"Art School Confidential"

Max Minghella
Sophia Myles
John Malkovich
Jim Broadbent
Matt Keeslar
Ethan Suplee
Joel David Moore
Anjelica Huston


R           102min           2005


From the director of “Ghost World” and “Bad Santa”, “Art School Confidential” follows talented young artist Jerome Platz (Max Minghella) as he escapes from high school to a tiny East Coast art school. Here the boyish freshman’s ambition is to become the world’s greatest artist, like his hero Picasso. Unfortunately the beauty and craft of Jerome’s portraiture are not appreciated in an anything-goes art class pseudo-art of his own win him any admirers. But Jerome does attract the attentions of his dream girl, the stunning and sophisticated Audrey (Sophia Myles), an artist’s model and daughter of a celebrated artist. Rejecting the affectations of the local art scene, Audrey is drawn to Jerome’s sincerity. When Audrey shifts her attention to Jonah (Matt Keeslar), a hunky painter who becomes the school’s latest art star, Jerome is heartbroken. Desperate, he concocts a risky plan to make a name for himself and win her back.

"Art School Confidential" is a quirky dark comedy. It showcases inspired performances by talented actors. It’s an example of an artist’s neurosis. Finding an artist finding his muse and doing whatever to capture her heart and love.

At the fictional college of Stratham while there is a killer on the loose. I have never been to art school but to me this college is too laid back to even be real. On the behind the scenes featurette the writer says that he went to a school like this. Maybe I’m not creative enough to get this school.

"Art School Confidential" is a dark comedy where students are really laid about a killer on the loose. Many of the students used it as creative inspiration. It does however have a love story at the core of this movie. It’s unique in that for the most part I hoped that he would not get the girl and that is in part to Minghella performance.

Max Minghella, first time ever seeing his works, capture the neurosis of a man obsessed with capturing the real life woman of his dream. She is played by the talented Sophia Myles, previously seen in “Tristan + Isode” and “Underworld”. I liked John Malkovich’s performance as a professor that is teaching this class of artists while trying to relaunch is career.

"Art School Confidential" contains deleted scenes and a blooper reel. There are two featurettes one is a making of and the other is a Sundance featurette. It contains a 16 of movies previews. The most notable previews are “Volver”, The Curse of the Golden Flower”, “The Quiet”, “Friends With Money”, “The Pursuit of Happyness”, “Stranger than Fiction”, “Marie Antoinette” and “The Holiday”.

I give it 3/5 Gs