Parents' Guide to Not an Artist

The premise sets up a somewhat intriguing predicament for aspiring artists, but unfortunately, the film doesn't stick the landing. The first half of Not an Artist establishes a quirky situation seemingly built for comedic antics, but sadly, not much comedy is on display. The second half turn of the film finds characters getting serious and genuine in their attempts at artistic triumph, while the first half of the film implies characters' journeys to revelation will be full of hilarity. But soon, a few side characters quickly bow out and pretty much disappear, and more characters just leave, without any impact to the story, except for representing how some artists at the residency were never "meant to be" artists. And therein also lies the conceptual problem with this movie. Many viewers will find the entire premise quite ridiculous.

A wealthy benefactor called The Abbott gets aspiring artists to sign contracts that say they have to quit trying to be artists if they "fail" while at the residency. And the only test is at the end, when they are asked if they feel like what they produced represents their fullest potential? First, it implies that "to be an artist" you have to reach your full potential and if you don't, you must quit trying "to be an artist" forever. Second, who in the real world approaches (their) art like this? And, who cares? Quite simply, many viewers will struggle to care about these characters, who are self-absorbed. Alice and Charles aren't all that likeable, and The Abbott doesn't feel like the guru he's supposed to be. Supporting cast talent is wasted (Haley Joel Osment, Rosalind Chao), and the reliance on improv for a lot of the dialogue and scene execution is hit and miss (and mostly miss).