Paint (2023 film)

American film by Brit McAdams

Paint

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Brit McAdams
Written by| Brit McAdams
Produced by|

* Sam Maydew
* Peter Brant

Starring|

* Owen Wilson
* Michaela Watkins
* Ciara Renée
* Stephen Root
* Wendi McLendon-Covey
* Lucy Freyer
* Lusia Strus
* Michael Pemberton

Cinematography| Patrick Cady
Edited by| Sofi Marshall
Music by| Lyle Workman

Production
companies

* Blue Creek Pictures
* Silver Lining Entertainment
* White Birch Films

Distributed by| IFC Films

Release date

* April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)

Running time

| 96 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Box office| $811,739[1]

Paint is a 2023 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Brit McAdams. The film stars Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Ciara Renée, Stephen Root, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Lucy Freyer, Lusia Strus, and Michael Pemberton.

Paint was released in the United States on April 7, 2023, by IFC Films.

## Plot

[edit]

Carl Nargle has hosted Vermont's number one painting show for nearly three decades. His status as a superstar of public broadcasting is challenged when the struggling TV station hires Ambrosia, a younger painter who has more skill and versatility than Carl.

His timeslot is quickly taken over by her and so is his ability to seduce his co-workers. The station manager decides to fire Carl after an embarrassing fundraiser and gets him a job teaching painting classes at a nearby college, but he is too depressed to teach. The true love of his life, Katherine, comes to his aid when realizing that she has wasted her life waiting for his approval and Carl decides that he has been a foolish and vain playboy. The two confess their love to one another as Carl's barn accidentally burns down, leaving the town to believe that he is dead, when in reality, he is living a simple life with Katherine.

## Cast

[edit]

* Owen Wilson as Carl Nargle
* Michaela Watkins as Katherine
* Wendi McLendon-Covey as Wendy
* Ciara Renée as Ambrosia
* Lucy Freyer as Jenna
* Lusia Strus as Beverly
* Stephen Root as Tony
* Michael Pemberton as Dr. Bradford Lenihan
* Denny Dillon as PBS host[2]
* Evander Duck Jr. as Reuban[2]
* Ryan Czerwonko as young bar regular[2]

## Production

[edit]

The film took 13 years to make.[3] In 2010, the screenplay Paint, written by Brit McAdams, was featured on the Black List of that year's most-liked unproduced screenplays.[4] On April 16, 2021, it was announced that Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ciara Renée, Lusia Strus, and Stephen Root had signed on to star in the film, which McAdams would also direct.[5] In May 2021, it was announced that Lucy Freyer would also star.[6]

Principal photography took place from April 2021 to June 2021 in Albany, New York.[7][8]

## Release

[edit]

Paint was originally set to be released by IFC Films on April 28, 2023, but was moved to April 7, 2023. The film streamed exclusively on AMC+ in the United States later in 2023.[9]

The film was released digitally on May 9, with a Blu-ray and DVD release to follow on July 25.[10]

## Reception

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### Box office

[edit]

Paint made $293,000 from 819 theaters on its first day, and a total of $570,512 in its opening weekend, finishing in ninth.[11]

### Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 32% of 104 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Thanks to a creative canvas that's stretched too thin and haphazardly splashed with far too few colors, most viewers will find watching Paint a painfully dry experience."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[13] Audiences surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 83% positive score, with 33% saying they would definitely recommend it.[11]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Paint (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
2. ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (February 8, 2023). "'Paint' Teaser: Owen Wilson Does His Best Bob Ross In IFC Films Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
3. ^ Ramos-Moreno, Paco (April 10, 2023). "'Paint' sees Owen Wilson play an artist struggling with a changing world". Spectrum News. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
4. ^ Sciretta, Peter (December 13, 2010). "2010 The Black List: The Year's Best Unproduced Screenplays". /Film. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
5. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (April 16, 2021). "Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root To Star In 'Paint' From Director Brit McAdams". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
6. ^ Grobar, Matt (May 13, 2021). "Lucy Freyer Boards Owen Wilson Comedy 'Paint'; Jason Wong Joins 'Dungeons & Dragons'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
7. ^ "Paint – Production Listing". ProductionList.com. February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
8. ^ "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production – Paint". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2023). "IFC Moves Up Owen Wilson Vermont Painter Comedy 'Paint' – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
10. ^ "Paint DVD Release Date". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
11. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 8, 2023). "'Super Mario Bros' Swelling To $368M WW, All-Time Record Debut For Animated Movie, Beating 'Frozen 2' – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
12. ^ "Paint". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
13. ^ "Paint". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 24, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Paint at IMDb
* Paint at Box Office Mojo
* Paint at Rotten Tomatoes
* Paint at Metacritic