Watch This: The Christophers
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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In the terrific new film The Christophers, an art restorer with a little background in forgery takes a job as an assistant to a once-famous artist who's faded from public life. And her motives are complicated.
It might seem like a quiet story, but the movie packs a serious punch of top-notch talent. The artist is played by Ian McKellen, the assistant by Michaela Cole, and the film is directed by Steven Soderbergh. I'm Glenn Weldon.
And I'm Linda Holmes. And today we're talking about the Christophers on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. Joining us today is our co-host, Aisha Harris. Hello, Aisha. Hello, Linda. So The Christophers begins with Michaela Cole as Lori, an art restorer who gets a call from a brother and sister played by James Corden and Jessica Gunning. They are the good-for-nothing children of the once very famous artist Julian Sklar, played by Ian McKellen. They have no real relationship to speak of with their father, and they're concerned they'll get nothing when he dies. So they have a proposition for Lori. She will get a job as Julian's assistant, and she'll sneak up to his attic and complete several unfinished canvases from a series known as The Christophers.
Then, when Julian dies, these paintings will be discovered, and they will reap the rewards. Laurie decides to take the job, but when she meets the prickly Julian, he's not quite what she expects, and the story of the Christophers gets tricky, too. The movie is mostly a two-hander between Cole and McKellen, and they are pretty great together. The film is in theaters now. Glenn, I'm going to start with you. Where did you come down on the Christophers?
Came down pro, solidly pro. I haven't seen any reviews, but I know this thing is going to get called by some folks stagey. And you can kind of see it, I guess, because it is, what is it?
What is the premise of the film The Christophers?
It's two characters trading dialogue in a series of rooms. And that gets compounded by the fact that the dialogue is about fine art, which feels, you know, as a subject, kind of rarefied and erudite and, can I say... Can I say tote baggy? It's a little tote baggy. And I feel like we can say that. The calls are coming from inside the house. But I am so glad this is a film and not a stage production because I worry that on stage you might miss a lot of, most of, if not all of what Cole is bringing because she's bringing it in the close-ups. She is the real power. in this pair of characters. And that's odd because it seems like it's going to be McKellen at first because his character is pontificating and bloviating and it's really formative and very funny, but it soon becomes clear how much his character...
And the film itself and Soderbergh's camera is just obsessed with Cole's stillness, like this very self-possessed quality she's bringing. Because McKellen, his character is always fidgeting and the handheld camera never stops moving. But Cole just plants herself in the center of this film and everything kind of orbits around her. You know, that's aping the style of like cinema verite. Oh, we're just finding the characters in these rooms and we're using natural light. But make no mistake. Yeah. When he is his own cinematographer, he credits himself as Peter Andrews, but it is Soderbergh. He knows how to light black skin, which shouldn't be a big deal in 2026, but you see people screwing it up all the time.
And so much of this film takes place in the kind of planes of Cole's face that you just keep leaning in because you're waiting for her to... to react and I don't remember her this about her as an actor in things like Chewing Gum or I May Destroy You but here she can be completely impassive but not blank right the features are still but the eyes are alive and it's a great performance I don't want to like slight what McKellen's doing because he was 85 when he made this he's a grand dame of theater he could have just chewed the scenery and gone home but he is in those scenes with her he is acting and reacting he's alive in the moment he's letting us see how
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:16
2
What is the premise of the film The Christophers?
2:16–5:52
3
Who are the main characters in The Christophers?
5:52–8:51
4
What themes does The Christophers explore?
8:51–9:26
5
How do the performances of Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen compare?
9:26–15:21
6
What role does the cinematography play in The Christophers?
15:21–18:10