The Christophers

by Mike McGranaghan

Any type of artist who has a lengthy career will inevitably hit a fallow period at some point. Maybe they don’t have anything particularly meaningful to say, or maybe their work just stops connecting with the public, leading to a sense of apathy. Doesn’t the lesser work of a great artist still have value, though, simply because they produced it? Does everything have to be a masterpiece? Those are two of the questions asked by Steven Soderbergh’s new film, The Christophers, a witty and thought-provoking tale of a painter wrestling with his legacy and the forger who helps him figure it out.

Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) is a revered artist who seemed to lose interest in cranking out new work. Knowing he’s ill, his money-grubbing adult children, Sallie (Jessica Gunning) and Barnaby (James Corden), hire an art forger named Lori Butler (Michaela Coel) to be Julian’s assistant. They're fully aware he has a series of unfinished paintings, referred to as “the Christophers,” that were started during the peak of his popularity. If Lori can complete them in his style, the siblings can pass the works off as originals and sell them for big money.

The heart of the film is the off-kilter relationship that develops between Julian and Lori. She wants access to the paintings so she can begin the process. He, on the other hand, wants to destroy them for reasons that are initially kept secret. Adding to the mystery is a reference to Lori having a personal grudge against her new boss. Dialogue in Ed Solomon’s screenplay is whip-smart, as the two are perpetually sizing each other up and trying to assess the other’s motives. Their bond grows – and sometimes recedes – in unexpected ways that force him to confront the reasons why he stopped creating.

The Christophers contains a multitude of fascinating ideas pertaining to art. One of the ways Julian wants Lori to destroy the paintings is by ruining them. He believes that will make them worthless. Why would anybody want to buy a garbage painting? That’s theoretically true. But if Picasso made a bunch of random scribbles on a canvas, isn’t there still someone who would pay big money for it simply because it was made from his hand? The forgery plan turns out to be less simple than it seems. Although not technically a thriller, the movie builds an odd form of suspense as we wonder if the scheme will work or, in effect, backfire. As revelations are made, the reasons why Julian is so insistent that his initial vision not be seen by the public become clear, speaking to artistic inspiration and the hazards of baring your soul through an artistic venture.

In a career that has seen him do everything from Shakespeare to comic book adaptations to Cats, Ian McKellen delivers one of his finest, most perfectly honed performances here. The actor provides Julian with a sarcastic manner and a sly sense of humor, while simultaneously suggesting deep pain buried inside. He commands the screen fully. Michaela Coel plays off him beautifully. The great thing about Lori is that she always has an ace up her sleeve. Whatever her angle appears to be, there’s more to it than is immediately visible. Coel turns her into a compelling figure who can be as shockingly frank with Julian as she can be deceptive toward him.

Soderbergh consciously avoids the overt visual stylishness that is often a signifier of his work. Unlike the recent Presence and Black Bag, there are no super-sleek camera movements or screen compositions. He knows the power of the story is in the character dynamics, and he focuses intently on that. The film looks and feels lived-in, like we’re eavesdropping on the lives of these people. It’s a perfect approach to the material, sucking us into conversations and encouraging us to scrutinize the behavior.

The Christophers has moments that are funny, a few that are sad, and a whole lot more that get the wheels of your brain turning. Soderbergh is working with a quality script and two extraordinary stars, leading to, yes, a magnificently entertaining work of art.