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Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Matt Keeslar ... see more see more... , Ethan Suplee , Joel David Moore , Nick Swardson , Anjelica Huston , Adam Scott , Jack Ong , Michael Lerner , Katherine Moennig , Lauren Lee Smith , Jeremy Guskin , Jeanette Brox , Monika Ramnath , Isaac Laskin , Scoot McNairy , Finneus Egan , Shelly Cole , Jean St. James , Cristen Coppen , Michael Shamus Wiles , Paul Collins , Ezra Buzzington , Kimi Reichenberg , Alexander Ryan , Travis Walck , Roxanne Hart , Osman Soykut , Katija Pevec , Brian Turk , Edith Jefferson , Roxanne Day , Marshall Bell , Marc Vann , Chris L. McKenna , Zach Maurer , Charlie Talbert , John Bliss

Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff and comic artist and screenwriter Daniel Clowes, who collaborated for the acclaimed 2001 comedy-drama Ghost World, team up once again for this offbeat satire. Jerome (Max Mingh... read more read more...ella) is an aspiring artist who arrives at a prestigious East Coast art institute to study. While Jerome enjoys daydreams of becoming the best-respected painter on Earth and winning the hearts of his female classmates, he soon learns the sad truth -- his "cool artist" act is old hat in the big city, and as he's surrounded by every art school cliché on Earth, practically nothing about him stands out. Determined to be recognized whatever the consequences, Jerome maps out a bizarre plan to become famous that has some unexpected consequences. Loosely adapted from a story in Clowes' comic book Eightball, Art School Confidential also stars John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Anjelica Huston, and Sophia Myles. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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48% liked it

43,779 ratings

Critics

36% liked it

134 critics

R, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Terry Zwigoff

Release Date: May 5, 2006

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DVD Release Date: October 10, 2006

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Stats: 2,242 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,242)

  • FrizzDrop
    April 1, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    Art School Confidential is a film that is universally panned by many, and appreciated by a small number. The ones who think it's highly aggravating are usually let down by the fact that this was the second collaboration between Terry Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes, who first made the ... read morefilm Ghost World based off Clowes' graphic novel of the same name. Ghost World was disturbing, dark, funny, and full of realism. Art School is much more of a strange commentary on the pretension of art school students. I did like the paradox of what good art is, compared to the fact that good artists are the ones people pay to see. It was a good, insightful look into the politics of the art world, and the tension of the art student, who's only survival is fame, and fame at any cost. I was personally very disappointed at the brand of humor and the lack of follow through on character development. Yes, there are eccentricities, and kookiness to spare, but it is at the expense of the plot and the chemistry between the leads that we must suffer the general annoyances of our main character. I didn't especially hate the main character as many other viewers have in the past, because he's not meant to be personable or empathetic as our protagonist. His fate at the end of the movie is completely believable, even if understandable early in the film. The film has the humor, sexual tension, and lacking characters of the regular slew of indie comedies that sit in the comedy category of the Netflix Instant. There isn't anything new to take away from it, except perhaps a better understanding and appreciation for art and artists, and maybe it will warm your heart to know that this is a love story of sorts. Well, really it's more about obsession and women who would rather be immortalized in paint rather than be a great artist's muse or great love. It's an overly ambitious yet lacking film, and I found it entertaining if not oddly put together.
  • LWOODS04
    March 21, 2012
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, Matt Keeslar, John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Anjelica Huston, Joel David Moore, Scoot McNairy, Ethan Suplee, Nick Swardson, Adam Scott, Jack Ong, Jeremy Guskin, Monika Ramnath, Isaac Laskin

    Director: Terry Zwigoff

    Summary: When his pure geniu... read mores goes ignored and a brainless jock tempts his dream girl (Sophia Myles), ambitious art school student Jerome Platz (Max Minghella) sets in motion a brazen plan to become an art world hero and win his beloved's heart. John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Matt Keeslar, Anjelica Huston and Ethan Suplee co-star in Terry Zwigoff's dark comedy about an overachiever who goes to extremes to get the girl.

    My Thoughts: "I saw the trailer and was fooled into thinking this was going to be a quirky film with dark humor. Unfortunately all the humor is shown in the trailer and still there isn't nearly enough. I soon became bored with the film and I thought the main character Jerome was annoying and not likable. I love John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, and I also enjoy Jim Broadbent, but their parts are small and not used nearly enough. The big twist is seen a mile ahead and the ending is how you expect it to end. Definitely something I wouldn't watch again."
  • hunterjt13
    August 28, 2011
    hunterjt13
    An art student pursues a beautiful woman while a killer stalks the student body.
    I liked the film's almost oppressively cynical air. Multiple characters remark how the human species should be wiped off the planet, and the art teachers/successful artists pillory the art establish... read morement at will. At the center of the film is an exploration of what art is or should do, and the filmmakers seem to suggest that all answers are wrong.
    Also, Sophia Myles is astoundingly beautiful. Her performance is uneven, occasionally the girl next door and occasionally the damaged cynic, but she exudes sexuality effortlessly, and it's easy to understand Jerome's obsession with her.
    However, the film is uneven. There is a plot twist that makes little sense, and Jerome's emotional state goes through unexplained peaks and valleys.
    Overall, there are flaws in the storytelling, but the film's dark heart is in a unique place, which ultimately makes it worth the time.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    August 17, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Who said anything about talent?

    I thought this movie was good and different. It's suppose to be a comedy/drama kinda film, you can see it as you want. The story was actually pretty good and it's what really carried this film. The screenplay at times dwindle far from the main st... read moreoryline but it wasn't that important. It's not a great film but not a bad one at all, you might like it or not, still not a waste of time.

