Terry Zwigoff is an interesting fellow and I don't think he's capable of making a dull film. He rose to acclaim with the documentary about cartoonist R. Crumb, aptly named Crumb, which was so disturbing I could barely finish it. A few years after Ghost World, he directed the oddly compelling Art School Confidential which was quite entertaining without having a single likeable character. Ghost World is more conventional than those two films, but superior to both in storytelling and in not wanting to punch the main characters in the face. So there's that.
Music is a big part of the film's success. Even the live music, most of it intentionally bad, is used as a vehicle to present the author's cynicism. Only the musician a character *wanted* to see is any good. The soundtrack is eclectic and appropriate to the tone of the scene. The simple theme music helps holds the narrative together as does the lack of time junps. Everything happens in a fairly brief time period.
The movie is adapted from the comic of the same name from Daniel Clowes. It introduces to two new high-school graduates, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson, pre-pre-pre Avenger days) as two long-time friends who don't care for any of the available options. Enid, in particular, seems hard to please, as she isn't interested in college, working, dating, or even staying busy. Since she failed an art class, she has to attend a summer class anyway. This gives her the perfect excuse to put off deciding anything.
The girls are clever, but immature and not very sympathetic. They torture their friend Josh (the late Brad Renfro) and play practical jokes on unknown strangers for cheap laughs. Enid suspects that her father may re-unite with an ex-girlfriend she hated, but she still is in no hurry.
Seymour (Steve Buscemi) comes into the picture as the victim of one prank, and the girls know they crossed the line. Enid is intrigued by this oddball and discovers she likes his taste in music. She works her way into his confidence and he shares his loneliness and disinterest with his current life. She determines to find him a girlfriend, but whether this is out of guilt or boredom or curiosity is hard to tell. You can't get a read on this woman. During the same time, she and Rebecca are drifting apart in a series of short, disconnected conversations. Rebecca is starting to make more conventional choices and won't wait forever for her friend to come around.
Seymour is a sour guy, bored with his life and not too willing to try new things. Against the odds, he does find a woman to date, even without Enid's help, and it doesn't take long for him to find out he isn't any happier. Enid continues to alienate people who could help and Rebecca finally realizes that their big plans aren't happening. The interaction among these three characters is what makes this memorable. All three actors do solid work, especially Thora Birch who is playing her correct age. Johansson is younger than her character and pulls it off. And Buscemi, the gifted character actor, comes off as a bit sad, but not creepy. That's hard to do given the age differences involved.
Eventually life spirals out of control for both Enid and Seymour. Enid squanders multiple opportunities with her indifference and realizes too late that making no choices will not help her life. Seymour makes a string of bad decisions that cost him much of the life he so despised. Their brief time together didn't help either of them. The terse final scene between them is not a reconciliation, although finally Enid speaks to him honestly and without cynicism. They leave on good terms, but no one will be surprised if they don't see each other again.
She also makes things right with Rebecca, although they are clearly not the same. The final scene is open to interpretation, but I prefer to take it at face value. She was out of options and wanted to start over. I think many, many people in her position would understand how that feels.