Art School Confidential (2006) October 11, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Terry Zwigoff
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The fiercely discussed merits and mockery of modern art, especially that produced by art school students, seems like the perfect fodder for an off-beat comedy which, unsurprisingly, is exactly what Art School Confidential is all about. Maybe unfortunately though, that’s not all it’s about, leading to an ill-advised genre mix the likes of which brings up memories of Rian Johnson’s Brick [review] – only much less inventive.
The story looks at this crazy world through the eyes of Jerome, an optimistic artist who starts his freshman year as a drawing major at Strathmore College. He quickly falls for a life drawing model named Audrey but she, in turn, shows an interest in the slightly more masculine Jonah – an art major whose bizarre abstract work draws the attention of the class, but the contention of Jerome. Meanwhile, the campus is living in fear of the Strathmore strangler: a murdering psychopath who is picking on students. As the attacks get more frequent, Jerome’s optimism fades and he dreams about gaining the respect of his peers and winning the heart of Audrey.
There’s a low-budget sensibility to this film which, in part, is brought by director Terry Zwigoff, whose few previous credits are all projects which have some degree of cult appeal (Bad Santa, Ghost World and Crumb). This marks Zwigoff’s second film from a comic and subsequent screenplay by Daniel Clowes, who also penned Ghost World and provided some of the artwork for this movie. All together, this leads to an off-beat final product very much in the vein of Zwigoff’s previous work.
Being essentially a character comedy, the performances are as important as the script, although fortunately this particular low-key flick boasts an impressive cast including John Malkovich and Jim Broadbent. And while the old hands certainly bring some class to the proceedings (Broadbent is a drunken, bitter artist, while Malkovich plays a quirky art teacher), it’s Max Minghella who has to carry the film, and does so admirably. There are also parts for Ethan Suplee and Sophia Myles (as Jerome’s roommate and object of infatuation, respectively) although in a movie with so many characters some ultimately pay the price, being introduced without ever really playing any part in the story (Nick Swardson’s fashion student is one such example).
Maybe the most obvious comment to make about this film is something that I still think should be mentioned – and that’s the mistaken need to push a murder mystery storyline into what is already an interesting dissection of how subjective the art world is and what it really means to be an ‘artist’. The movie is strongest in its first half, when we get to meet all the strange characters (Jerome’s roommates and classmates) and we’re introduced to Jerome’s disillusionment, both in his art work and with members of the opposite sex. As the Strathmore Strangler storyline begins to take over though, the movie changes focus and, more significantly, loses much of its humour.
It’s a valiant attempt which given Zwigoff’s involvement may find an audience at a later date, becoming one of those quietly revered pieces that people will judge how cool you are based on your opinion of. But it seems unlikely. With neither a comic nor a mystery focus, you are left to enjoy the humour while it lasts and then endure the driving plotline through to its unexpected, but not entirely sensible, conclusion. At least there are some nice comic moments early on though, and if you’ve studied art at any level then you’ll undoubtedly want to check this out so that you can have an opinion on the accuracy of its outlook. I, on the other hand, can barely even draw – but I can still believe the message this film makes about creative work: that sucking up, not talent, will help you succeed. By the way, did I mention that I love my readers?
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