Art School Confidential

Terry Zwigoff directed Art School Confidential, a 2006 American comedy-drama written by Daniel Clowes. It follows Jerome, a young man who has drawn obsessively since childhood and enrolls at a modest art school in the eastern United States, hoping to become a great painter. At the school he meets fellow students, including the filmmaker Vince and the fashion-obsessed Matthew, and becomes involved with Audrey, a beautiful life model. He also befriends Bardo and the failed, hard-drinking artist Jimmy, while Professor Sandiford offers a jaded view of the art world. What Jerome discovers is that talent counts for less than self-promotion, and that provocation and scandal attract more attention than patient work at the easel. Convinced he understands how the art scene really operates, he sets a risky plan in motion.

The film is the third directed by Zwigoff, after Ghost World and Bad Santa, and reunites him with Clowes, who wrote the screenplay. Max Minghella plays Jerome, with Sophia Myles as Audrey, John Malkovich as Professor Sandiford, Jim Broadbent as Jimmy, Matt Keeslar as Jonah and Ethan Suplee as Vince. The credited cast runs to 67. It earned about 3 million dollars at the worldwide box office. On IMDb it holds 6.3/10 from 18,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.1/10 from 239 votes. Its critics' rating stands at 5.7/10 from 133 reviews, placing the professional response slightly below the audience scores.