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Ghost World

Ghost World

Accentuate the negative.

2001111 minRMidcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Director
Terry Zwigoff
Starring
Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro

Two quirky, cynical, teenaged girls try to figure out what to do with their lives following high school graduation. After they play a prank on an eccentric, middle-aged record collector, one of them befriends him, which causes a rift in the girls’ friendship.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Ghost World?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Ghost World streaming on Pluto TV (free), The Roku Channel (free) and Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Ghost World?

Ghost World earns 7 badges, led by Top 10% of films and Critics' darling.

  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is Ghost World worth watching?

Ghost World's Midcredits score is the 90th percentile of all films, from 388K ratings across 6 sources. 78% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

90th percentile

Better received than 90% of films

94th percentile among Comedy89th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)89th
Approval (how many liked it)88th

74 /100

89th percentile of all films

93rd percentile among Comedy89th percentile among 2000s

Critics 91 · Audience 72

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.4 — solid but not unanimous.

78% liked it

88th percentile of all films

92nd percentile among Comedy87th percentile among 2000s
78% rated it 7–1022% rated it 1–6

Critics 93% · Audience 84%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 1 Oscar noms · 23 wins / 52 noms overall

  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
  • NominatedGolden Globes· Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

95th percentile

388K ratings across platforms

95th percentile among Comedy91st percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26

Box office

Budget$7M
Opening weekend$99K
Domestic gross$6.2M
Worldwide gross$8.8M

Returned 1.3× its budget — 71st percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A slice-of-life study of alienated misfits drifting through a stiflingly conformist suburb.

Fans praised

  • scathing, perceptive satire of commodified culture and suburban anomie
  • raw, believable performances from Birch, Buscemi and Johansson
  • authentic, unsentimental look at post-high-school drift and outsider identity

Detractors panned

  • meandering, plotless story that goes nowhere
  • unlikable, solipsistic lead who sabotages everyone around her
  • enervating, humorless tone devoid of the fun it pretends to critique

What stands out

OriginalityDivisive83

Refreshingly anti-Hollywood take on the teen movie

ActingDivisive82

Birch, Buscemi and Johansson praised for nuanced, lived-in performances

DialogueDivisive80

Wry, deadpan, quotable one-liners that capture cynicism

AtmosphereDivisive79

Haunting sense of suburban limbo and emotional isolation

CharactersDivisive78

Enid seen as compellingly honest by fans, insufferably self-centered by detractors

Emotional impactDivisive74

Bittersweet, poignant resonance for those who connect with the alienation

HumorDivisive68

Dry, sardonic wit that divides audiences sharply

Plot and storyDivisive48

Episodic, meandering structure with no conventional arc

Preferred by

Under-30s vs over-30s

Preferred by Over-30s

Over-30s scored it 14 points higher than under-30s.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 7 points apart
  • Critics vs users 2 points apart
  • US vs non-US 2 points apart

Watch experience

What is Ghost World like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Funny and bittersweet: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want to laugh and feel something too.

It is gentle, takes its time and leaves you bittersweet. Skip it when you want things to move fast or you want every question answered.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Patience and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Funny and bittersweet.

Moods
BittersweetContemplativeMelancholicAbsurd
Heaviest: throughout
Wry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Register
Wry · 7% of films: Amused and slightly dry about it.Satirical · 5% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.Episodic · 13% of films: Loosely connected incidents rather than one driving plot.
ToneThe film observes its misfit characters with wry affection, never mocking them outright but letting their own contradictions and the absurdity around them speak for themselves.
The rideThe film sustains a consistently wry and gentle melancholy from start to finish, never swinging into high drama or broad comedy.
StructureThe film follows a conventional three-act arc of summer-after-graduation, but its structure is also episodic, moving through Enid's encounters with various characters and subplots.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Bittersweet.

The answer rests on this: BittersweetWistful · 8% of films
Why it leaves you this wayEnid's departure on the bus leaves a sense of melancholy possibility, not resolution—an ache for what was left behind and hope for what might come.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Rebirth
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13% (this title): Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% (this title) · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Rebirth: A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed. · Liberation: Breaking free of a confining life (Room).

13% of films fit this archetype

with Comedy underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeEnid's story follows her breaking free from a confining life and her own cynicism to face an uncertain future, which fits the liberation subtype of rebirth. The film's observational humor and quirky characters also give it a secondary comedy shape.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfFriendship
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% (this title) · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% (this title) · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Friendship · 9% of filmsIdentity · 14% of filmsIsolation · 5% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores the pressure on a long friendship as two best friends begin to diverge after graduation, and the difficulty of holding onto a sense of self when the world demands conformity.
StanceThe film gently questions the durability of a friendship built on shared outsider status, and the cost of maintaining a defiantly nonconformist identity, without celebrating or condemning its characters.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanDomesticStylized realism
Orchestral modernJazzFolkSupportive music · hybrid · David Kitay
Settinga nameless strip-mall American town (filmed around Los Angeles) in the late 1990s, where diners, thrift stores and run-down apartment complexes form the landscape of outsider life
MusicThe score blends quirky, mournful cues with a soundtrack of late-90s indie rock and old blues records that reflect the characters' tastes.

Content guide

Is Ghost World okay for kids?

R

Ghost World is rated R: “Rated R for strong language and some sexual content” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at mild (22/100), sexual content at mild (28/100), language at intense (69/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (36/100) and frightening material at minimal (3/100). Overall it is heavier than 7% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 11 other countries
  • UK15
  • CanadaR
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany6
  • Ireland15
  • South Korea15
  • CzechiaU
  • Netherlands12
  • PortugalM/12
  • Spain16
  • Switzerland18
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 32% of all filmsHeavier than 7% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Mild
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 7%
Sex & Nudity
Mild · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 22%
Profanity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 54%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 35%
Frightening / Intense
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 1%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is language. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Ghost World have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Ghost World?

Cast

1 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Thora Birch
as Enid
Globe nominee: Golden Globe nomination — Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or MusicalTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Scarlett Johansson
as Rebecca
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Steve Buscemi
as Seymour
Globe nominee: Golden Globe nomination — Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion PictureTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Brad Renfro
as Josh
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Illeana Douglas
as Roberta Allsworth
Bob Balaban
as Enid's Dad
Stacey Travis
as Dana
Charles C. Stevenson Jr.
as Norman
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Dave Sheridan
as Doug
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Tom McGowan
as Joe

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Ghost World?

Movies like Ghost World include G.B.F. (2013), Am I OK? (2022) and Career Girls (1997). Of the 12 closest matches, several are found-family stories, and half are films about identity.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

10 of these 12 share its subject: friendship. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Ghost World?

742 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: hangout movie. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.