Given that the majority of filmmakers are males in their 20s or older, it's not surprising that movies have done such an inferior job of creating credible teen characters and portraying their feelings of alienation and hostility.
But just when you'd about given up hope on seeing something different from the painfully cliched teen comedies, along comes "Ghost World," one of the most unflinching and refreshing comedies in years.
It's one of those rare occasions when a film manages to surpass its source material in terms of quality — in this case, it's Chicago writer/artist Dan Clowes' fine comics graphic novel, which is expanded on and improved dramatically.
That said, the movie is not for all tastes. It's darkly humored, in a manner not unlike that of the multiple Oscar winner "American Beauty," with which it shares a few things in common.
Among them is its star, Thora Birch, who played Kevin Spacey's hostile daughter in "Beauty." Here, she plays Enid, a sarcastic and kitsch-obsessed teen weighing her options for the future.
She and best friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) are preparing to set foot in the "real world," either by going to college or by entering the work force.
Even though Rebecca seems resigned to her fate, Enid has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, along — especially since she has a strong sense of contempt for everyone around her.
However, Enid finds a kindred soul in the unlikeliest of forms: namely, Seymour (character actor Steve Buscemi), a peculiar music collector and loner who seems delighted just to have company.
At the same time, Enid also has to finish an art class in order to graduate from high school — something she has little interest in doing, though her instructor (Illeana Douglas) is encouraging her.
With its pop art graphics and an abundance of smarts, the movie marks a promising feature filmmaking debut for director Terry Zwigoff, whose full-length documentary "Crumb" was one of the most haunting character studies ever committed to film.
And the script, co-written by Zwigoff and Clowes himself, contains many laugh-out-loud moments (including the sardonic high school graduation scene near the beginning) and a surprising poignancy and tenderness lacking from so much of the film's soulless competition.
Add to that terrific performances from the two leads, especially Birch, who remains appealing despite her character's nearly perpetual scowl and animosity. And as always, Buscemi excels in his peculiar part, making Seymour possibly the most sympathetic — or at least understandable — character of the bunch.
(That's not meant to slight the great supporting cast, which includes a never-loopier Douglas as Enid's clueless teacher and Dave Sheridan in a memorable cameo as a clueless convenience store customer.)
"Ghost World" is rated R for occasional use of strong profanity, crude sexual slang terms and expressions and racial epithets, brief violence (done for laughs), a brief, discreet sex scene and brief gore. Running time: 111 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com