Though it didn’t become a box office success, Ghost World is one of the defining cult classics of the early ’00s, notably with outstanding lead performances from Birch, Buscemi, and Johannson.
While she was working consistently before, Ghost World was what helped build Johansson’s indie credibility, notably before she stood out in a major way with Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation only a couple years later.
Certainly, if you’re looking for one of the earliest signs of Johansson’s future success, as well as what remains one of her strongest, most acclaimed films, you should definitely check out Ghost World.
Based on the comic book of the same name by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World centers around Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), two socially outcast teenagers who find a rift in their friendship when Enid takes interest in a lonely older man named Seymour (Steve Buscemi).