by Jeff Alan, Contributing Writer
Imagine if Bob Ross got cocky and full of himself about his art, and then the people he inspired eclipsed him, and all his fans and co-workers started following the new person around instead of him. That is the general idea that’s depicted in the new film Paint by first-time feature director Brit McAdams.
Carl Nargle (Owen Wilson) is a fictional character with many of the classic characterizations that made the iconic Ross famous. Nargle is the host of a public access show which shows him painting a serene nature painting in his one-hour broadcast. Everyone at the network — and the whole town of Burlington, Vermont — idolizes him and is enraptured by his words and artwork, including his assistant and current girlfriend Jenna (Lucy Freyer). The broadcast general manager, Tony (Stephen Root), and assistant manager and Carl’s former lover, Katherine (Michaela Watkins), are working effortlessly to find new ideas to bring viewership up and more money to the station, namely by asking Carl to double the number of paintings he makes in one episode, which he declines.
One day, after Carl wraps up an episode of his show, he is introduced to a young woman named Ambrosia (Ciara Renée), who is a big fan of his. But it is soon revealed that Ambrosia now hosts a second hour of the show directly after his airs. Ambrosia rapidly begins getting the attention of the fellow network workers (including Katherine), and people around town are finding her artwork more engaging and interesting than to Carl’s; this realization sends Carl into a gradual nosedive where he tries to win everyone back and bring the popularity back to himself.
There is definitely enough to like about this film. Wilson does a perfectly fine job as a Ross-type character, playing the part well in Carl’s moments of career bliss, but also bringing the same level of contentment to Carl’s more neurotic and depressive states as his story progresses. Renée plays the kindhearted Ambrosia well — she’s a character looking to do what all artists do, and to make great art and inspire people. She genuinely wants Carl to respect her, but eventually the bad blood between them boils over, and it leads to some funny competitive moments. The rest of the supporting cast does a fine job as well, Root and Watkins namely.
The part of this film that holds me back from liking it is the ending, which I don’t believe is earned. Another glaring issue is the setting, more specifically in time. We see the characters consistently and exclusively interacting with old broadcasting equipment, old tube TV’s, old computers from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, older cars and vehicles, and ‘70s to ‘90s clothing and hair styles, and yet several characters in the film make consistent references to things like Dancing with the Stars, Shark Tank, medical marijuana and weed gummies, Uber, and using a modern flat screen TV. It’s not made clear that this is a parody or a satire, so if a film is categorized as such, I would expect to suspend my disbelief a bit and let this modern technology mix with the older relics more, but since the movie plays as a period piece in a time when the real Ross was popular, it’s pretty noticeable when a character says, “my Uber is here” as they walk past a portable CRT TV.
In summation, I think this is a perfectly fine “what if” type of story that shows that fame would have done to someone like Bob Ross, but it doesn’t exactly hold the weight that maybe it was going for. Wilson is a definite sight to see, doing a great imitation of a Ross-type character, and his struggle is an interesting sight to see. However, the price of admission for this film in theaters is not worth the time. Best wait to save this film for the small screen when streamers pick it up.
Score: 5/10
Paint is currently playing in theaters
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