In this episode of Film Curious, we're reviewing The Christophers, the NEON dark comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, starring Ian McKellen as a once famous aging artist and Michaela Coel as an art forger hired by his children (played by James Corden and Jessica Gunning) to complete some of his unfinished, long-abandoned work so they’ll have an inheritance when he dies.

We discuss how McKellen and Coel's chemistry and performances are at the heart of the film, how Soderbergh quietly does some of his most superb directing through subtlety, why this feels like watching a play in the best possible way, and how this film has rightly earned its 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Things We Mention in the Episode:

Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes

NEON Shop | The Christophers’ Art Poster

Guest Co-Host | Pete Tedone - Instagram

⏱️Timestamps

00:00 Highlight Clip from Episode

00:27 Intro - The Christophers Synopsis, Cast, + Details

05:23 Steven Soderbergh’s Direction - Invisible But Brilliant

07:45 ⚠️SPOILERS⚠️ The Heart of the Film - Ian McKellen + Michaela Coel’s Performances

09:53 James Corden & Jessica Gunning - The Perfect Pair of Assholes

10:29 Little Moments Spread Throughout the Film with Great Payoffs

12:40 Ian McKellen is One of the Greats and Doing Some of His Best Work Later in Life

15:18 How This Film Would Work Great as Stage Adaptation

16:35 Soderbergh Quietly Putting Together a Great Catalog of Work Over the Years

18:07 NEON’s Shop Having The Christophers Artwork as a Poster Available

19:57 Find and Support a Small Theater Near You and Go See This Film

22:29 Outro - Thanks for Listening! Don’t Forget to Subscribe!

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#TheChristophers #IanMcKellen #MichaelaCoel #FilmPodcast