I was surprised to find that Ghost World is a comic book adaptation. The film is full of quirkiness and a same-time embracing of geeks/dorks as well as pitying them. We start with two semi-outcast high school students graduating high school. From then, we primarily follow Enid (Thora Birch), who finds herself in an existential phase of her life, having escaped from her hated experience, but finding herself in a meaningless and pointless world, with little direction of her own. And this is a comedy that somehow works, even when burdened by such philosophical weight.<br /><br />The comedy in Ghost World is not the gut-busting type, but rather the quiet situational type that's amusing. At the same time, as we laugh at the nerds, geek, freaks, dorks and dweebs that inhabit Ghost World, the film works to humanize them in our eyes and raise a sympathy for them. Suddenly their eccentricities seem less strange and more interesting. And like Enid, we find ourselves drawn to them.<br /><br />This film has a bit in common in terms of tone with the heavier American Splendor as well as the lighter Napoleon Dynamite, featuring an offbeat humor style and complete with curious characters. Despite the comedy, this film is a drama at its core, dealing with a youth's entry to the "real world", complete with all its harshness and disappointments. As we watch the film, we see her best-friendship with Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) tested, struggle with young love and infatuation and try to find her way in a world that doesn't feed her direction, but asks her to discover it for herself. And like many young people, she finds it very difficult to deal with the responsibility.<br /><br />And in the drama, we find the heart of the film, watching Enid with compassionate eyes through her struggles.<br /><br />Steve Buscimi completes the primary cast as Seymour, a jazz/blues geek who Enid takes on as her first mission once she graduates, finding in him a sort of spiritual corollary. The performances are solid, with the humor played deadpan and the drama dramatic. The direction is of the classic invisible Hollywood style and the pace of the film is fine. I think the ending is a little bit of a cop-out, but I guess that's how some stories go.<br /><br />I thought it was a good, quirky little film and if you're a fan of those kinds of films, I'd recommend Ghost World to you. 8/10