By Mary Anne Hempe
pop writer
College movies are usually wild comedies with lots of booze or heavy duty stuff with stressed out students in constant turmoil. "Art School Confidential" (2006) is the rare exception to the rule. Funny and serious, as well as realistic and well acted, this dark satire of a freshman's traumatic adjustment to higher education earns an A-.
All Jerome Platz (Max Minghella) always wanted to be was an artist. Not just any artist, mind you, but the most famous artist of the 21st century. Other kids were pirates or cowboys for Halloween; Jerome dressed up like his hero, Pablo Picasso. While Jerome is well aware that true artists are born, not made, he's confident he has the stuff to score big in the art world. That is, until he goes to college.
At first Jerome is thrilled to be accepted by the Strathmore Institute, a snooty art school famous for launching a number of successful careers. That joy is quickly tempered when the reality of college life sets in. Painfully shy, Jerome finds it difficult to make friends. He has nothing in common with his roommates Vince (Ethan Suplee), a foul-mouthed slob, and Matthew (Nick Swardson), an effeminate fashion design major. Jerome feels even less of a connection to his fellow students, an odd collection that, as his jaded classmate Bardo ("Avatar's" Joel David Moore) points out, all fall into classic art school clich?s.
There's the pretentious snob, the angry lesbian, the mom returning to school after her youngest kid left the nest and the hippie with dreadlocks. Even the professor, the pretentious Sandy Sandiford (John Malkovich) is a walking clich? -- a failed artist of "triangle" paintings ("I was one of the first to paint triangles," he tells Jerome) who turned to teaching to pay the bills.
"What clich? am I?" Jerome asks "Bardo, I don't know," he replies. "I haven't figured you out yet."
Jerome hasn't figured himself out yet, either. He hasn't found his own style. It's obvious he has talent, yet Sandy and the rest of the class are merciless when it comes to critiquing his work. While his studies are going miserably, his love life is even worse. Jerome pines after the radiant Audrey (Sophia Myles), a nude model in his drawing class, but it's obvious she prefers sexy hunk Jonah (Matt Keeslar), whose simplistic paintings drive the class wild with praise and Jerome crazy with jealousy.
The only way to win Audrey's attention is to win the Student Art Show at the end of the semester. The winner gets a showing at the legendary Broadway Bob's Restaurant, a surefire entry into the big time. It's a prize that the previously timid Jerome decides he must do anything to get.
London-born Max Minghella (son of Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella) is excellent in the title role, and sports a flawless American accent, as do fellow Brits Sophia Myles and Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent, who plays creepy drunk Jimmy to perfection. Malkovich is fabulous, as always, and Adam Scott is a scene-stealer as the pompous Marvin Bushmiller. Loved the Steve Buscemi and Angelica Huston sightings, too.
"Art School Confidential" only loses points for the serial killer subplot, which seems like sort of an afterthought. It's rated R for heavy drinking, language (mostly from Vince) and full-frontal male nudity in the drawing class (which is both gross and hilarious). You can find "Art School Confidential" at Hastings. Check it out.
