A mainstay of the London art scene since his starry breakout in the creative explosion of the 1960’s, Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) has drifted into a cluttered, self-imposed seclusion.
His two estranged children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) enlist Lori (Michaela Coel), a young painter and sometime-forger, to pose as a prospective assistant and gain access to a fabled series of unfinished canvases Julian has buried deep in his home studio, in a deceptive bid to secure an inheritance for themselves.
What is the value of art? Does it reside in personal expression? Cultural longevity? Financial worth? These questions fuel this gloriously entertaining comedy, directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon.
★★★★
“Another exhilarating late-career opportunity for McKellen to really bare teeth, but this time he has a script that’s actually able to match him”
– The Guardian
★★★★
“McKellen’s show – he’s having such a fantastic time that the results are as thrilllingly visceral as if we’re in a theatre watching him perform live”
– Time Out