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Kaffeine Buzz
reviews independent and foreign films,
in addition to reporting the latest buzz behind
Colorado's film festivals.
ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL
(Terry Zwigoff)
“Most artists become artists because they
have no other way to attract a mate.”
Huh?
This reoccurring theme in Terry Zwigoff’s
(Ghost World, Bad Santa) new film Art School Confidential
seems slightly out of grasp. In this adaptation
of Daniel Clowes’ short comic story Jerome
Platz (Max Minghella) takes off to art school
to pursue his dream of becoming “the world’s
greatest artist” and to seek out his dream
girl, Audrey (Sophia Myles).
Anyone who has experienced “higher”
education can identify with the unfolding of Jerome’s
disillusionment around his passion for art. His
peers bandwagon in pseudo-sophistication around
the complexities of their own amateur creations
while his professors (Anjelica Houston, John Malkovich,
and Jack Ong) act as the demagogues of art amidst
their own failed careers. Jerome is left bewildered
by the lack of individuality he encounters and
disgruntled that he still hasn’t gotten
the girl.
The film is filled with the stereotypical icons
that college campuses love to breed, the Angry
Lesbian, the Vegan Holy-man, the Boring-Blowhard,
the Kiss-ass, etc. And then there’s Jimmy
(Jim Broadbent) the drunken, failed, yet talented,
artist whom Jerome seeks out to hear dribbling
sagacity about the real world. Initially these
characters conjure some chuckles but by the end
of the film they become clichés of clichés
and rather boring.
Most artists I know may find relationships inspiring
but often struggle with the distraction away from
their art that love provokes. Everyone has different
motivation that drives their artistic endeavors
and the sole purpose of getting laid, perhaps
a nice fringe benefit, is both shallow and fruitless
providing for a rather pathetic and drawn out
boy meets girl moment in the film.
Nonetheless the film almost pulls it off with
an interesting twist at the end where Jerome cleverly
manipulates pop culture as a means to a very successful
end.
http://www.sonyclassics.com/artschoolconfidential
Lara Catone, May 9, 2006
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