    Jerome, a kid from the suburbs who loves to draw, goes to New York City's Strathmore College for his freshman year as a drawing major. Competition and petty jealousy consume faculty and students, with an end-of-first-semester best-student award held out as a grand plum. Worse, a strangler is on the loose, killing people on or next to campus. The idealistic Jerome falls in love with Audrey, a student who models for life-drawing classes and who responds to his sweetness. But he has a rival: the clean-cut, manly Jonah, also a first-year drawing student, whose primitive work draws raves and Audrey's attention. As cynicism seems to corrode everything, Jerome is desperate to win.
  • blkbomb
    July 28, 2011
    blkbomb
    Professor Sandiford: Now, everyone don't be so hard on Jerome. He is attempting to achieve the impossible. He is trying to sing in his own voice using someone else's vocal cords. 

    I've read some negative reviews on Art School Confidential, but ultimately the film has John Malkov... read moreich, so I watched it anyway. I'm really glad I did too because I really enjoyed the movie. It was a well developed film that somehow kept me watching. You'd think it would be boring, but it is entertaining and actually fun in it's own way. The movie is weird and that's what it's got going for it. It uses it's weirdness to it's advantage, like most artists, I guess.

    All of the characters are eccentric and well developed. Each one has his or her own thing going for themselves in the art world. Jerome wants to be the best artist of the 21st century, but he isn't being well received by his fellow peers. Audrey is a beautiful woman who uses her looks as a model for artists to use in their works. Professor Sandiford is a teacher who like Jerome isn't well received, but he continues to try to make a name for himself. Vince is working on a film about the serial killer who is going around strangling women. These characters are all well played by the great cast the movie has. 

    Although not as funny as it could have been, it does have some pretty funny parts. If I knew more about the goings on at an art school, it probably would have been even funnier. Art School Confidential is really an underrated film that has a lot more going for it then people will give it credit for.
  • fb535316333
    June 5, 2011
    fb535316333
    Art is a joke.

    This movie successfully embodies the entirety of that statement without sacrificing the true experiences of art school. It's all so utterly authentic that it doesn't even need to make an effort to be viewed as a satire.

    Minghella's character completely relates, ... read morehis frustrations, aspirations, expectations resonate in any first year art student. The best part is the ending, that punches you in the face with such raw hilarity!

    For the record, I'm an Art College graduate. I get this film.
  • Redlats
    April 9, 2009
    Redlats
    I haven't been to art school, but the jokes about art teachers and students are pretty funny. The movie deteriorates as it goes on, and I didn't think much of the ending.
  • mjgildea
    October 24, 2008
    mjgildea
    Art School Confidential seems to take the art class scenes from another Terry Zwifoff/Daniel Clowes project Ghost World and tries to elaborate on it. The first half was great as it laughs at all the cliches an art school is undoubtedly filled to the brim with. About half to 2/3rd... read mores of the way in Art School Confidential tries to develop a tangible plot and that's where the whole thing stalls out. The last 20 minutes is like a really long funeral but it's got a great cast and for a while I laughed a lot. Proceed with caution...
  • hobster1
    June 17, 2008
    hobster1
    Refreshingly cynical look at the art world and people who take themselves too seriously. Intelligently written. If you've ever looked at Warhol's Campbell's Soup I and thought, "Huh?", add another star.
  • CrookedlittleB33
    May 17, 2008
    CrookedlittleB33
    Did someone say PRETENTIOUS?

View All Art School Confidential Reviews

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris
July 12, 2006
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Curiously, this relentlessly cynical tone turns out sounding refreshingly original compared to the usual pieties in the genre. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
May 12, 2006
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

The film loses its way with multiple subplots, becoming a hodgepodge that isn't particularly hard to follow, but, far worse, provides no compelling reason to bother. Full Review

Roger Moore
May 12, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

A movie with the odd, tired joke about art and artists, a college romance that isn't romantic, and a plot twist that doesn't twist at all. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
May 12, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Zwigoff's angry exposé of this intense, tiny subculture isn't fair to anyone in the art world, but if you can stomach the overstatement, it's often scathingly funny. And it's sometimes scathingly smart. Full Review

Terry Lawson
May 12, 2006
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

What keeps the film from being altogether snide and smug are the well-intentioned performances. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
May 12, 2006
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

By the end, it feels as if Zwigoff and Clowes skimmed through a sketchbook without figuring out how to make a fully realized painting, a task that might have mattered less had the movie been either th...

Michael Booth
May 12, 2006
Michael Booth, Denver Post

There's not a single person to like in Art School Confidential, a crucial mistake in a movie filled with mean, shallow and self-absorbed characters. Full Review

Chris Vognar
May 12, 2006
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

Simply runs out of things to do once it establishes its ground rules of defining stereotypes and mocking pretension. Full Review

Roger Ebert
May 12, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

There is something in the Zwigoffian universe that values such characters [as Jimmy]; having abandoned all illusions, they offer the possibility of truth. I also much enjoyed Broadway Bob. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
May 12, 2006
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Even if one disagrees with some of its points, as I do, it offers plenty to mull over. Full Review

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  • Which of the following actors played in all of these films: Remember the Titans, Art School Confidential, Blow, and American History X  Answer »
  • This 2005 movie included an art school, a strangler and a love story.   Answer »
  • In Art School Confidential, what was NOT one of the stereotypical art students?  Answer »
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