Ghost World is almost like a cross between Rushmore and Clueless — but not quite. Putting Clueless on one end of the spectrum might sway Ghost World too far into the mainstream, right where it doesn't belong. And while Rushmore was as peculiar as Ghost World, at times it felt like Rushmore's director, Wes Anderson, was trying too hard to make his movie singular. Ghost World is effortlessly eccentric.

After being released in theaters to generally rave reviews, last weekend Ghost World became available to rent or to own. The DVD, as far as features go, is rather under whelming.

It contains the usual — trailers, a few alternate/deleted scenes, cast/crew bios, and a "making of" feature. Unfortunately, this documentary is pointless. It's best not to watch before viewing the movie, as it reveals too much of the plot and for those who have already seen the film, it offers little insight.

But none of this is to say the film itself is under whelming and not worth viewing. Quite the opposite, as World conjures up notions of a modern day, warped version of 1967's The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman.

Based on an award-winning comic series created by Daniel Clowes, the film version of Ghost World is the pet project of Terry Zwigoff, who must like his comic books, considering his last movie, Crumb, was a documentary about a comic book artist.

World begins with a hilarious high school graduation enactment. The valedictorian is spitting out yet another ridiculous metaphor, noting, "high school is like the training wheels for the bicycle of real life." Two female graduates, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), sit in the stands laughing at their pretentious classmate. Enid and Rebecca spend most of their time in contemplation of odd observances, desperately trying to grasp a hint of originality in the world.

One day the girls stumble upon a classified ad, from a writer who is hopelessly looking for a woman he "shared a moment" with while on an airport taxi. The two girls decide to call the guy up, pretending to be the woman, and set up a date, later watching in the corner as the man wallows in and waits, only to be disappointed.

Enid wants to follow him and eventually ends up meeting the man, named Seymour, who has a record collection numbered at around 1500. "I try to pear down my collection to just the essential," he explains. Strangely, Enid becomes infatuated with Seymour. She appreciates that he refuses to conform to modern standards. She is sick of the ordinary and is hopelessly unsure of what she wants to do with her life.

As Seymour, Steve Buscemi turns in another great performance that is strangely human. There's a noble sadness to his character. His desire to remain true to himself costs him dearly in terms of human relationships and he is painfully aware of this.

The creator of Ghost World said that he once was walking on the streets of Chicago and passed a wall that was filled with illegible graffiti, except for the phrase "ghost world." It stuck with him and he named his comic series after it.

Just as the name "ghost world" imprinted itself in Clowes' mind, the movie, funny and insightful, remains with the viewer for a long time after its time expires. The Web site for the movie, www.ghostworld-themovie.com partially makes up for the less than stellar DVD.