A One Mann’s Movies review of “Paint” (2023).
In my eyes, Owen Wilson always seems to play himself in movies. But here, despite the character’s name, he most definitely plays someone else…. someone beloved of bored Covid-lockdown painters like me!
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Carl Nargle (Owen Wilson) has been the star of “Paint with Carl Nargle” on PBS Burlington for decades. On the show the bushy-haired hippy talks laconically, smokes a pipe and slowly paints a landscape in oils – always “the majestic” Mount Mansfield! But when Carl baulks on extending his show from one hour to two, the station manager (Stephen Root) brings in the young, sexy and exciting Ambrosia (Ciara Renée). Carl’s cosy world gets turned upside down.
Certification:
UK: 12; US: PG-13; From the BBFC web site: “Moderate sex references, drug references”.
Talent:
Starring: Owen Wilson, Ciara Renée, Stephen Root.
Directed by: Brit McAdams.
Written by: Brit McAdams.
Twitter Handle: #PaintMovie.
Running Time: 1h 36m.
Carl Nargle (Owen Wilson), left, and the late Bob Ross, right. (Source: IFC Films)
“Paint” Review:
Positives:
- A comedy has to make you laugh, and this one did – multiple times.
- The huge ego of Carl at the start of the film is amusing: “Sometimes being the total package stops people seeing the gift inside” he croons.
- There are lots of great lines and sight gags (some cunningly snuck into the background).
- But the one gag that made me roar with laughter (sorry fellow BA passengers) was the outcome of Carl going mad with pots of paint in his barn…. Priceless!
- Owen Wilson is a taste I’ve never particularly acquired. But here he is very good as Bob… sorry, I mean Carl.
Negatives:
- The film is not just a comedy, but a romantic comedy and, for me, that’s where it got bogged down in the middle.
- Carl is CLEARLY based on the wonderful Bob Ross whose gloriously relaxing painting programs I watched on Youtube during the Covid lockdowns and then took up oil painting as a result. Yet (and I sat through the whole credits to check) there is NO acknowledgement made to him whatsoever which feels distinctly bad form. It even has the cheek to include the usual disclaimer “The characters depicted in this work are fictitious. Any similarity to individuals living or dead is purely coincidental.”. Did they get the permission to use Ross’s likeness from his estate? This LA Times article clearly suggests that they didn’t. The article actually implies that the Ross brand see the increased awareness created by the film as a ‘good thing’. But if I’d been ‘production attorney’ Carissa Knol, I’d have been nervously watching my phone as the film was released (it came out in the US in April).
Monkey?
There is a brief but quite funny monkey just a few seconds into the end credits. But nothing at the end of the credits.
Summary Thoughts on “Paint”
This is a bit of a mixed bag, but on the whole I enjoyed it: it whiled away 90 minutes of a long flight. In my book, it’s worth watching for the snort-worthy barn scene towards the end of the film. “A tough night for Mount Mansfield”!
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Trailer for “Paint”:
The trailer is here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K9TX-6HyuOc.
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