Paint Parent Guide

There is no doubt who writer/producer Brit McAdams had in mind when he created the main character for his screenplay Paint. Carl Nargle, played by Owen Wilson, mimics everything about celebrity painter Bob Ross, from his hosting of a PBS TV show extolling the Joy of Painting, to his inexplicably mesmerizing voice and his kitschy phrases, to his signature afro. But that is where the resemblance stops. The movie is in no way a documentary about Ross’s life. Rather it is a silly spoofing of his television persona’s simplistic world view and wondering what might happen if such an individual was forced to face real world problems.

When the film starts, Carl Nargle is enjoying all the attention he receives as the host of PBS Burlington’s best-rated series. On the air for more that two decades, the star has an avid fan base who tune in to watch him create landscapes and listen to his mild-mannered musings on life. He is especially popular with his female coworkers who find sensuality in his painting metaphors and fawn over him hoping for sexual favors. Only one woman appears to be immune to his charms – Katherine (Michaela Watkins). Still, even she was his girlfriend 22 years ago.

Things start to change though when Tony (Stephen Root), the station manager, asks Carl to increase his show from one to two hours to help the struggling PBS affiliate increase its revenue. The self-centered Carl gives the invitation a hard pass, so Tony finds another artist to fill the second time slot. Ambrosia (Ciara Renée) brings a whole new kind of sexy to the canvas that soon upstages the stuck-in-a-rut resident painter. Carl feels bewildered as Ambrosia’s siren song seduces the staff and his viewers, and utterly betrayed when she begins an affair with his former lover, Katherine.

The script tries to build comedy out of Carl’s resulting meltdown, specifically as he expresses anger, jealousy, and a competitive spirit without raising his voice. Unfortunately, the humor comes off as tired and clichéd as one of Carl’s masterpieces.

Family viewers will find problematic the amount of innuendo, implied sexual liaisons between unmarried people, mentions of unfaithfulness and depiction of two women kissing. While profanities are few and the violence is contained to quiet rage and a residential fire, the film shows constant tobacco use by a character who smokes a pipe and a scene where a man uses medical marijuana in a dose that would exceed any prescription recommendation.

Another challenge for all audiences will be the story’s tedious pace and strange shift in emotional direction. The first half paints Carl as a narcissist who is too self-absorbed to see how he is hurting others and so self-serving that he is okay with hurting others. The last half is a portrait of a broken man deserving of sympathy. Considering the overall mocking tone of this cinematic experience, it isn’t an easy, or believable transition.

By the time the credits rolled, I still didn’t have much empathy for Carl Nargle. However, I did feel rather sad for the real Bob Ross. During his lifetime, critics debated over the artistic merits of his work. And now Ross’s legacy (artistic or not) is being painted over by this fictional film.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.