The Christophers Review: Steven Soderbergh’s Bittersweet Meditation on Art

Walking through the Loop or strolling past the towering galleries along Michigan Avenue, it is easy to see how the tension between creative purity and commercial viability defines the atmosphere of Chicago. The city’s deep-rooted commitment to the arts, anchored by institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago, often masks the gritty, behind-the-scenes struggle for legacy and profit that happens in private studios across the Midwest. This intersection of high art and low motives is exactly where Steven Soderbergh plants his flag in his latest cinematic offering, The Christophers. While the film presents itself as a whimsical caper, it mirrors the highly real anxieties regarding art valuation and inheritance that haunt many of the city’s most established creative estates.

The Intimate Heist: Beyond the Ocean’s Eleven Blueprint

For those familiar with Soderbergh’s filmography, the word “heist” usually conjures images of high-tech gadgets, synchronized watches, and the slick professionalism of Ocean’s Eleven. However, The Christophers pivots away from the grand scale. Written by Ed Solomon, the story focuses on a much smaller, more claustrophobic theft. The target isn’t a casino vault, but the unfinished works of Julian Sklar, a cantankerous artist played with a masterful blend of warmth and irritation by Ian McKellen. Sklar is a man caught in the modern age, recording jokey Cameos for fans while guarding a stash of unfinished masterpieces—the titular Christophers—in his own home.

The “heist” is engineered by Sklar’s children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), who view their father’s art not as a legacy, but as a liquid asset. Their plan is deceptively simple: hire a ghost artist to infiltrate the house as an assistant, finish the paintings in secret, and flip them for a profit. This premise introduces us to Lori Butler, played by Michaela Coel, an unheralded artist capable of mimicking Sklar’s style. In a city like Chicago, where the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) produces thousands of technically proficient artists who often struggle to find a foothold in a commercialized market, Lori’s position as a “blank slate” for hire feels painfully authentic.

A Study in Contrast: McKellen and Coel

The brilliance of the film lies in its shift from a plot-driven caper to a character-driven meditation. The dynamic between Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel provides the movie’s emotional ballast. McKellen’s Julian Sklar is a man of grunts, groans, and snippy bon mots, embodying the archetype of the retired maestro who views the contemporary art world as a descent into rubbish. Opposite him, Coel delivers a performance that is intentionally impenetrable. Drawing on the same unsettling energy she brought to I May Destroy You, Coel’s Lori is a compelling enigma. As she embeds herself in Sklar’s crumbling abode, the film stops being about the money and starts being about the secret Julian is guarding—the reason he refuses to finish the Christophers.

This psychological dance is where Soderbergh excels. Having spent the last several years pumping out small-scale, genre-hopping projects—including the horror-thriller Unsane, the spy romance Black Bag, and the haunted-house feature Presence—Soderbergh has mastered the art of doing more with less. The Christophers is perhaps his most plainly emotional work in this stretch. He uses the limited resources of the setting to heighten the intimacy, making the viewer feel the dust of the attic and the weight of the unfinished canvases sitting in an empty bathtub.

Art vs. Commerce in the Urban Landscape

The conflict in The Christophers isn’t just a family squabble; it is a critique of how we value creativity. When Julian prattles on about his colorful past, he is fighting against a world that prefers the “slick tale” over the “bittersweet truth.” This struggle is palpable in any major art hub. Whether it is the curated exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) or the independent galleries in Wicker Park, the pressure to commodify art often strips it of its original intent. Soderbergh suggests that the real heist isn’t the theft of the paintings, but the attempt to quantify the value of an artist’s soul through a price tag.

By weaving together a silly caper with a deep dive into the relationship between a mentor and a protégé, the film manages to avoid the traps of the indie drama. It keeps the viewer hooked with the mystery of Lori’s intentions while allowing the emotional arc to breathe. It is a reminder that the most valuable things are often those that remain unfinished or hidden from the public eye, far from the reach of greedy heirs and commercial agents. For more on how to navigate these complexities, you might find our guide on managing high-value legacies particularly useful.

Navigating Art Legacies in Chicago

Given my background in geo-journalism and analysis of local professional ecosystems, the scenarios depicted in The Christophers—unfinished works, greedy heirs, and the need for technical imitation—are real-world challenges for many families in the Chicago area. If you are managing a creative estate or dealing with the valuation of private collections, you cannot rely on guesswork. You need a specific triad of local expertise to ensure that art is preserved and that legal disputes are avoided.

Certified Fine Art Appraisers

When dealing with “unfinished masterpieces” or obscure collections, you need professionals accredited by recognized bodies such as the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) or the Appraisers Association of America. Glance for appraisers who specialize in the specific era and medium of the work and who can provide USPAP-compliant reports for insurance and tax purposes.

Specialized Estate Planning Attorneys

To prevent the kind of familial scheming seen between Barnaby and Sallie, residents should seek attorneys who specialize in “tangible personal property” within their estate plans. The right professional will help you create a trust or a detailed memorandum of distribution that specifies exactly how art should be handled, conserved, or donated to institutions like the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

Professional Art Conservators

For works stored in “crumbling abodes” or those in partial states, a conservator is essential. Look for professionals who are members of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). They provide the scientific expertise needed to stabilize paintings and ensure that the original artist’s intent is preserved without unauthorized “finishing” or alterations.

Managing a legacy is rarely as simple as a movie plot, but having the right local support makes the process transparent and fair.

Ready to find trusted professionals? Browse our complete directory of top-rated art professionals in the chicago, il area today.