUYS hang out on a street corner in frontof the Association of Polish Women. HARVEY heads towardsthem.


32/100

31.

MARTYHey look guys, here comes CaptainAmerica.

Harvey rolls his eyes.

PAHLS(yelling out)

You gonna hang with the boys nowthat yer a comic book star?

Harvey turns red. Hes embarrassed but part of him loves theattention.

HARVEYCut it out. Man, I aint nothinyet compared to Bob Crumb.

GUY #3

Ah, listen to him. One lousy comicbook and he wants to be Crumb.

The GUYS laugh.

ANGLE ON SILENT GUY

A SILENT GUY crouches by the wall, reading his CLEVELANDBROWNS trading cards.

PAHLSHey Harvey, if ya wanna make comics

for adults, ya oughtta put somedirty stuff in it.

GUY #3Yeah, you can write about Martyssex life.

Harvey hangs with the guys but he doesnt engage. He seemsto be observing them more than interacting with them.

GUY #3 (contd)Right Marty? I heard ya went outwith Bonnie yesterday.

PAHLSYeah. Howdja do? Wudja git offaher?

MARTYAh, lousy. Alls I got wuz arm-around.


33/100

32.

The guys all stare at him for a moment. Then they crack up.

CUT TO:



CLOSE UP:

A COPY OF AMERICAN SPLENDOR #2: A FULL-COLOR CARTOON VERSIONOF THE ABOVE SCENE GRACES THE COVER.

A MARTY LOOK-ALIKE is bombarded with questions about his datewith Bonnie. He complains that all he got was arm-around.

The REAL HARVEY holds the above comic book in his hand. Thestage is set with a few items that indicate a comic book

store. HARVEY talks about a couple of American Splendorissues and how they impacted his life -- recognition as awriter, etc. He gives his philosophy about the comic book,etc.

A MONTAGE OF AMERICAN SPLENDOR COVERS (ISSUE #3, #4, #5, #6,ETC.) THEY INDICATE A PASSAGE OF TIME ...

CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS CUBICLE - V.A. HOSPITAL - 1980S - DAY

HARVEY sits alone in his cubicle. He doodles stick figureson a pad -- some ideas for a new comic. His posturesmiserable. He rubs his temples like hes in anguish.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Heres our man eight comics later,a brand new decade, same oldbullshit. Yeah sure, he gets lotsof recognition for his writin now.Sure his comics are praised by allthe important media types tellinpeople what to think. But so what?

Its not like he makes a livin atit like Bob Crumb. He cant go anquit his day job or nothin.

JUMP CUT SEQUENCE

Several shots of Harvey just thinking, scratching his facewith a pencil, tapping his foot nervously.


34/100

33.

Each shot is separated by a second or two of black (an homageto Harveys wordless panels). Finally, he goes back towriting.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.) (contd)Who am I kiddin. Truth is Id belost without my work routine.

FLASH CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS BEDROOM - 1980S - NIGHT

Alone in bed, Harvey wakes up in a cold sweat from anightmare. He looks horrified, short of breath.

HARVEY(calming himself down)

I got a job ... I got a job ...

BACK TO:

INT. HARVEYS CUBICLE - V.A. HOSPITAL - 1980S - DAY

HARVEY scratches his head.

CLOSE UP ON HIS DOODLING

Harvey writes I got a job in a balloon over the stickfigures head.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)So -- to stave off desperation andfeelings of uselessness -- Iresigned myself to a menialexistence. But hey, maybe the guywhos had a happy life feels worsejust before he dies than th guywho had a sad one. Or, maybe not.I dunno. Maybe I just needed awoman.

Toby comes in, decked out in plaid and stripes. He has anempty messenger bag.

TOBYHi, Harvey. Do you want thesegourmet jelly beans? I gave upsweets for lent.

Harvey turns around. He seems down, depressed.


35/100

34.

HARVEYHuh? Sure, Ill take em.

Toby watches Harvey eat a few.

HARVEY (contd)

Hey, watermelon. Thats prettygood.

TOBYI recommend the pia coladas. Theyare excellent and very authentictasting.

Toby heads down a file row and proceeds to take a few off theshelves, stuffing his bag. Harvey gets up and comes afterhim.

HARVEY

Hey Toby, can you eat lentilsduring lent?

TOBYSure. I dont see why not. Youcant eat meat on certain days, butlentils should be acceptableanytime.

HARVEYYa think theres any connectionbetween lentils and lent?

TOBYI dont think so but Ill askSister Mary Fred at church onSunday.

HARVEYSister Mary Fred, huh? Is shecute? Sounds kinda mannish but whoam I to be picky.

TOBYHarvey, youre funny. Shes a nun.

HARVEYSo what? Maybe she became a nunbecause she couldnt get a guy.

TOBYHarvey, she became a nun becauseshe had a higher calling.


36/100

35.

HARVEYHigher calling. That is such acrock of shit. I dont know whyyou waste your time prayin anyway.

TOBY

Well, Harvey, I like the ritual.And Im a very spiritual person.You know, you should try believingin something bigger than yourself.It might cheer you up.

Toby turns on his heels and walks off.

HARVEY(calling after him)

What? Do I seem depressed, Toby?

Toby doesnt respond.

Harvey shrugs and digs deep into the jelly bean bag. Hepulls out a fistful.

CLOSE ON HARVEYS HAND

Jellybeans in every imaginable color. Harvey fingers a fewand then picks a blue one.

BOB THE DIRECTOR (V.O.)Cut!

CUT TO:

INT. V.A. HOSPITAL SET - PRESENT - DAY


A few items from the previous scene are present on the soundstage indicating that its a set of AMERICAN SPLENDOR -- TheMovie.

