What is the value of art? Does it reside in personal expression? Cultural longevity? Financial worth? These questions fuel Steven Soderbergh’s gloriously entertaining comedy, The Christophers.
Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) was once a star of London’s 1960’s and 70’s pop art explosion, but he hasn’t painted in decades and has been broke for years. He’s cursed with two vile, talentless children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning). Desperate for an inheritance they hire Lori Butler, an art restorer – and former forger (Michaela Coel) – to pose as a prospective assistant in order to access unfinished canvases Julian has buried deep in storage.
It’s another exhilarating late career opportunity for McKellen to really bare teeth, following on from The Good Liar and The Critic, but this time he has a script that’s actually able to match him. A sharp and remarkable tale of creativity, legacy, and avarice.
