Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Review: Art School Confidential (2006)

Art School Confidential (2006)

Grade: C-

Directed by Terry Zwigoff

With Max Mingella, John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, and Anjelica Huston


Terry Zwigoff has directed several offbeat films over the years. A couple have been favorites of movie critics; one, Bad Santa, has a well deserved cult following. And I'm a huge fan of Ghost World, a movie that does that the unimaginable -- make Steve Buscemi a romantic leading man.

Art School Confidential reunites Zwigoff with the writer of Ghost World, Daniel Clowes, who first wrote both stories as graphic novels. The story centers on Jerome (Max Minghella), the would-be artist who tries while studying beside other would-be artists, under the tutelage of John Malkovich (he has a character name, but as usual with Malkovich, such specifics are beside the point).

There is enormous comedic potential in this subject matter. Gather together a bunch of young artistic loners -- the goth chick, the jock, the cynical know-it-all, the attractive girl -- plus a bunch of over-the-hill artistic loners -- Malkovich, the drugged-out alum (Jim Broadbent -- who seems to be having fun), the arrogant success. Add Zwigoff, who knows how far to push outrageous comedy, and the mix seems almost too good to be true.

Unfortunately, it is too good to be true. For whatever reason -- and I blame the script as entirely underwhelming -- this movie is just not very funny. There are a few laughs, but it seems rather empty. All of the parts are effectively done -- even Malkovich fits seamlessly into the film -- but it still feels as if its missing something. The characters are too stereotypical (even Malkovich).

Where Zwigoff found real humanity amidst the idiosyncrasies of Ghost World (aided by great performances by Buscemi, Scarlett Johansson, and Thora Birch) and the humor in the relationships between those characters, here there seems to be almost a paint-by-numbers approach. Given this, the odd murder mystery subplot, which might be charming with more compelling characters, just feels like it doesn't belong.

Skip this movie. Watch Ghost World instead. Or watch Bad Santa again.

Rated R for language including sexual references, nudity and a scene of violence.

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