At an age when most people would be long into a peaceful retirement, Ian McKellen shows no sign of slowing down. In his latest film, the veteran actor plays Julian Sklar, a once-famous painter, now living as a virtual recluse in his cluttered London terrace house.
His conflicted relationship with his two children (played by James Corden and Jessica Dunning) is the impetus for the story. Sklar is terminally ill and they want to ensure their inheritance, specifically through a series of his unfinished paintings known collectively as ‘The Christophers’. With this aim in mind, they enlist Lori (Michaela Cole), an art restorer, to complete them without Julian’s knowledge.
Hired as his personal assistant, Lori is tasked with sneaking up to the attic and adding her finishing touches to the Christophers. Hopefully they will be discovered as valuable ‘new’ works after his demise. Thus from the very beginning, we are left wondering: Will she be able to pull it off? Will Julian catch on to the deception? And if the plan does succeed, will the general public be fooled?
‘The Christophers’ directed by Steven Soderbergh
Both Lori and Julian are at opposite ends of the same career spectrum: she is the aspiring artist while he is the accomplished doyen. Inevitably, their interaction dominates the story to the extent that, at times, the actual forgery recedes into the background as a subplot. Furthermore, their dialogue leads to various plot twists that leave us in doubt until the very end as to how the deceptive forgery will be carried out, if at all.
Although the plot is relatively simple, the film explores a number of parallel themes; his grasping adult children who want to profit from their father’s paintings reflect the contemporary art world which sees paintings merely as a financial investment. Artistic masterpieces are equated solely in terms of mega bucks, something which grates against Julian’s artistic temperament.
Compared to Ian McKellen’s long career, Michaela Cole is a relative newcomer. Despite her comparative youth, she holds her own in her scenes with McKellen which emphasise their differing personalities. As Lori, she comes across as assertive and able to anticipate and quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Consequently, her character is never intimidated by the more senior and more accomplished artist.
Julian is at times witty, sarcastic, philosophical and critical. Despite his grumpiness and other personal idiosyncrasies, he remains a likeable character. We feel empathy for a man who at the end of his life is reflecting on things that might have been and regretting things that did occur. Key among his regrets is the reason why the Christophers were never finished. Furthermore, his cynicism about the commercial art world and his own children seems, for the most part, justified. McKellen plays the cranky old eccentric so well, it’s clear he’s having a good time with this role.
At 87, Ian McKellen demonstrates he still has the goods when it comes to the acting game.