THE ACTOR HARVEY stands alone, his hand filled with Jellybeans.

BOB THE DIRECTOROkay, that was great. The bakeryscene is next ...

ACTOR HARVEY steps out of the frame, revealing a craftservice table behind him. At the table, the REAL HARVEY andthe REAL TOBY load up on donuts. The two discuss the food onthe set.


37/100

36.

Ironically, the Real Toby is actually more extreme than theActor who plays him -- even more robotic, and completelyincapable of eye-contact.

The REAL TOBY discusses the finer points of nerdom andevaluates the Actors nerd quotient. The Real Harveyexplains to Actor Toby that nothing -- not even gourmet jelly

beans -- would have cheered him up at that point in his life.He was too lonely and depressed.


CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS BEDROOM - 1980S - MORNING

Light pours through the curtained window.

Naked and disheveled, HARVEY tosses and turns in bed.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)My loneliness was unbearable, man.Weekends were the worst. Sometimesin my sleep, Id feel a body nextto me like an amputee feels aphantom limb.

EXT. PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE -- DAY

Extreme wide shot: a city-street overpass spans across the

entire frame. The lone figure of Harvey sulks there in themiddle, watching traffic pass below.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Sure my comics were bringin menotoriety, but my personal life wasin shambles. I thought a littleattention would make me feelbetter. It only made me feelworse.

CUT TO:

EXT. BAKERY SIDE STREET - SPRING - 1980S - MORNING

It is a beautiful, sunny day. The trees are in bloom.Theres the first scent of spring in the air. Kids play inthe street. Music pours out of passing cars. Everyone seemsto have a smile on his or her face except HARVEY. He walkson the shadowy side of the street.


38/100

37.

EXT. BAKERY STREET - SPRING

Establishing shot of HARVEY trudging into the bakery.

INT. BAKERY - SPRING - 1980S - MORNING

A couple of WOMEN order bread and cookies from TWO COUNTERGIRLS.

HARVEY surveys the donuts.

COUNTER GIRL #1(yelling to Harvey)

Next!

HARVEY(to the Counter Girl)

Yeah! Ill have two crullers, ajelly donut with powdered sugar...And you got any day old bread?

A woman with attractive Irish looks brushes past Harvey onher way to the door. This is ALICE QUINN, roughly Harveysage but there is a tired, weary look in her eyes.

ALICEHey, youre Harvey Pekar.

Half in a daze, Harvey stares at the chick.

HARVEYYeah...

ALICEAlice Quinn. From school.

Harvey studies her face. Suddenly, it clicks.

HARVEYOh yeah. College. We had a couplelit classes together.

Harvey pays and receives his items. They step back towardsthe door.

ALICEWhat happened to you? You justdisappeared after one semester.

Harvey scratches his armpit.


39/100

38.

HARVEYI know, man. I got good grades andall but there was this requiredmath class. I cant do math, anthat required class hangin over myhead made me crazy. Eventually the

pressure got to be too much.

ALICEWell, youre doing okay anyway. Iheard all about your jazz reviewsand your comics.

This perks Harvey up.

HARVEYYa did?

ALICE

Sure, youre famous. Meanwhile Igot my degree but Im just a plainold wife and mother.

Harvey stares at her wedding ring. His face drops.

HARVEYYeah. Im not doing as great as yathink. My second wife divorced meand I work at a dead end job as afile clerk. Sometimes I hang outwith the guys on the corner but

most of the time I just stay homeby myself and read.

Alice laughs.

ALICEYoure luckier than you think. Myhusband and kids make it impossiblefor me to cuddle up with a goodbook.

CUT TO:

EXT. BAKERY - SPRING - 1980S - DAY

HARVEY and ALICE continue their conversation as they strolltowards her car.

HARVEYIm reading this book by Dreisernow -- JENNIE GERHARDT.


40/100

39.

ALICEThats one of my favorites.

HARVEYI hope it dont end like so many athose naturalist novels... With

someone getting crushed ta earth byforces he cant control.

Alice smiles.

ALICEI think youll be pleasantlysurprised. Its certainly not aHollywood happy ending, but itspretty truthful. Which is rarethese days ...

This hits home with Harvey. He cant believe hes made such

a connection with this woman.

Alice stops in front of a beat-up station wagon.

ALICE (contd)This is me.

HARVEYNice car. I dont have one yet.

ALICECan I give ya a lift somewhere?

HARVEYNah. Its a nice day. Ill justwalk.

Harvey looks down, a little sad.

ALICEWell, we should have you oversometime for dinner.

HARVEYSure, Id be glad tcome. But if

you really wanna do me a favor,introduce me to some a your singlegirlfriends. I bet theyre allsmart like you. Im no catch,though, so Ill take anything youcan get me.

Alice pecks Harvey on the cheek.


41/100

40.

ALICEIll work on it.

She gets into the car.

ALICE (contd)

Nice seeing ya Harvey.

Harvey watches as she drives off.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)When I got home, I finished readingJENNIE GERHARDT. It was real good,way better than I expected. ThatAlice wuz right.

INT. HARVEYS LIVING ROOM - SPRING - 1980S - NIGHT

The room is moody, dark and lonely. The shadowy figure ofHarvey sits on the floor devouring JENNIE GERHARDT.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Sure Lester -- the main character --croaks in the end, but at leasthes old and dies a naturaldignified death.

THE CAMERA TRAVELS AROUND THE ROOM TO FIND: Harvey again,now silhouetted in the door frame, still clutching the bookand obsessed by his thoughts.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.) (contd)I was more alone that weekend thanany. All I did was think aboutJENNIE GERHARDT an Alice Quinn anall the decades of people I haveknown.

