Paint (2023)

Despite critics' disdain, we enjoyed this story of a soft-spoken, eccentric painter whose daily show is broadcast on Vermont Public TV. Owen Wilson stars as Carl Nargle, inspired in part by Bob Ross, and sports a similar perm, as his character seems stuck in the 1970s, even though there are cell phones in the story. Support comes from Michaela Watkins, Stephen Root, Wendi McClendon-Covey, and more.

Director/writer Brit McAdams' screenplay made the 2010 Black List, which is a lineup of scripts judged by a respected panel to be the best unproduced screenplays each year. I really liked the funny twist at the end.

Lyle Workman's soundtrack isn't available online so I'm streaming his latest album as I write and it's quite pleasant. Someone made a Spotify playlist of songs in the movie.

Upstate New York stands in for Vermont locations, including a Saratoga Springs TV station, empty because of COVID in the spring of 2021. This Fast Company article about the movie is fascinating but does contain a slight spoiler in the end of the second paragraph, so reader beware.

Stick around for a dance/blooper reel during the end credits, which is reported to have been watched more than the rest of the movie. Pro tip: on a computer, when Netflix shrinks the screen during the credits (and I start cursing), click on the little window to continue watching. On an Apple TV, press the up button or swipe up, depending on your remote. Do not use the back button because that will end the screening (and I will continue cursing when I accidentally do that).

Wilson was last blogged for Inherent Vice (though I didn't mention him as part of the large ensemble in The French Dispatch), Watkins for You Hurt My Feelings, Root for To Leslie, McClendon-Covey for one of the voices in Elemental, and Workman for Win Win. It's McAdams' feature directing debut.

As I said above, Rotten Tomatoes' critics have thrown turpentine on this with a 32% average and its audiences are fading with 57. Jack and I streamed it on May 8 on Hulu.