Art School Confidential

R

Released May 5, 2006

1 hr. 42 min.

Comedy

Drama

Romance

List

36%

135 Reviews

Tomatometer

48%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Jerome (Max Minghella), a freshman at a prestigious art school, dreams of making it big, but his arrogance and affectations hamper his chances. Jealous of a clueless jock, he hatches a plan to make a splash in the art world and win the heart of the prettiest gal in school.

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Critics Consensus

Art School's misanthropy is too sour, its targets too flat and cliched, and Clowes and Zwigoff stumble when trying to build a story around the premise.

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Dirk D

I don't think this is a movie for everyone. It is amazing if you yourself have been to an art class and have asked yourself why half of the other people in the room are even present. Going to art school and being good at art are not the same thing, this movie captures that tone very well. Also, the fact that a movie such as this, about artist, gets so much negative attention from critics is just a meta chef's kiss.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A highly amusing entertaining film one of jones better films . Worth a watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I'm a huge fan of Daniel Clowes, but not as big as Shia LaBeef, who not only stole Clowes' work for his first film "Howard Cantour", but, in epic artist form, LaBeef also stole his apology for stealing Clowes' work. This theme of "actor stealing the masterpiece to sell as his own" is seen in this underrated adaptation of Clowes' work, "Art School Confidential," except the Artist being stolen from is the murderer. In clashes of abstract talent versus technical talent, we see what drives the Clowes' stand-in (Max Minghella) to steal a killer's paintings after befriending the misanthropic murderer at his dilapidated apartment. The other highlight in this film is John Malkovich, who plays the art professor trying to navigate his celebrity as the first artist to really paint triangles. The wink at artistic property and innate symbols which belong to all of us is well done here. The analysis of art and its students is so wonderful in this, you won't want to miss it. There are many wonderful sketches of women art students, and even though they sting, they are spot on.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I went to art school myself so I was mildly amused by some of the stereotypical caricatures but they were shallow and very unlikable, the parody became grotesque, there was no chemistry between the leads, the fusion with the serial killer subplot was awful, and the ending was very unsatisfying and absurd =F. Watch Cashback instead.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's one of my favorites comedies. I used to go to art school myself. It reminded me of all the crazy experiences I went through in art college. The characters are hilarious. It seems to me that this is one of those films that will maintain a cult following. It'll not be the most liked by critics who were looking for something else, but will be beloved by many moviegoers like me. My favorite comedies have a flavor of social commentary or parody. This certainly has that. It does a good job of hitting it's spots.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a decently honest look at some of the silly attitudes artists can have, and it has a pretty interesting story, but I'm sorry the main character is just too much of a self-absorbed douchebag. It's hard to connect to such a tool.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/18/20

Full Review

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Terry Zwigoff

Director

Max Minghella

Jerome

John Malkovich

Professor Sandford

Sophia Myles

Audrey

Jim Broadbent

Jimmy

Anjelica Huston

Sophie

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

Making fun of art students is like shooting Darwin fish in a barrel.

Mar 24, 2007

Full Review

Andrew Sarris

Observer

Curiously, this relentlessly cynical tone turns out sounding refreshingly original compared to the usual pieties in the genre.

Jul 12, 2006

Full Review

Marrit Ingman

Austin Chronicle

This smarty-pants campus yarn is on fire with satire.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 3, 2006

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

The excellent ensemble includes John Malkovich as a self-absorbed teacher, and a scene-stealing turn by Jim Broadbent as the world's most self-hating failed artist.

May 7, 2020

Full Review

Felicia Feaster

Creative Loafing

Art School Confidential is as visually uninteresting as it is idea-parched.

Feb 3, 2020

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Art School Confidential starts out as a great movie that eventually devolves into a pretty good one.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 21, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Jerome (Max Minghella), a freshman at a prestigious art school, dreams of making it big, but his arrogance and affectations hamper his chances. Jealous of a clueless jock, he hatches a plan to make a splash in the art world and win the heart of the prettiest gal in school.

Director: Terry Zwigoff
Executive Producer: Barbara A. Hall
Screenwriter: Daniel Clowes
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: United Artists
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Scene of Violence|Sexual References)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 5, 2006, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.3M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS

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