THE CAMERA TRAVELS AGAIN TO FIND Harvey sitting on a chair inthe corner of his room. His head is bowed. His shouldersslump over, as if hes struggling with something weighty.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.) (contd)

The more I thought, the more I feltlike cryin; Life seemed so sweetan so sad an so hard tlet go ofin the end.

THE CAMERA TRAVELS A FINAL TIME TO FIND: Harvey sprawledacross his couch. But hes not asleep; hes stillobsessing. The book lies on his chest like a lover.


42/100

41.

Close up of Harveys troubled face. Beneath the pain, we seehope and determination.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.) (contd)But hey, man. Every days a brandnew deal, right? Just keep on

workin and sumpns bound ta turnup.

CUT TO:

EXT. COSMIC COMICS STORE - DELAWARE - 1980S - DAY

An urban comic book shop on a dicey but bohemian street. Atitle over picture reads, MEANWHILE, IN DELAWARE.

INT. COSMIC COMICS STORE - 1980S - DAY

JOYCE BRABNER, a depressive nudge with a perpetually pepticexpression frantically searches the store for something. Herpartner, a granola type named RAND, finishes unloading astack on the shelf.

JOYCEWhat happened to the new AmericanSplendor?

RANDWe sold em, babe.

JOYCEAll of them?

RANDYep.

JOYCE(accusatory)

Damn it! I put one aside formyself, next to the register. Ididnt even get a chance to readit.

RANDWhoa, sorry, Joyce. I didnt knowyou were such a Splendor fan. Nexttime take it home.

Joyce leans against the counter. She pushes up her glassesand looks really upset.


43/100

42.

JOYCEMaybe Ill call the publisher. Butthey take so damn long. Shit! Whydoes everything in my life have tobe such a complicated disaster ...

Joyce starts slamming things around the store. Finally Randgrabs his stuff.

RANDOkay, Im gonna hustle before thevibe in here gets any worse.

Rand leaves. Joyce barely notices, still brewing.

CUT TO:

INT. JOYCES BEDROOM - 1980S - NIGHT

The mess in this room rivals Harveys. A few cats add to theclutter. Joyce lies on her disheveled bed and writes aletter.

JOYCE (V.O.)Dear Mr. Pekar,Greetings from the second smalleststate in the union, an endlessplastics and nylon plantationcontrolled by giant chemicalcorporations.

CUT TO:

EXT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - VESTIBULE - 1980S - DAY

HARVEY takes his mail out of the box. He finds an oddlydecorated envelope.

JOYCE (V.O.)To make matters more dismal, thereare no decent comic book stores inmy town, which is why my partner

and I opened one ourselves.

INT. HARVEYS BATHROOM - 1980S - DAY

HARVEY finishes reading the letter sitting on the toilet. Acat runs around him.


44/100

43.

JOYCE (V.O.)Despite our steadily falteringbusiness, my partner managed tosell the last copy of AmericanSplendor #8 out from under me. Ima big fan and I hate to wait for a

new order. Is there any way I canget it from you direct? Sincerely,Joyce Brabner.

Harvey scratches his head. He mutters to himself.

HARVEY... man, shes got good lookinhandwritin ...

INT. HARVEYS BEDROOM - 1980S - NIGHT

BEGIN MONTAGE -- HARVEY AND JOYCE COMMUNICATING

We see Harvey in his bed writing.

HARVEYDear Joyce,Thanks for the letter. Whattya dobesides sellin comics?

THE SCREEN SPLITS TO ACCOMMODATE:

INT. DELAWARE PRISON CLASSROOM - 1980S - DAY

We see Joyce standing in front of a GROUP OF PRISONERS.

JOYCE (V.O.)Im a sometime activist and I teachwriting to prisoners. I try tohelp them build an interior lifeand make art out of theirmonotonous, suffocating routine.

THE SCREEN GIVES WAY TO ANOTHER FRAME

INT. BUS - 1980S - DAY

HARVEY scribbles a letter while riding on the bus.

HARVEY (V.O.)Sounds familiar. So you married orwhat?


45/100

44.

INT. JOYCES APARTMENT - 1980S - DAY

Joyce empties her can of cat food in a plate and slides ittowards her kitty.

JOYCE (V.O.)Im divorced, thank god.

INT. HARVEYS BEDROOM - 1980S - EVENING

Now we see Harvey (full screen) in bed in his underweartalking on the PHONE. Hes clipping his toe nails.

HARVEYLook, I think you an I got a lotin common. How am I gonna get youto come visit me in Cleveland?

JOYCE (V.O.)Cleveland? You think thats a goodidea?

HARVEYIts a great idea. You should meetme, cause Im a great guy.Despite the way my comics read, Igot a lot of redeemingcharacteristics.

CLIP! He clips off a big one.

THE SCREEN SPLITS TO REVEAL

INT. JOYCES APARTMENT - 1980S - NIGHT

Joyce sits on her equally disheveled bed dunking a tea bag.Her hair is wet from a shower.

JOYCEI dont know. Where would I stay?

HARVEY (V.O.)With me. Dont worry, Im notgonna put no moves on you oranything.

JOYCEIm not worried about that ...

(fumbling with a tea cup)


46/100

45.JOYCE(cont'd)

Hold on, I just spilled chamomiletea all over my bathrobe.

HARVEY (V.O.)So what are ya worried about then?

Joyce sighs and lies down. A variety of AMERICAN SPLENDORS

are across her bed. Different interpretations of Harveystare up at her.

