Ghost World (2001)

Ghost World (2001) isn’t a horror flick, although having to attend summer school in order to graduate is scary.  Based on the 1990s comic book “Ghost World” by Daniel Clowes, this black comedy nabbed a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination for co-writers Clowes and the film’s director Terry Zwigoff. The cult classic centers around gal pals Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) as they start their post-high school lives. While Rebecca works at a coffee shop to earn money so they can rent an apartment, Enid spends her days taking a remedial art class taught by wacky Roberta Allsworth (Illeana Douglas). As a practical joke, Rebecca and Enid answer a classified ad which leads them to Seymour (Steve Buscemi), an eccentric older guy who is into vintage records and retro advertisements. Initially, the girls think he’s a freak but, after getting to know him better, Enid finds him interesting. Maybe that’s because she can’t connect with her dad (Bob Balaban), his girlfriend (Teri Garr), or the local boy Josh (Brad Renfro). But when Seymour starts seeing a woman (Stacey Travis) closer to his age and Rebecca begins to tire of Enid’s unemployed ways, a sense of dread hangs over the girls’ heads. Will their friendship survive adulthood? Will Enid ever earn her diploma? Will she wind up with Seymour? Or will she run off alone? Most importantly, does the movie include male nudity? Fortunately, Doug (Dave Sheridan) flaunts his six pack while showing off his killer karate moves. What a knockout!