Movie Review: ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL Author: Jenn Bobbitt Monday, May 15, 2005 I love a good comedy. Give me a movie with promises of quirky, Napoleon Dynamite-esqe humor (Seriously, this is from a woman who actually owns and wears a “Pedro lacks political experience” t-shirt!) any day of the week and I will skip happily to the theater. Throw in an intellectually challenging theme and complex plot structure while you’re at it, and I’m as happy as a clam. That’s what I can expect from a comedic film directed by Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World), written by David Clowes (Ghost World), and produced in part by John Malkovich, right? Wrong! In an attempt to be straightforward: this one “over promises” and “under delivers,” plain and simple. From a film meant to explore the complexity of the “under-appreciated” artist in a superficial society, this one totally misses the mark. For starters, the character development is so poor on a whole that I didn’t actually like any of them; I couldn’t even begin to identify with their plight. The whole film seemed shallow and vacuous, lacking in any attempt to present a truly comedic interpretation of the challenges faced by artists struggling to find their voice. I have a deep appreciation for the creative mind, but I think I actually left the theater liking artists less than I did before watching the film. Art School possessed certain stylistic challenges as well; it’s a film with an identity crisis. The beginning presents itself with mild Gen-X style humor reminiscent, but not nearly worthy, of the cultish Kevin Smith, but turns a corner amidst the rising action in a pale attempt to create something darker and more introspective. What we are left with is a one-dimensional attempt at Wes Anderson style irreverency, complete with a cameo by Anjelica Huston. If I had left halfway through the film, my opinion would probably be completely different (The beginning made me laugh…what happened to that movie?), but alas, I stayed to the bitter end. Disappointed would be a grave understatement with this one. If you are a young filmmaker looking for a movie to affirm your belief that what you are personally creating is better than half of what makes it to the theaters, give this one a go for a self esteem boost. Otherwise, I’d sit it out! Jenn’s Grade: F (Although I’d pass it on social promotion so that I wouldn’t ever have to see it again!) Jenn Bobbitt is a contributor and reviewer for ON-FILM.NET.