JOYCE(sipping)

Well, the way all those differentartists draw you, I dont quiteknow what to expect. I meansometimes you look like a youngerBrando, but then the way Crumbdraws you -- like a hairy ape withall those stinky, wavy linesradiating off your body -- its

kind of scary.

HARVEY (V.O.)Those are motion lines. Im anactive guy. Anyway, just come outhere an Ill try to be anyone youwant me ta be.

Joyce smiles for the first time.

JOYCEThats a dangerous offer. Im a

notorious reformer ...

CUT TO:

INT. AIRPORT - ARRIVALS GATE - 1980S - DAY

A nervous JOYCE walks off the plane into the arrivals area.She scans the crowd of friends, family, lovers and limodrivers waiting to meet the disembarking passengers. Whereis Harvey? What will he look like?

As Joyce surveys the unfamiliar faces, she imagines different

versions of an animated, illustrated Harvey among the people.

She double-takes as sees the R. CRUMB HARVEY -- hairy, scary,smelly and picking his nose. Joyce rubs her eyes.

Next she sees the BRANDO HARVEY (Gary Dumm), butunfortunately he disappears fast.


47/100

46.

Disappointed, Joyce notices the realistic DREW FRIEDMANHARVEY walking towards her. She smiles as he dissolves into:

HARVEY (O.S.)Hey. Are you Joyce?

Joyce turns around. The flesh and blood HARVEY PEKAR standsbefore her -- not quite as bad as the Crumb version, notquite as good as the Dumm version, but still acceptable. Shesighs with relief.

JOYCEHi, Harvey. We finally meet inperson.

She politely offers her hand. Harvey shakes it, but he looksoverwhelmed, worried and pessimistic.

HARVEY

Hiya. Look, before we get startedwith any of this, ya might as wellknow right off the bat. I had avasectomy.

Joyce lets go of his hand. She stares at him in disbelief.

CUT TO:

INT. TGIF STYLE RESTAURANT - 1980S - NIGHT

The most awkward date in history. Seated in an ultra-yuppierestaurant filled with business lunchers, Harvey and Joycehide behind their menus. While everyone else looks slick andsuccessful, these two compete for the worlds worst posture.

HARVEYWhats wrong?

JOYCENothing.

HARVEYSomethins wrong. Yer lookin

around everywhere.

JOYCEI guess I never imagined you eatingin a place like this.


48/100

47.

HARVEYMe? I never been here. I thoughtyoud like it. But obviously yadont, do ya?

JOYCE

Its fine. What difference does itmake?

Harvey shakes his head, feeling more pessimistic.

HARVEYI dunno. None, I guess.

(beat)They sure got a lot of meat on thismenu.

JOYCEYoure a vegetarian?

HARVEYKinda. I mean ever since I got apet cat, I couldnt eat animalsanymore.

Joyce grabs a bread stick.

JOYCEHmm. I support and identify withgroups like PETA, but unfortunatelyIm a self-diagnosed anemic. Also,

I have all these food allergies tovegetables that give me seriousintestinal distress. I guess Ihave a lot of borderline healthdisorders that limit me politicallywhen it comes to eating.

Harvey just stares at her.

HARVEYWow. Yer a sick woman, huh?

JOYCE

Not yet. But I expect to be.Everyone in my familys got somekind of degenerative illness.

A cheery waitress bounces over.

WAITRESS(sing song)

Good afternoon!


49/100

48.WAITRESS(cont'd)

Im your server Cindy! What can Ibring you two today?

They slowly look up at her.

CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - 1980S - NIGHT

JOYCE and HARVEY enter the apartment. The place is a mess,as usual.

HARVEYLook, I was gonna clean up, but whyshould I give you any falsenotions? The truth is I got aserious problem with cleanliness.I could wash a dish ten times anditd still dirty. They even kicked

me outta the Army cause I couldntlearn ta make a bed.

Joyce puts down her bag.

JOYCEIve seen worse.

She slumps down on the sofa as if shes been here a milliontimes. She rubs her head. Harvey sits next to her.

JOYCE (contd)

Harvey, go get me water and a fewaspirin.

Harvey just bounces back up and obeys.

HARVEYWhat, ya got a headache?

JOYCENo, but I want to avoid one.

Harvey empties the aspirin bottle in his palm. For somereason, hes feeling more comfortable.

HARVEYWell lemme tell ya Joyce, it sureis nice ta have company. I mean,despite all your problems, you seemlike a great person. An hey,sorry if my dating skills are kindarusty, but Ive just been throughhell and back with women.


50/100

49.HARVEY(cont'd)

I mean that last one turned out tobe a real nasty bitch.

Harvey arrives back with the aspirin. He hands it to Joyce.

JOYCEI had a nice time with you, too.

Joyce swallows the pill. Harvey sits down next to her.

HARVEYYeah? You had a nice time?

JOYCEDont make people repeatthemselves. Its annoying.

HARVEYOh, sorry.

Theyre inches away from each other.

JOYCECmere ...

She pulls him close. Harvey plants a kiss on her.

They slowly separate. Joyces eyes are closed. She likeshim. He kisses her again. They start making out, moaning abit.

But before it gets heavy--

JOYCE (contd)Harvey?

HARVEYYeah?

Joyce opens her eyes. She looks uneasy.

JOYCEWhich doors the bathroom?

INT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - BATHROOM DOOR - 1980S - DAY

Harvey stands by the bathroom door, despondent. From insidewe hear the sounds of moaning and flushing.


51/100

50.

HARVEYHey, Joyce! Whats wrong? What isit?

CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS BATHROOM - DAY

FLUSH! Joyce is doubled over on the toilet. Shes lookinggreen.

JOYCEUgh! I dont know. I think thatyuppie food did me in.

