Paint

Britt McAdams' directorial debut "Paint," a joyless 96 (thank you) minutes, is an ill-conceived sendup of Public Broadcasting's artist-in-residence, Bob Ross. It's worth saying, the main character in this paint-by-numbers comedy, Carl Nargle (funny), isn't actually Ross. He is Owen Wilson, by way of Art Garfunkel. Yet like Ross, he paints how-to landscapes on public access television, in Vermont where the locals are holdover oddballs from "Newhart." And like Ross, he has a folksy, on-air style, wears denim a lot, sports a Toni Home Perm, and speaks softly (more seductive than instructive). To everyone's surprise, except his, of course, he is a popular success, especially with women, who seem drawn to him (no pun). In one over-played gag, his artwork makes women orgasm; needless to say, he's discovered the joy of painting. Such is, more or less, the premise here: not much else to hang a smock on, just one joke, and McAdams' screenplay beats the devil out of it.

True to form, Wilson returns to his comic roots to bring off his trademarked persona, the same he's honed over the years on television and in movies, and in movies based on television. A natural clown, he selects from a grab bag of expressions, ticks, and quirks. His schtick, one might say, is a limited palette, like a typical Ross landscape: familiar, yet naive. He's also somewhat attractive--from a distance--and can be humorous if given the opportunity, which this movie fails to do, resorting only to the tried and true, as when Carl scrambles to steal newspapers with bad reviews, a bit that's been done before (I think Berle did it).

Carl is typical of Wilson's cast of characters: a self-deluded, man child, fumbling his way through life, could be certifiable, yet laughable, affable--a joke, really. Bob Ross was something of a joke, too, perhaps, but, while the joke was about him, unlike Carl, it was never on him.

The movie "Paint" has missed the mark with its outdated portrayal of the main character, Carl, played by Owen Wilson. He is so out of touch with modern technology that he doesn't even know what an Uber is or how to use his cellphone. The woman he loved and left, Katherine, played by Michaela Watkins, has been waiting for him for two decades. This only adds to the overall sense of melancholy that encompasses the film. The attitudes and feelings of the film are as antiquated as Carl's wardrobe, leaving me feeling disconnected and disinterested. Only the very talented Stephen Root (plays Tony, Carl's station chief) and the lively Ciara Renée (who plays Ambrosia, Carl's younger and more skilled competitor), manage to bring any energy to the film. Just want to stress the fact that Stephen Root keeps on performing outstanding and is still very much undervalued. The unconvincing flashbacks to his younger self, leave him looking unchanged and uninspired adds insult to injury. Just as the movie, uninspiring! Overall, "Paint" fails to deliver a fascinating story and appealing characters. Its flat approach and outdated attitudes made it difficult for me to connect with the movie. And leaving me feeling unsatisfied and disappointed. The trailer is misleading and disconnected from the movie. This is not the funny Owen I am used to seeing. A 5/10 would suffice here.

Greetings again from the darkness. You might wonder how a low-key painter becomes ubiquitous, evolving into the source of pop culture references in everything from "Saturday Night Live" to "Family Guy" to recent horror film SMILE. Bob Ross hosted "The Joy of Painting" on public television from 1983 until 1994. His soft-spoken manner and ability to connect with the audience while finishing a painting in 30 minutes drew in many dedicated viewers and turned him into an unlikely celebrity (as did the internet). Writer-director Brit McAdams uses Bob Ross as inspiration for his first feature film.

Though it's certainly not a profile or biography of Ross, Owen Wilson's portrayal of Carl Nargle is part tribute and part caricature, and it seems that McAdams wanted to go the comedy route, despite most gags and punchlines landing as softly as Carl Nagle's signature sign-off, thanking viewers for finding that "special place.". Whereas Ross' whispery vocal seemed soothing, Wilson's is kinda creepy. The comedy never really lands for a few reasons, but mostly because we don't much care for Carl Nargle and his out-of-touch ego and misogyny ... although this isn't the fault of Wilson, who does his best with what he's given.

Carl Nargle's (a fictional character) painting show has been a long-time fixture on the Vermont PBS channel where he regularly creates landscapes featuring Mount Mansfield. His loyal audience ranges from the elderly at a senior citizen center to the frequenters of a local dive bar to the women drawn to Carl's calm nature and fold-out bed in the back of his custom van. The latter group includes his ex, Katherine (a criminally underutilized Michaela Watkins), who is also the program manager, and Carl's assistant Wendy (Wendi McLendon-Covey). His newest interest is the young intern Jenna (Lucy Freyer), who seeks to be the next to receive the gift of a painting, which Carl gives to each conquest. But times are changing for Carl. Station Manager Tony (Stephen Root) needs a ratings boost and seizes the opportunity by hiring Ambrosia (Ciara Renee) to bring in new painting blood. There is more to the competition between Carl and Ambrosia than painting and ratings and ego ... it extends to Katherine, generating an entirely new dynamic.

The film has a lackluster feel to it. While some would-be intriguing topics are broached, none of them are explored to the point of creating any real interest. As for the comedy, there is no energy or sharpness. It comes across as believing many punchlines and situations are funnier than they really are. Everything is just a little off ... doesn't quite work as comedy, satire, self-discovery, or drama. To top it off, the timeline is confusing. While no cell phones are present, it never gives off a strong enough vibe for us to place the era. There is simply no joy in this painting.

Opens in theaters on April 7, 2023.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie I thought it would be a Bob Ross semi-biographical movie. However, that is not the case. The only thing bob-ross related is the base charecter of Carl Nargle, and that he has a TV paint show. I accepted this and tried to enjoy the film, but in the end it it knows what it wants to be...but dosen't know how to get there.

First, the positives. It looks pretty good, with nice colors and wood tones but it is ruined sometimes with choppy editing. I did laugh a good amount of times, with all the actors commiting to the heartfelt funny tone. However, lots of the jokes didn't land as well due to poor comedic timing or just played out jokes. The base story is okay, but I have a lot of issues with it.

Like I said, it wants to be a heartfelt comedy about a painter who's golden days are dwindling due to issues in the past and present. They try to throw quirky side charecters in there, but they are really not fleshed out at all so they feel more like NPC's than charecters. The movie also dosen't really give enough time to the storylines that are the most important and dilly dally on other scenes that just feel odd. Why is everyone trying to have sex with Carl Nargle? And then, when the new painter comes in they all suddenly switch and despise him. They have some reason too, but that reason is really only explained once and never seen again. They just tried to mix every color to make a heartfelt painting, but ultimately it just feels confused. Also, the sound mixing is a little off.

In the end, I would not reccomend Paint. It's a movie, and you probably wouldn't be mad watching it, but you would definetly want your money back. It's neither here nor there, and that is what's so dissapointing. Have a great day.

What a dull drab for a wonderful opportunity. The director really fell flat and didn't deliver on story or character development. Mostly felt contrived with very little substance outside a few bits that are to indicate who this faux bob ross is as a character. If I had to summarize this film beyond that I would say they really let Owen down on this one. The cover image alone gets you excited, as if to say this is Owen's come-back piece. Instead he got burned and had to do what he could with a script that felt as if it was subjected to writer's block in the first few paragraphs of act one. All in all I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone.