Art School Confidential

May 13, 2006 - This 2006 movie certainly lives up to the "art" part of the title. Some people may see it as a comedy. Others might see it as a drama. And, how good it is will likely be a matter of personal opinion.

The movie stars Max Minghella as Jerome, a suburban NYC teenager who dreams of being a famous artist just like his idol, Pablo Picasso. Jerome decides to head for the big city and enroll at Strathmore College. One reason he chooses Strathmore is because he's captivated by the female model pictured in the brochure.

Soon enough, he finds out that the model's name is Audrey. She's impressed by his sketch of her, and she ends up introducing Jerome to her father, an artist who Jerome admires but who Audrey dismisses as a hack. Other characters include Jimmy, a Strathmore alum who now lives in a run-down apartment and dispenses advice in exchange for vodka. There’s also Joshua, a hunky type who seems to be stealing Jerome's praise and his girl.

In the midst of all this is the hunt for a killer who's been dubbed the Strathmore Strangler.

Overall review: ** I can't really say much more about the plot without giving it away, but there's a point about 30 minutes into the movie where it goes from being really funny to, I don't know, something else.

As for the actors, there are a lot of fresh faces here. But, the cast also has plenty of familiar faces including John Malkovich (also a producer of the film), Anjelica Huston, Kate Moennig and Steve Buscemi (uncredited). I think the performances were fine. I'm just not sure if I liked the complete picture.