BACK TO:

INT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - BATHROOM DOOR - DAY

OUTSIDE THE DOOR

HARVEYI feel terrible. Lemme at least dosomething for you.

BACK TO:

INT. HARVEYS BATHROOM - DAY

Joyce gets to her feet and puts her glasses back on. Shepicks up a can and sprays air freshener around the room.Then she looks at the can and realizes its WD-40.

HARVEYCan I make ya something? How aboutsome chamomile tea?

Joyce puts the can down.

JOYCEChamomile tea? What the hells a

guy like you doing with that? Ithought you drink soda pop forbreakfast.

HARVEY (O.S.)I dunno. I noticed you drank a lotof it when we started talkin onthe phone. So I stocked up onherbal teas for your visit.


52/100

51.

Joyce turns her head to the door. Shes truly surprised bywhat Harveys just said. And very moved. She smiles toherself.

BACK TO:

INT. HARVEYS APARTMENT - BATHROOM DOOR - DAY

Harvey stands there waiting.

HARVEYThe girl at the Food Co-op pickedme out all kinds of herbal stuff.One of ems good for stomachaches.Grandma Bears Tummy Mint, I think.Are you still there?

Joyce slowly opens the door. She leans against the door

frame like shes just been through a war.

She takes off her glasses and cleans them off with her shirt.

JOYCEHarvey, we better skip this wholecourtship thing and just getmarried.

CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS BEDROOM - 1980S - DAY

Harvey and Joyce are in bed, lying in each others arms.They look quite contented.

HARVEYMan, am I glad I talked you intocomin up here. Any more timealone and I mighta lost it fergood.

JOYCEMe too.

HARVEYSo you dont have any problems withmovin to Cleveland?

JOYCENot really. I find most Americancities depressing in the same way.


53/100

52.

HARVEYAn yer okay with the vasectomything?

She shrugs.

EXT. PARKING LOT - V.A. HOSPITAL - 1980S - DAY

HARVEY approaches the building. Instead of dragging his feetlike usual, he seems to be floating on a cloud. We haventseen Harvey this happy since... well, since never.

He stops by a junker car and peeks in the window, findingTOBY eating lunch alone. He has an entire White Castlesmorgasbord spread across the front seat.

Harvey knocks on the window. Toby rolls it down.

HARVEYAy Toby.

TOBY(mouth full)

No you cant have any of my WhiteCastle hamburgers so please donteven ask.

HARVEYCan I have a fry?

Harvey reaches for a handful of Tobys fries.

TOBYOkay, but just a couple, Harvey.Im not going to eat dinner untilvery late and this has got to holdme over.

Harvey leans in, always amused by Toby. He steals anotherfry.

HARVEY(munching)

Whattya got, a church function?

TOBYNo, Im driving to Toledo to see amovie. Would you like to come?

HARVEYNah. I gotta fly to Delawaretonight. Im gettin married.


54/100

53.

TOBYOh. Why Delaware?

HARVEYThe chick Im marryin is fromWilmington. Plus, I gotta help her

move her stuff here.(a beat)

Why you drivin ta Toledo to see amovie?

TOBYIts not playing at the Mapletown.

(a beat)I didnt know you had a girlfriend,Harvey.

HARVEYYeah. We met last week.

Harvey opens the car door and slides in with Toby.

HARVEY (contd)Toby, what movie could possibly beworth drivin 260 miles round tripfor?

TOBYIts a new film called Revenge ofthe Nerds. Its about a group ofnerd college students who are being

picked on all the time by thejocks, so they decide to takerevenge. I already saw it once.

HARVEYWow, ya really dig this movie.

TOBYI like it a lot, Harvey.

HARVEYWhat are these nerds like? Howwould you describe them?

TOBYHmm... Nerds are smart but theylook and act differently than otherpeople. Like nerds might wearpolyester button-down shirts andflood pants where their ankles andtheir socks are showing.


55/100

54.

Toby spills some catsup on his polyester button-down shirt.He stands up to get a napkin, revealing his flood pants.

HARVEYSo what yer sayin is you identifywith those nerds?

TOBY(rubbing out the catsup)

Yes, I consider myself a nerd. Andthis movie has uplifted me.Theres this one scene where a nerdgrabs the microphone during a peprally and announces that he is anerd and that he is proud of it andstands up for the rights of othernerds. Then, he asks the kids atthe pep rally who think they arenerds to come forward ... So nearly

everyone in the place does. Thatsthe way the movie ends.

HARVEYSo the nerds won, huh?

TOBY(smiling)

Yes.

Harvey grabs the rest of Tobys fries and opens the door toleave.

HARVEYWow. You got this movie an Imgettin hitched. We both had agood month, huh?

TOBY(finishing his lastburger)

Right. Harvey, how long are yougoing to be in Delaware because Idreally like to see this movie withyou?

HARVEYIm only goin for a week but thenIll have a wife, so Ill have totake her along. Is it a girlflick?


56/100

55.

TOBYDepends on the girl. What kind ofgirl is your new bride? Is she anerd?

HARVEY

I dont know, man. Maybe. Shesinto herbal teas.

Toby watches Harvey saunter off. He returns to his lasthamburger.

CUT TO:

EXT. MOVIE THEATER - 1980S - NIGHT

A brightly lit marquee reads, REVENGE OF THE NERDS.

The doors to the theater open and a crowd pours onto thestreet.

HARVEY, JOYCE and TOBY are among them. Toby proudly wears aGenuine Nerd button on his striped shirt.

JOYCEI agree with Toby. I think its astory of hope and tolerance.

TOBYYes. Its about time that the

people who get picked on get to bethe heroes.

Harvey scrunches his face in disbelief.

