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by Thomas M. Sipos,
managing editor [February 10, 2018]
[HollywoodInvestigator.com]The first thing
that caught my eye about
My Art is that it features Parker Posey, but it turns out she's
barely in it. She has two scenes, totaling at most two minutes of
screen time.
Posey is remarkable. When she made My Art she
was around 47, plays a woman of 40, and looks 30. Then there's that
wonderful Posey persona, which
infuses all her characters. Too bad her role is so slight.
The star of
My Art is Laurie Simmons, and in it, she plays an artist. That's
important to know, because Simmons is an actual artist and not an
actress. In her mid 60s, she has barely any acting credits.
My Art is Simmons's vanity project. She wrote, directed, and stars
in
My Art.
An artist, playing
an artist, in the art world.
My Art has "art film" written all over it.
Simmons's
character, Ellie, has labored as an artist for many decades, but has
yet to achieve fame. She supplements her art income as an art teacher
and house sitter, sitting for artists more famous than her.
We open with Ellie
conversing with Meryl (Lena Dunham), a more successful, and much
younger, artist. Meryl chatters about her exciting, hectic life. Lots
going on. I got the sense that Ellie feels a failure. She has nothing
very interesting to tell Meryl about her own life, other than that she
will be house-sitting for yet another famous artist (Blair Brown).
After Meryl
leaves, Ellie sits alone in an empty, outdoor setting. It felt very
bleak. This is partially due to Tom Richmond's arresting
cinematography. Some very nicely lit and strikingly composed shots in
this film, further supported by the painstaking production design.
My Artlooks like an art film.
But the story is
slow and meandering. I was bored twenty minutes in, a boredom that
occasionally lessened but sometimes returned. The film is low on
conflict and drama. It's a "slice of life" and Ellie's life isn't all
that interesting. For most of the film she house-sits at a big,
beautiful house in upstate New York, in a small town full of artists,
writers, and actors. Things are very quiet. The setting is bucolic.
The people are friendly.
Along the way, Ellie meets three men, two of whom are "actors" who are
really landscapers. Some of the dialog actually centers on whether an
actor who doesn't act can call himself an actor. These men help Ellie
on her latest art project. Everyone grows a bit as a result. There's
some sadness along the way, and some happy moments. The film ends
without any significant life changes or epiphanies. It ends on more of
a smile than a hurrah.
The smile is that Ellie's art project is well received. She doesn't
attain any great fame, but perhaps a pat on the back. Ellie is in her
60s, and two of the men are no spring chicks. One man is a widower
whose acting was derailed by the death of his wife. Another man is
thrice divorced. All three of the men gain some satisfaction in having
helped Ellie. If
My Art has a theme, it's that it's never too late to achieve
something in life, even if that something falls short of your youthful
ambitions.
My Art is a tale of Late Bloomers.
My Art
also profiles the culture and lifestyles of the northeast, liberal
elite, Jewish/WASP arts crowd. The sort whose life revolves around
The New York Times
and
The New Yorker. Always talking about their marriages, divorces,
therapists, careers, doubts, creative projects, and angst. Much angst.
Set amid the splendor of New York's genteel fame and wealth (as
opposed to Hollywood's crass fame and wealth), which some attain and
others only hover about. The wine & cheese parties, the self-involved
friends more famous than you, the banal chit-chat about gallery
openings, book signings, and theater projects. It's all a bit
Woody Allenish.
In some ways,
My Art reminded me of
The Anniversary Party (another Posey film), but without the drama
or hysteria. That's because
The Anniversary Party is set in Los Angeles, whose creative crowd
is more vulgar and melodramatic than New York's artists, at least as
portrayed in films.
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