Steven Soderbergh is a pretty hit or miss director for me. He's a name many mention with the greats, but aside from a few of his films I love I often land more mixed on his work. His upcoming John Lennon documentary reportedly made use of generative AI, so my stance on him as a filmmaker has only soured recently. Despite that, his latest film The Christophers was a bit of a pleasant surprise for me. The film premiered at TIFF last year, but I heard almost no buzz about it during the festival, so I'm happy to report that this is one of the few Soderbergh flicks that I really enjoyed.
The film follows Michaela Coel as Lori, an art restorer hired by the children of a world famous artist to forge his infamous unfinished works. Their hope is that they can be 'discovered' and sold for ridiculous amounts of money after his death, but what they don't see coming is the unlikely companionship he and Lori develop.
I think what works best about this one is the dynamic between Coel and Ian McKellen as the famed artist. Despite both being artists in their own right, they really couldn't feel more opposite one another, but as they find common ground it's a ton of fun to see them banter. It's especially great to see McKellen on screen again, as this is the first new project of his I've seen since Cats, which obviously isn't what one wants to remember him for. He is absolutely hilarious in this role, while also housing a sadness that pokes through every now and then. Coel's performance is naturally much more subdued, but her stone cold demeanor often aids the comedic timing of McKellen's role, and she brings an air of mystery that I really appreciated. Coel is a fascinating actor and I can't wait to see more of her in Mother Mary next month.
Aside from the main two, the ensemble doesn't really leave much of an impression. McKellen's kids are playing by Jessica Gunning and James Corden, and both honestly feel like they're in a different movie. They aren't in the film enough to really drag it down, but their performances feel a lot more cartoonish than anything Coel and McKellen are doing. Aside from them there aren't any characters that get much time to shine, leaving the emphasis on Coel and McKellen which is in my opinion a positive.
Narratively there isn't anything new or exciting, but it's a film that uses its familiarity to its advantage. This is the kind of movie that won't surprise you at any turn, but that creates a sense of comfort while you spend time with two endearing characters. From a technical standpoint things are similarly standard, but with Soderbergh's proclivity for unique filmmaking techniques I actually enjoyed a return to more traditional storytelling. I will shout out the production design though, as McKellen's house is a character in itself and the film's set is filled with gorgeous paintings that I have to assume were made by the production team.
All in all, this is nothing special, but from a filmmaker whose big swings don't really land with me I had a great time just watching two characters play off one another. 3.5/5
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