HARVEYIts an entertaining flick an Ican see why you like it Toby, butthose people on the screen ainteven supposed to be you! Theyrecollege students whose parents livein big houses in the suburbs.Theyre gonna get degrees, get good

jobs and stop being nerds.

Joyce hits Harvey.

JOYCEHarvey, what did I say about loudtalking? Use your inside voice.


57/100

56.

HARVEY(whispering loudly)

Look Toby, the guys in that movieare not 28-year-old file clerks wholive with their grandmothers in anethnic ghetto.

JOYCEThats enough, Harvey.

HARVEYThey didnt get their computerslike you did -- by trading in abunch of box tops and $49.50 at thesupermarket.

Joyce folds her arms in disapproval. Toby starts to laugh.

TOBY

Youre funny Harvey.

Harvey looks at him, disappointed. He shakes his head.

HARVEYSure, Toby. Go to the movies anddaydream, but Revenge of theNerds aint reality. Its justHollywood bullshit.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOBYS CAR -- A FEW MOMENTS LATER

ANGLE ON TOBYS CAR (through windshield)

Toby and Joyce continue to analyze the movie in the frontseat as Toby starts the ignition.

CUT TO:

INT. TOBYS CAR

ANGLE ON HARVEY IN BACK SEAT

Slouched, grumpy and alone on the back seat, Harveys stillannoyed by the movie.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Okay, maybe I was bein so harsh onToby onna count a my own problems.


58/100

57.REAL HARVEY(cont'd)

Ysee, I wasnt even married amonth and my old lady was alreadyshowin signs a trouble. Granted,I tend ta get married fast causeIll take any woman thatll haveme, but this time I really met mymatch ...

CUT TO:

INT. REHEARSAL STUDIO - PRESENT - DAY


A few items indicating film production are in the frame.

At a table in the foreground, BOB THE DIRECTOR discusses thecharacter of Joyce with the ACTRESS playing her. The actressjust nods as the director goes on.

We can see THE REAL JOYCE sitting with THE REAL HARVEY in thedistance.

DIRECTOROkay, I think the thing with Joyceis that as manic as Harvey can be,she matches him with depression.In that way they complete eachother. I mean, shes obviously avery smart woman, but she has a lotof trouble functioning in a world

she cant control. And shestotally obsessed with all thingsnegative; yknow, diseases,dysfuctions, etc.

THE REAL JOYCE and REAL HARVEY listen curiously -- sometimespleased, sometimes displeased -- as their personalities aredissected and boiled down to a few phrases.

CLOSER SHOT OF REAL JOYCE AND HARVEY

The REAL JOYCE puts in her two cents about the actressplaying her. She rants about what its like to be portrayed

in a movie, and having a character arc imposed on her life.

She moves into talking about her relationship with Harvey,and the first years of their marriage -- how impossible itwas to live with him.

The REAL HARVEY just rolls his eyes.


59/100

58.


CUT TO:

INT. HARVEYS LIVING ROOM - 1980S - DAY

JOYCE is on a cleaning rampage. She rummages through pilesupon piles of records while HARVEY paces nervously.

JOYCEWhat about these 78s, Harvey?Cant you sell them to one of thosecollectors?

HARVEYAre ya kidding? No way, man. Iaint getting rid of my 78s.

Joyce throws down the records in frustration. Harvey runsover to check if theyre scratched.

JOYCE(angry)

Forget it then. I give up! Howcan I make more storage space, ifyou wont get rid of anything?

HARVEYIll get rid of stuff. Just not mygood stuff.

JOYCEEverythings your good stuff. Howam I supposed to live here, iftheres no room for me?

HARVEYAw come on, baby. Ill make roomfor ya. You just have to give metime. Im not so good at thesekind of things.

JOYCE

Thats because youre obsessivecompulsive Harvey.

A DOOR BUZZER rings. Harvey slams it to unlock the front.

HARVEYCmon. I dont wanna hear thatpsychobabble crap!


60/100

59.

JOYCEI dont care if you wanna hear itor not. Youre the poster childfor the DSM III. Ill have youknow that I come from a verydysfunctional family. I can spot

personality disorders a mileaway...

A KNOCK ON THE DOOR interrupts their argument.

Joyce storms away to answer it.

ANGLE ON THE DOOR:

Joyce opens it to face a smiling TOBY -- dressed as usual ina loud polyester fashion dont. He talks in his strangerobotic voice and avoids all eye contact.

TOBYHello Joyce. Is Harvey home?

Joyce turns to Harvey and points to Toby.

JOYCEBorderline autistic!

This scene shrinks into a square up in the corner. The nextfew scenes (NEUROSIS MONTAGE) further divide up the fullscreen like a comic book.

INT. CLEVELAND COMIC BOOK STORE - 1980S - DAY

R. CRUMB leaps from behind an autograph table (where hessigning comics) to hop on the back of ZAFTIG BABE, who offershim a piggy-back ride.

Joyce turns to Harvey.

JOYCEPolymorphously Perverse.

CUT TO:

EXT. PARKING LOT - V.A. HOSPITAL - 1980S - DAY

JOYCE picks up Harvey from work. HARVEY enters the car,waving goodbye to the ranting MR. BOATS.

She points to Mr. Boats.


61/100

60.

JOYCEParanoid Personality Disorder.


THE TELEPHONE RINGS. A disheveled, tired-looking JOYCE flipsthrough a novel and lets the machine pick up.

ANSWERING MACHINEPlease leave a message. (Beep)

HARVEY(into phone)

Hey Joyce, its me. Youre notgonna believe this but some LAproducer called an he wants to doa play about my life. Call me!(Click)

Joyce flips the page.

