At first glance, “Art School Confidential” appears
to be the conventional teen romantic comedy: nerd meets girl, girl
likes buff blond, girl realizes she likes nerd and they get
together in the end. But with director Terry Zwigoff (“Ghost
World,” “Bad Santa”) at the helm, the film is
anything but cliche.
Set at a prestigious art school called the Strathmore Institute
(but filmed at UCLA), “Art School Confidential”
examines the portrait of an artist as a young man. All Jerome Platz
(Max Minghella) wants is to be the greatest artist of the 21st
century, the “next Picasso.” Of course, since this is a
romantic comedy, Jerome’s secondary aim is to win the heart
of the beautiful art model Audrey (Sophia Myles). When Audrey
starts to fall for the school’s hunky, upcoming star painter,
Jerome vows to do whatever it takes to win her back ““ and in
the eccentric world of art, anything goes.
The film’s strongest performances come from Jim Broadbent
and John Malkovich. Broadbent shines as Jimmy, a bitter artist who
has turned to alcohol after failing to make a living in art. His
voice, facial expressions and sneering eyes keep the audience
fixated. Malkovich’s performance does not require as much
intensity, but he still creates a complex character in Sandiford,
an art professor whose paintings of triangles aren’t very
good. While Sandiford can’t see his pupil’s talent, he
does take an interest in Jerome for other reasons and consequently
attempts to seduce him.
“Art School Confidential” offers a scathing
commentary on the modern art world, delving into stereotypes and
preconceived notions about people on the fringes of society. Jerome
and his fellow artists are misunderstood and socially outcast, but
Zwigoff’s film offers those unfamiliar with the art world a
tantalizing peek into the realities of being an artist and the
complexities of what constitutes art.
If nothing else, “Art School Confidential” will make
the audience think about art and morality long after they have left
the theater, and that alone makes the film worth seeing at least
once.
““ Julianne Fylstra
E-mail Fylstra at [email protected]