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What happens when the world's most infamous and subversive street artist makes a documentary? You get the best film of 2010. The movie is really two separate films. The first half deals with an amateur filmmaker, Thierry, who happens to have a cousin who was fairly big in the street art (graffiti) scene, and under the pretense of making a documentary captures the world of street artists, up to and including Banksy, the director of this film (using footage from the amateur filmmaker). The tonal and thematic shift in the second half is absolutely amazing. The focus of the movie changes from the street artists to Thierry himself, and to say any more would spoil it. The last 20 minutes or so left me agog and filled with questions as the credits ran. I rarely give movies 5/5, but this one earns every bit of it. Do yourself a favor and don't read about the movie beforehand. Suffice to say that it is every bit as satirical and subversive as one would expect from Banksy, who I was just vaguely familiar with beforehand but have since read up on. e: 15 ratings and mine is the only review? Come on people, talk about how great this movie is! regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Dec 27, 2010 |
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Dec 18, 2010 00:47
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Watched this last night. I'm a fan of the street art scene, and although I don't think that Banksy is representative of the whole culture, I think he has talent and has at least established himself in the mainstream by skill rather than hype. Which I suppose is the crux of the film. Without giving too much away, this film does expose, to my mind, the stupidity of "art" fans, and people keen to jump on the streetart band wagon. The film follows a man who begins video recording his cousin, a street artist in France, while he creates his pieces. He then meets a number of other street artists and is trusted enough to be allowed in to the inner sanctum of world renouned/international artists, and there is some genuinely excellent footage of the pieces being done, and interviews with the artists. The focus then moves on to the film maker himself, and how he then approches the art world from his experiences, and his street art influences. Seeing this chapter unfold is genuinely interesting and sickening at the same time. There are then follow up interviews with Banksy and Shepard Fairey etc, who expound their take on what goes on. Definately worth a watch if you have an interest in street art, or just art. The film itself is mainly high 8 footage interspersed with interviews and news segments etc. It's the story that makes the film interesting. 4/5
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Jan 3, 2011 14:20
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This movie was in my Netflix stream and I watched it because of this thread. I loved it as an art documentary, but what stuck with me was Thierry's story. It was pretty fascinating seeing his "character development" from simple film maker to... well, the end of the movie. If you have any interest in the street art scene, watch this film. 4/5
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Jan 23, 2011 02:15
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I have zero interest in the street art scene, and found this to be a very entertaining movie. I was even skeptical of all of the reviews I've read on SA and Rottentomatoes. I was wrong. You'll laugh, you'll get angry, but most importantly- you'll get entertained. 4.5/5 melon cat fucked around with this message at 03:23 on Apr 15, 2011 |
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Jan 26, 2011 02:46
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Like others already said; whether you have any interest in street art or not, this is an excellent film indeed. It draws you in very quickly, there are no lengthy introductions or explanations, and the pacing is just right - although I found myself pausing and rewinding a lot to have a better look at the artwork. It's somewhat hard to believe that the story isn't (at least partially) a prank, given that the main character's name is composed of the first and last names of frenchmen who should be among the first to come to mind to a brit of Banksy's generation, and I'm still not convinced Banksy & Co. aren't having a laugh at the expense of art nerds and puffy-faced nouveau-riche collectors. I don't really want to know, actually; it's more fun this way. Anyway, the film's genuinely funny at times; and it's a pleasure to see the street art people at work. Some of the larger stencils, paintings, and co-ordinated sprayings are very impressive.
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Feb 11, 2011 13:11
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As someone who knows very little about the street art scene, I found the movie to be really interesting and informative. The first half of this film follows street artists and their exploits around Los Angeles, and even shows how they construct their art pieces and then get them up around the city, climbing up roofs and on ledges etc. I didn't know much at all about any of this stuff so it was cool to get such an in-depth look at the artists' methods. Then movie's transition in the second half of focusing on the French cameraman is a natural one, exploring his entry into the art world and the art world's reaction to him and his work. This documentary hits all the right notes and never feels like it's dragging. Banksy knows he has an interesting story here and tells it well. 4.5/5
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Feb 23, 2011 23:56
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There's really a lot to digest with Exit Through the Gift Shop, which is simultaneously a legit documentary about street artists, a faux-doc about the Thierry character, and a large live-art performance that conjoins the two. The entire conceit may well be a huge hoax perpetrated by Banksy, the best of a big group of artists depicted here. Personally, whether it was real or fake didn't interest me so much as the questions it provoked. It seems in art--as life--talent and insight are supplemental to ambition. It's interesting that Banksy & Co. seem to enable Mr. Brainwash against their better judgment. This is a passive malaise that extends beyond the mere art scene, where many in the world of finance, business, politics and entertainment become ubiquitous because the people who ought to lack the fortitude to tell them No. My favourite part was the depiction of the truly clueless nouveau-riche dipshits who serve as taste-makers, and produce a trickle-down effect on the plebes. I'm no art historian, but cheap, tacky and mass-produced seems to define this era--naturally, MBW's derivative junk gets a pass from practically all the aspiring art phonies who want a message condensed into t-shirt form. Maybe true art has to mock its benefactors. I also liked the backstage scenes at Banksy's shop, and watching his phonebooth piece come together. Exit Through the Gift Shop is entertaining and thought-provoking. It celebrates art then performs the autopsy.
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Mar 10, 2011 18:18
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I became curious about this movie when my uncle, a former art history professor, saw it and declared that "art is dead!" I spotted this thread and decided to watch it on Netflix. I can definitely see the "art is dead" argument here, but I think it's more of an indictment of the gallery scene and art collectors than the artists or their work. There was some very impressive art on display, and the exploration of the history and philosophy of street art was really fascinating. It's a great documentary, a lot of fun and it really does make you think. Highly recommended.
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Apr 11, 2011 06:59
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This kept popping up on my Netflix recommendations and I had read a few articles citing Exit Through the Gift Shop as one of the top documentaries out there. I must say the entire idea of graffiti and street art is (was) foreign to me, and is part of the reason I wrote off watching it for so long, because I thought "graffiti is annoying". After watching it I must say, not only has it turned me on to street art, which is completely different than my preconceived notions of it, but it is possibly one of the most intriguing docs I have ever seen. It goes from an interesting street art educational documentary to a satirical and critical doc, asking the ultimate question "What is art?". 5/5
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Oct 5, 2011 18:16
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At its heart this movie really seems asinine. I can't pretend that I didn't like it though. Lots of great footage of street artists and a really interesting insight into their world. The only thing I have against this film is the feeling of bitterness it seems to exude for Thierry Guetta. Really, I think the representation of his success is of the purest forms of the ideals this movie seems to subscribe to. Selling commercialized products based off of street art to people for thousands of dollars seems justified - ignorant individuals being taken for what amounts to cheap reproductions of real street art. But the only message I took away from this movie was: Banksy feels like he got fooled and is a crybaby. Get over it Banksy. Worth a watch if you have any interest in street art. Turn on mute and this movie becomes 10x more watchable and likeable. 3.5/5 Nuglord fucked around with this message at 09:53 on Sep 3, 2012 |
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Nov 11, 2011 02:56
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