JOYCE(to herself)

Delusions of grandeur.

END NEUROSIS MONTAGE (return to full screen)

CUT TO:

INT. THEATER - 1980S - EVENING

HARVEY and JOYCE sit in a packed theater watching a play.Joyce looks exhausted.

ANGLE ON STAGE

A STAGE ACTOR HARVEY and a STAGE ACTOR JOYCE share a couch onthe sparse stage.

STAGE ACTOR HARVEYSee, I think comics can be an artform. With pictures an words, a

guy can do pretty much anything!

STAGE ACTOR JOYCEThats true, Harvey. But I didntcome all the way from Delaware totalk about comics ...

The Stage Actor Joyce lunges over and plants a kiss on him.


62/100

61.

ANGLE ON HARVEY AND JOYCE IN AUDIENCE

Harvey digs it but Joyce looks disgusted.

BACK TO STAGE

We now see STAGE ACTOR HARVEY clutching a tea cup, as STAGEACTOR JOYCE kneels before a toilet bowl. Off to the side ofthe stage, A SPOT LIGHT illuminates a GUITAR PLAYER, who addsmusic to the scene.

CUT TO:

INT. AIRPORT - 1980S - DAY

HARVEY and JOYCE walk through the terminal. Harvey brimswith energy but Joyce looks exhausted.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)If ya think readin comics aboutyer life seems strange, trywatchin a play about it. God onlyknows how Ill feel when I see thismovie. But truth be told, the playwasnt half bad, and we got a freetrip outta it. Things were goinpretty good for a change. VARIETYcalled me The Blue Collar MarkTwain, and Doubleday wasinterested in publishing an

anthology of American Splendor.

CUT TO:

INT. AIRPORT - BAGGAGE CLAIM - 1980S - DAY

Harvey nervously taps his foot as he waits for the bags.Joyce leans against the carousel staring at a YOUNG MOTHERwith a BABY in a Bjorn.

HARVEYI hate checkin bags, man. It

always takes forever.

He checks his watch. Joyce remains quiet and distant.

HARVEY (contd)Jesus, look at the time. The busis gonna leave soon and there wontbe another one for an hour.


63/100

62.HARVEY(cont'd)

That means I gotta shell out anextra thirty bucks for a cab.

Harvey spots a bag that he thinks is his.

HARVEY (contd)Hey wait, theres our --

(a well-dressed man grabsit)

Figures. That lucky Yuppies gonnaget on the bus in time.

Suddenly, Joyce mumbles something to Harvey.

JOYCEYknow Harvey, vasectomies arereversible.

HARVEY(ignoring her)

Damn Yuppies get everything.

JOYCE(raising her voice)

Are you listening to me? I saidvasectomies are reversible.

Heads turn.

HARVEYWhat? Whattya talkin about? Idont want kids. An I came clean

about my vasectomy the first time Iset eyes on ya, right here in thisairport.

More heads turn.

JOYCEI know but things have changed. Ithink we can be a family.

HARVEYFamily?! What kinda family couldwe possibly be? I aint no good

with kids. I can barely take careof myself.

JOYCEIll take care of the kid and you.


64/100

63.

HARVEY(dead serious)

No way Joyce. Forget it. I cantdo it; I cant have no kids.

Joyce folds her arms... dejected, defeated. The audience of

eavesdroppers looks disappointed as well.

CUT TO:


If the place was a disaster before, believe it or not, itsgotten worse. JOYCE seems to have given up on herorganizing... and everything else for that matter.

HARVEY hysterically searches through the mess for a recordalbum. Joyce just lies listlessly on an open futon on the

middle of the room; it looks as if she hasnt been up indays.

HARVEYWhere the hell is that OrnetteColeman album, Joyce? I got areview due tomorrow.

Joyce rolls over.

JOYCEI didnt touch it, Harvey. Would

you let me sleep?

HARVEYBut its one oclock! How late cana person sleep?

Joyce sits up. This time she means business.

JOYCEIt happens to be Saturday youselfish sonofabitch! And dont yougo telling me what to do. Im theone who moved into your city, into

your home, into your vasectomy andinto your screwed-up life. Theleast you could do is allow me tolive here my way.

She rolls over and covers her head with the pillow. Harveyjust stands there staring at her.

CUT TO:


65/100

64.

INT. SUPERMARKET - 1980S - DAY

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)I tried everything but nothincould get this woman outta bed.

HARVEY peruses the aisles. He pulls box upon box of herbaltea off the shelves.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.) (contd)I mean she wouldnt get a job,wouldnt go out, wouldnt makefriends, nothin.

CUT TO:


HARVEY throws boxes of herbal teas at JOYCE as she sprawlslistlessly on the futon. She just yawns and turns over onher side.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Joyce diagnosed herself asclinically depressed. I dontknow what the hell she was gointhrough but it was sure takin itstoll on me.

A frustrated Harvey tries once more to cheer her up.

HARVEY(upbeat)

We can go out for dinner tonight.How bout catching a bite atTommys?

JOYCE(mumbling)

Im not hungry.

Harvey throws his hands in the air and walks off.

HARVEYI give up.

As he passes the answering machine, he notices its blinking.

HARVEY (contd)Hey Joyce, we got a message here.Why didnt you pick up.


66/100

65.

Joyce doesnt respond.

HARVEY (contd)Useless.

He presses the play button.

ANGLE ON ANSWERING MACHINE: A loud beep, then ...

MALE VOICEHi, this is a message for HarveyPekar. My name is Jonathan Greeneand Im a producer for LATE NIGHTWITH DAVID LETTERMAN. Wed like totalk to you about coming on theshow to plug your comics. Pleasegive me a call at 212-555-3333.

