June 9, 2026
FILM: THE CHRISTOPHERS
DIRECTED BY: STEVEN SODERBERGH
WRITTEN BY: ED SOLOMON
STARRING: IAN MCKELLEN, MICHAELA COEL, JESSICA GUNNING
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I first heard about Steven Soderbergh’s film The Christophers after it screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. There was particularly high praise for Ian McKellen’s performance as a painter near the end of his life dealing with a forger and two greedy adult children. It sometimes takes a while for such lower budget, non-action oriented films to get a distribution deal – even if they’re directed by an Oscar-winner. Fortunately, the wait was worth it for this is an intricately plotted, well-directed, and well-acted film.
The story gets right to the point in the opening scenes. Lori Butler, played by Michaela Coel, is working a food truck when she gets a call from a former classmate about an art-related job. Lori meets up with Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden, respectively) who want to hire her to forge an unfinished series of paintings created by their once famous father Julian (Ian McKellen.) Referred to as “The Christophers,” the works are currently locked away on the top floor of Julian’s London home. Aside from the money, Lori may have other reasons why she takes the job. It becomes clear that Sallie and Barnaby are really only doing this for the inheritance money they hope to receive when Julian passes away. Their relationship with him is strained and, perhaps from his perspective, rightly so. They are depicted as greedy adults that don’t seem to care much for preserving Julian’s legacy.
Most of the film follows the connection between Julian and Lori. As characters, they couldn’t be more different. Lori, as played by Coel, with her severe, tight features that make her appear almost like a porcelain robot, is calm, unflinching, and stoic in her interactions with him. McKellen’s Julian, who we first see speaking to his computer while making money off Cameo videos for his fans, comes across initially as very grizzled, gruff, and unpleasant to be around. Gradually, he becomes more animated and alive as McKellen reveals the losses and pain he has suffered related, in part, to his former lover Christopher and being “cancelled” for his on-air rants during an art competition television series.
Eventually, the plot becomes something of a caper as a revenge agenda is established. The twists in the story are mostly unpredictable and interesting to watch unfold. Perhaps not so satisfying though is when an emotional shift switch happens rather surprisingly within a single scene, such as Lori’s reaction to a piece of work Julian is revising. His anger towards her stands in sharp contrast to where they’d been only seconds earlier. Their relationship is a series of ups and downs with a couple of emotional outbursts to boot. It still works though as the film interweaves the various themes of greed and revenge to warrant the characters’ motivations and arcs.
The Christophers, which is also a very talky film, does almost play out like a stage play with a very elaborate set. Most of the story takes place in Julian’s home and, specifically, his art studio. The production designer has paid extreme attention to detail creating his professional and personal space. From the paints and brushes to the clutter and unkempt look of the multi-level dwelling, it feels as if we are inside the private world Julian hasn’t left in decades.
The script is generally solid but some of Julian’s speeches are a bit too long-winded. They’re great for McKellen to act out but they go on longer than necessary. Similarly, Lori is so stoic that we yearn for her to jump in and interrupt him sooner than she does. The characters of Julian’s adult children are also somewhat one-note save for a brief moment when Barnaby reacts to an awful painting Sallie did when she was much younger. It would have been interesting to delve more into their relationship with Julian when they were growing up. All we know is that he doesn’t think highly of either of them, suggesting his guiding role as a parent was likely lacking in warmth and discipline.
Still, this is an interesting story about greed vs. legacy and about making something wrong right again while letting go of the past.
The Christophers is currently playing in limited theatrical release but is also available for rent/purchase on Amazon Prime.
FILM: THE CHRISTOPHERS
DIRECTED BY: STEVEN SODERBERGH
WRITTEN BY: ED SOLOMON
STARRING: IAN MCKELLEN, MICHAELA COEL, JESSICA GUNNING
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I first heard about Steven Soderbergh’s film The Christophers after it screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. There was particularly high praise for Ian McKellen’s performance as a painter near the end of his life dealing with a forger and two greedy adult children. It sometimes takes a while for such lower budget, non-action oriented films to get a distribution deal – even if they’re directed by an Oscar-winner. Fortunately, the wait was worth it for this is an intricately plotted, well-directed, and well-acted film.
The story gets right to the point in the opening scenes. Lori Butler, played by Michaela Coel, is working a food truck when she gets a call from a former classmate about an art-related job. Lori meets up with Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden, respectively) who want to hire her to forge an unfinished series of paintings created by their once famous father Julian (Ian McKellen.) Referred to as “The Christophers,” the works are currently locked away on the top floor of Julian’s London home. Aside from the money, Lori may have other reasons why she takes the job. It becomes clear that Sallie and Barnaby are really only doing this for the inheritance money they hope to receive when Julian passes away. Their relationship with him is strained and, perhaps from his perspective, rightly so. They are depicted as greedy adults that don’t seem to care much for preserving Julian’s legacy.
Most of the film follows the connection between Julian and Lori. As characters, they couldn’t be more different. Lori, as played by Coel, with her severe, tight features that make her appear almost like a porcelain robot, is calm, unflinching, and stoic in her interactions with him. McKellen’s Julian, who we first see speaking to his computer while making money off Cameo videos for his fans, comes across initially as very grizzled, gruff, and unpleasant to be around. Gradually, he becomes more animated and alive as McKellen reveals the losses and pain he has suffered related, in part, to his former lover Christopher and being “cancelled” for his on-air rants during an art competition television series.
Eventually, the plot becomes something of a caper as a revenge agenda is established. The twists in the story are mostly unpredictable and interesting to watch unfold. Perhaps not so satisfying though is when an emotional shift switch happens rather surprisingly within a single scene, such as Lori’s reaction to a piece of work Julian is revising. His anger towards her stands in sharp contrast to where they’d been only seconds earlier. Their relationship is a series of ups and downs with a couple of emotional outbursts to boot. It still works though as the film interweaves the various themes of greed and revenge to warrant the characters’ motivations and arcs.
The Christophers, which is also a very talky film, does almost play out like a stage play with a very elaborate set. Most of the story takes place in Julian’s home and, specifically, his art studio. The production designer has paid extreme attention to detail creating his professional and personal space. From the paints and brushes to the clutter and unkempt look of the multi-level dwelling, it feels as if we are inside the private world Julian hasn’t left in decades.
The script is generally solid but some of Julian’s speeches are a bit too long-winded. They’re great for McKellen to act out but they go on longer than necessary. Similarly, Lori is so stoic that we yearn for her to jump in and interrupt him sooner than she does. The characters of Julian’s adult children are also somewhat one-note save for a brief moment when Barnaby reacts to an awful painting Sallie did when she was much younger. It would have been interesting to delve more into their relationship with Julian when they were growing up. All we know is that he doesn’t think highly of either of them, suggesting his guiding role as a parent was likely lacking in warmth and discipline.
Still, this is an interesting story about greed vs. legacy and about making something wrong right again while letting go of the past.
The Christophers is currently playing in limited theatrical release but is also available for rent/purchase on Amazon Prime.