This Quirky Comic Book Movie Kicked Off a New Era of Scarlett Johansson’s Career

The big picture

• The role of Scarlett Johansson in
  Ghost World
  showed his comedic talent beyond action films.
• Ghost World
  ushered in a new era in Johansson's career as she moved on to take on more adult roles, breaking the “child actor curse”.
• Ghost World
  it was recognized as a cult hit and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Scarlett Johansson she's easily one of the most successful movie stars of her generation and one of the few leading actresses who can inspire interest in an upcoming project based on her name alone. Johansson certainly did her due diligence making blockbuster movies, as her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe resulted in one of the greatest female superheroes of all time. However, Johansson has also been recognized for her more serious work, having earned Academy Award nominations for her powerful performances in Jojo Rabbit i Marriage history. One of the most impressive aspects of Johansson's career is this managed to avoid the 'child actor curse' which chased many young stars after their breakout roles.

Child actors can often struggle to be taken seriously as “adult stars” after their success, as audiences struggle to accept them taking on mature roles. Macaulay Culkin i Haley Joel Osment They may have dominated the box office in their youth, but their truly memorable roles in later years were few and far between. Johansson certainly had many historical roles during her youth, including appearances in Rob Reinerthe family comedy north, the tragic Robert Redford movie the horse whisperer, and the Coen brothers' underrated gem The man who wasn't there. Despite this, Johansson's performance in the underrated coming-of-age drama Ghost World is what started a new era of his career, and showed how versatile he was as a performer.

What is 'Ghost World' about?

Based on the acclaimed graphic novel of the same name by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World is the story of two teenage girls struggling to come to terms with the reality of growing up after high school. Rebecca (Johansson) and Enid (Thora Birch) have been friends since childhood and feel they are the only ones who truly understand each other. While many of the girls in their class are drawn to superficial accomplishments, both Rebecca and Enid share a deep cynicism about what high school really has to offer. When they graduate, the two friends are excited about the chance to live together and finally be independent. However, adulthood begins to drive a wedge between them, forcing Rebecca to consider what life would be like without Enid.

Johansson and Birch do a great job of showing the apathy and ignorance of adolescence in a genuinely sweet way. Both characters are clearly more aware of their surroundings than many of the other teenagers in their class, as they understand that the public education system is not developed enough to allow them to pursue their real interests. Unfortunately, both Rebecca and Enid use their intelligence as a means to justify their cynicism, a quality that makes getting along much harder once they're on their own. Johansson does a great job of showing Rebecca dealing with this reality in a very relatable way; although there are elements of their experience that are specific, there is a universality in the feelings of dissatisfaction and maturation.

'Ghost World' established Scarlett Johansson as a comedy star

Outside of her action roles in the Marvel universe, Johansson's most recent projects have mostly been comedies, including the new “Space Race” Fly Me To The Moon. Becoming an expert at humorous jokes isn't something you develop overnight, however Johansson first showed her merits as a comedic force of nature Ghost World His comedic edge was critical to the film hitting the right tone. in his heart, Ghost World is a rather unpleasant film about the need to abandon the joys of childhood. While this could have easily been an emotionally overwhelming message, Johansson is perfect for delivering crisp lines that help the film avoid being too polished for its own good. However, that doesn't mean it didn't help turn the film in a heartfelt direction when it needed to; the final scenes between Rebecca and Enid are almost tear-jerking because of the excellent chemistry between the two stars.

Johansson showed a subtler side of humor Ghost World which perfectly suits the sharply witty qualities of the source material. Rebecca essentially sees herself as an outside observer and likes to make cruel comments about anyone she perceives as “normal”. However, this results in a period of adjustment where she is actually forced to take on adult responsibilities, such as paying rent on her apartment and holding down a working-class job. Although she often criticizes the instruments of capitalism that she feels “degrade” her, Rebecca is forced to accept that doing “uncomfortable” things is just one aspect of life that she will have to deal with.

'Ghost World' ushered in a new era of Scarlett Johansson's career

Ghost World it was almost instantly recognized as a cult hit, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Ghost World it was before the roles that really announced Johansson as one of the best actresses of her generation. It was only two years later that his performance was Lost in translation garnered unanimous praise and proved capable of sharing the screen with an industry icon like Bill Murray. I like Ghost World, Lost in translation it was a very humanist drama that was almost painful to watch in its accurate depiction of the human condition.

Johansson has paved one of the most interesting careers of any actress working today. Although he still takes on blockbuster roles like the following Jurassic World sequel, Johansson has taken the time to work with prestigious artists such as Noah Baumbach, Woody Allen, Jonathan Glazer, Wes Anderson, i Joel and Ethan Cohen. Ghost World it set an expectation of excellence that Johansson continues to live up to.

Ghost World is available to stream on Tubi in the US

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