HARVEY (O.S.)

What the hell?

Joyce sits up. Harveys finger hits the Replay button.

MALE VOICEHi, this is a message for Harvey --

CUT TO:

EXT. MANHATTAN SKYLINE - 1980S - DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT

The impressive skyline glistens in the spring sun.

REAL HARVEY (V.O.)Joyce finally got off the futon...

CUT TO:

EXT. WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK - NEW YORK - 1980S - DAY

Armed with shopping bags from Bleecker Bobs Record Shop, the

Strand Book Store and Forbidden Planet Comic Book Emporium,HARVEY and JOYCE eat lunch on a park bench. Harvey chomps ona knish and watches oddball New Yorkers stroll by as Joycenibbles on her hot dog.

CUT TO:


67/100

66.

INT. HOTEL HALLWAY -- DAY

CLOSE UP ON AN ICE BUCKET

Cut back to reveal Harvey, schlepping an ice bucket down a

hall in his underwear. A FEMALE BUSINESS TRAVELER passes andstares at him. He enters a room with a DO NOT DISTURBsign.

INT. NEW YORK HOTEL ROOM - 1980S - DAY

The PEKARS have already wreaked havoc on their luxury hotelroom. It looks like a tornado touched down on the New YorkHilton.

HARVEY tries on outfits for the big show. He pulls awrinkled T-shirt over his head and models it for JOYCE who is

spread out on the bed surrounded by piles of clothing,scissors and sewing supplies. She glances up at Harveys get-up and shakes her head no.

HARVEYAw, cmon. Who the hell cares?

Harvey tosses his shirt over to Joyce, who snatches it andstarts cutting it with a scissor.

HARVEY (contd)Hey, whattya doin?

JOYCEMerchandising.

She resumes her mysterious sewing project; she seems to bemaking some kind of doll.

CUT TO:

INT. GREEN ROOM - NBC STUDIOS - 1980S - DAY

Backstage, JOYCE watches LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN on a

monitor as HARVEY awaits his turn to go on camera. He haschanged out of his wrinkled T-shirt into a slightly moreformal look -- a denim shirt and a ratty seersucker stripedjacket.

LETTERMAN SHOW - STOCK FOOTAGE

ANGLE ON MONITOR (Note: This is actual stock footage of theshow)


68/100

67.

A 1980s DAVID LETTERMAN wisecracks.


Neither Joyce nor Harvey look particularly impressed with the

whole deal.

JOYCEPeople like this show?

Harvey paces.

HARVEYIm gettin hungry back here. Theyoughtta leave ya donuts orsomethin.

A nervous STAGE MANAGER wearing a headset peeks his head in.

STAGE MANAGERDaves ready for you now, Mr.Pekar.

HARVEYHey, you got anything ta eat? Mystomachs growling.

STAGE MANAGER(checking his watch)

Theres no time to eat now.

Harvey glances at the monitor just as Letterman announces hisnext guest.


LETTERMANOkay. Our next guest works as afile clerk in a Cleveland hospital.


The stage manager grabs Harvey by the arm. Joyce stops them.

JOYCEWait a minute. Wheres the doll?

HARVEYHes got it at the desk. Will yourelax about that already?


69/100

68.

STAGE MANAGERGuys, guys, were in a hurry here.

The Stage Manager physically pushes Harvey out of the GreenRoom. Joyce turns back to face the monitor.


ANGLE ON MONITOR

Letterman holds up a copy of a full-size glossy AMERICANSPLENDOR ANTHOLOGY.

LETTERMAN... He also writes comic bookswhich detail his day-to-day painsand pleasures, and this is ananthology of nine of those comics.Its entitled AMERICAN SPLENDOR...

From off the streets of Cleveland,please say hello to Harvey Pekar.

THE HARVEY PEKAR WHO WALKS ONTO THE SET IS NOT THE ACTOR

PORTRAYING HIM BUT RATHER THE REAL HARVEY PEKAR (only about15 years younger). THIS IS ACTUAL STOCK FOOTAGE FROMHARVEYS FIRST LETTERMAN APPEARANCE.

INT. GREEN ROOM - NBC STUDIOS - DAY

Joyce watches as Harvey shakes Lettermans hand and takes a

seat.


He smiles as the audience warmly greets him. It seemsHarveys grooving on this attention. But as soon as theaudience quiets down, Harvey turns to his host and starts hisoffensive:

HARVEYIm ready for those Clevelandjokes. Go ahead...

Taken off guard, Letterman laughs.

LETTERMANAlright settle down Harvey. Settledown.

(the Audience laughs)Now lets explain to folks who maynot be familiar with your work whatit is you do here, exactly.


70/100

69.LETTERMAN(cont'd)

You have comic books about you inyour daily life in Cleveland.

HARVEYThats right.

LETTERMAN

And are they embellished at all oris it pretty much factual?

HARVEY(patronizing)

No. Its all true, David. Alltrue.

LETTERMANAnd you also have a regular job inCleveland working at a hospital.

HARVEY

Thats right. Aiding the sick,yes.

LETTERMANAiding the sick. Well thatscertainly noble work.

HARVEYThank you. Thank you.


ANGLE on Joyce watching

JOYCE(unimpressed)

Such brilliant repartee ...

BACK TO:


LETTERMAN

Now it seems to me Harvey that youhave a very successful career here.This is being published by a majorpublishing company, Doubleday. Whydo you maintain the day job?

HARVEY(defensive)

To make a living!


71/100

70.HARVEY(cont'd)

(big laughs)I dont make a living as a writer.Ive been writing for many years,David. Maybe more years thanyouve bee

american splendor - the official shooting script (2003)

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