Art School Confidential: A Review

Posted by Mary Rayme Jan 25, 2007

Daniel Clowes is the cartoonist and artist who wrote the story and screenplay for Art School Confidential (2006) a film directed by Terry Zwigoff. It is interesting to note that Clowes, the creator of the comic book Eightball holds a BFA from the Pratt Institute in New York, a well-respected and competitive art school.

There are some parts of this film that ring true of the art school experience, particularly John Malkovich as the art professor who is obsessed with his own work and also trying to sleep with his students. The other part that rang true was the main character, Jerome Platz, trying on different styles in an attempt to find his own style.

One scene in the movie is of a final review where all of the students receive A's, as if art school is just one big gut course. Not so. Most major art schools can be cut throat and competitive and we do get a glimpse of that in the critique scenes.

That's pretty much where the resemblance to a real art school ceases. Yes, sometimes art students can learn to spout a certain nonsensical art speak that is pretentious and inaccurate, but ideally a good professor can reign that in and focus a class to create a meaningful and positive critique experience.

It is the message of this film that is more disturbing than its lost potential; Art school is a big sham and that to be a successful artist you must proselytize yourself and have a big gimmick.

If you went to art school, this film is a must see. Especially comedic are Nick Swardson as a flamer in heterosexual denial and Ethan Suplee as an unfocused film student. This film started out with a fun and full premise, a kind of murder mystery meets art school freak show, but ends up flat and flaccid.

This movie stars: Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, Jim Broadbent, Matt Keeslar, and Anjelica Huston.