Art School Confidential: Malkovich… Malkovich…

= 2 stars

Starring Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, John Malkovich
Directed by Terry Zwigoff

I’ve read a few Dan Clowes comics (even met him in person) such as Ghost World, Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, and selected issues of Eightball. The first made a neat film, the second is the only comic where I had an out-of-body experience while reading, and the last “Ice Haven” series played with form in a masterful way that comes with years of comic-making experience.

So it was a bummer that Art School Confidential didn’t capture much of the feeling I get from reading Clowes’ comics. The plot is split into halves, an occasionally pointed art school satire and a murder mystery. Neither I found funny or compelling.

Having gone to art school myself, I did chuckle at some of the spot-on characterizations (namely the abrasive film student and John Malkovich as a meandering teacher). Some dialog is truly smirk enducing, mostly the twisted sexual ones (”nympho-slut” and “bumping cunts”). The best part of the art school antics is a snarky montage of students preparing for a big show.

But there’s so much more that could have been honed to a sharper stick. I wanted more spiky haired freaks and beatnik chicks than sullen Jerome (Max Minghella) and his icy-faced art model muse (Sophia Myles).

In addition to not enough yuks, there’s a general mean-spirited quality to Art School Confidential. Jerome, who wants to be the next Picasso, ends up realizing his worst qualities. The biggest irony of it all is that he does become a successful artist after his Strathmore experience. So to say that terrible suffering, resentment, and anger creates great art is just somewhere I don’t want to go. It’s such a cliche, and something Enid would roll her eyes at.

Let me know when David Lynch directs Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron.

IMDB: Art School Confidential
Wikipedia: Art School Confidential
Rotten Tomatoes: Art School Confidential 36%

Categories: 2 Star Movies, Books, Comics, General, Movies :: Tags: :: Trackback URL
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