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Biopics telling the story of a person's life can in many ways be labeled as a documentary of their life. However it is hard to establish in a biopic exactly what is truth and what is a creative interpretation of that persons experiences. John Grierson says that documentary is "the creative treatment of actuality" since on can not go back in time to fill a specific period in someones life in order to gain a first hand account of exactly what happened, they have to rely on an interpretation of what happened during a specific moment and what exactly was said. Therefore in the idea that a biopic film is a documentary of a persons life is not true. In a documentary you get the understanding that these people really do exist, that this the way that they truly are and it is not a creative interpretation of the truth. Telling the story of Harvey Pekar in American Splendor, the directors chose to mix in elements of a documentary into their representation of what happened in Harvey Pekar's life. In doing this one gets to understand that these people really do exist in the same way that they are being portrayed. This is shown at one point when after a few scenes with Toby, who is played in such a way that the viewer would think that there was no way that he could be like that in real life, the directors chose to cut away from the narrative to show Toby and Harvey interacting with one another. In doing so the directors are showing the viewer that they are in all actuality representing these people the way that they really are and are not changing them for the sake of making a better film. By doing this they are also conveying to the viewer that this a biopic film that is playing true to the characters, they are not changing them in anyway that would make them different. 

Another element of the film that lends truth to the narrative is the fact that many of the stories of his life are written done in his comic books. In having this they are able to better describe what actually happened during his life, because he essentially has it all written out, and not in novel form where he could have embellished, but in a form where he told the truth about the mundane details of his life. The filmmakers also make the decision to have the real Harvey Pekar narrate the story, framing the events of his life in such a way that they have to be a real representation of his experiences. In doing this they create a unified story between Paul Giamatii and the narrator, making it fluid and convincing the audience that this is the way the story happened. At one point in the film there is a cut away from the narrative, to the real Harvey and Joyce, and we see them sitting at a table, giving their opinions  on events that are happening in the film. This lends a documentary feel to the film, giving us a sense of what they are like and what they think of specific events. It also shows the viewer that this is what the characters look like in real life and that there has been no artistic license taken with their representation. This is also mixed in with the filmmakers making the decision to use the real clips of his David Letterman appearances, switching seamlessly from the actor Paul Giamatti to the real life clips of Harvey. It lends a truth to the way that Paul Giamatti portrays the character as well, that we as an audience are able to see the way that he is in real life and makes us understand that this is how he actually is. It is not a creative or embellished representation of him. The filmmakers are not "lying" to us in the way that many do when making biopic films. They are also able to create a seamless transition between the "character" of Harvey Pekar and the real Harvey Pekar. They do this in the end of the film in the scene where Harvey is walking Danielle to the bus, they have Paul Giamtti walking away from the bus and then there is a slit second transition, where they switch to the real Harvey Pekar. This creates a documentary like feel to the film, showing the viewer again that they are seeing the events in which they happened, and that there are no creative or artistic embellishments for the sake of the narrative and that this is a true representation of the life that Harvey Pekar led.