Where I Watched it: AMC Plus
English Audio Description?: No
Owen Wilson plays a Bob Ross type. That’s the movie. you can all go home now. Well, so there’s more to it than that. Sure, he has a perm, and lives in a van (though perhaps not down by a river), and suddenly has competition from a pretentiously named new artist who doesn’t like to paint mountains and trees. She’s rather paint a bullet train.
It’s a quirky film, and Wilson’s supporting cast, which include untouchable stalwarts like Stephen Root and Catherine Keener, do some nice work in their roles. The problem I have with this film isn’t the movie itself, which has a lower than necessary IMDB rating, its that it becomes so hard to recommend a film that does not have audio description that is centered around the extremely visual art of painting. At least movies make sounds, but a painting jsut sits there. If someone doesn’t tell me what it is, the best I can do is touch it, which is largely considered a no-no. So often these works require audio description for us to not only know what it is but to have any appreciation of the work.
Normally, a film with this much dialogue, I would probably geared it. It’s pretty easy to follow, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss a key plot point. However, several things revolve around what is being painted. For example, Wilson’s character apparently paints the same damn mountain every time. but, without being able to see that, the joke is lost on us. And I have no clue what the other girl is painting, or how their styles differentiate.
The film is called Paint, and despite nice performances, and a decent script, that likely would have landed the film in a B- or B range, without audio description on the thing this film is about, I really can’t say to pass Go and collect your $200. Another accessibility fail by AMC Plus.
Final Grade: unwatchable