(Untitled) (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lewis C

  
  "How do you deal with such idiotic criticism?" (Untitled) is an absurd, entertaining mixture of a comedy, a romantic comedy, a drama, and a satire of the New York art scene (and some modern art in general, I suppose). It caught my eye because of the presence of Marley… More
  "How do you deal with such idiotic criticism?" (Untitled) is an absurd, entertaining mixture of a comedy, a romantic comedy, a drama, and a satire of the New York art scene (and some modern art in general, I suppose). It caught my eye because of the presence of Marley Shelton and Lucy Punch, two underrated and really hot actresses that I make a habit of checking out in every movie I can, but it turned out to be a worthwhile movie, beyond their presence. The two main characters are Adrian (Adam Goldberg), a bohemian experimental musician (think kicking buckets and ripping paper), and Madeline (Marley Shelton), a gallery owner who sells the commercial work of Adrian's brother to keep her gallery open, while only allowing more avant-garde pieces to be shown there. Madeline finds herself drawn to Adrian's unconventional sensibilities, but conflict eventually arises between the two when Madeline's eccentric clients don't meet Adrian's ideas of what art should be. (Untitled) is funniest when showcasing the "artwork" of its supporting characters, including Ray Park as an artist who uses taxidermy in a unique way, and Zak Orth in a small but absolutely scene-stealing role. I think you probably have to be familiar with, or at least aware of, the modern art scene to see the appeal of (Untitled). It's not a hard film to get your head around, or anything like that, but it does get its humor from situations and jokes that may not have appeal for everyone. I thought it was quite amusing, though, and I recommend that anyone who finds the idea interesting, gives it a try.

• William D

  
  "(Untitled)" starts off as a predictable parody of contemporary art such as you'd see on an episode of "Seinfeld" or some other TV sitcom. An avant-garde musician repeatedly kicks a can and calls it art, for example. We've only seen this parody a million… More
  "(Untitled)" starts off as a predictable parody of contemporary art such as you'd see on an episode of "Seinfeld" or some other TV sitcom. An avant-garde musician repeatedly kicks a can and calls it art, for example. We've only seen this parody a million times. But through the course of the film, something surprising happens. Director and co-writer Jonathan Parker reveals himself actually to know about contemporary art. Imagine that: a film about art where the filmmaker actually knows something about art -- and not just about the biographies of artists. At last! In this sense, "(Untitled)" is a long-overdue, pioneering film. For this reason, I wanted so much to like it. Unfortunately though, Mr. Parker doesn't have much to say about art, artists, or gallery owners. Parker celebrates the avant-garde spirit of being ultra-conceptual and 100 years ahead of the ordinary bourgeoisie. He also pokes affectionate fun at certain excesses, such as the statuesque gallery owner whose clothes are such works of art that they make noise whenever she walks. Galleries are skewered to a degree for having a dishonest, almost predatory approach to artists. But that's pretty much the entire film. Not much more ultimately than you'd get in a "Seinfeld" episode -- and "Seinfeld" is more fun. Parker and co-writer Catherine DiNapoli know about art. But they don't know much about what makes for a compelling feature film.

• Walter M

  
  In "(Untitled)", Adrian(Adam Goldberg) is miserable at the lack of acclaim for his experimental music and has vowed that if he is not successful in three years' time, he will kill himself. He already has the pills, by the way. If that does not do it, playing in piano… More
  In "(Untitled)", Adrian(Adam Goldberg) is miserable at the lack of acclaim for his experimental music and has vowed that if he is not successful in three years' time, he will kill himself. He already has the pills, by the way. If that does not do it, playing in piano bars will certainly finish him off. His brother Josh(Eion Bailey) is the commercially successful artist in the family whose artwork Madeleine(Marley Shelton) sells out of the back room of her gallery to hotels and hospitals to support her showcasing less mainstream artists. After a disastrous concert given by Adrian, she takes a liking to him, convincing Porter(Zak Orth), a wealthy collector, to fund an original work by him. If the easiest target for criticism is George W. Bush, then the second easiest must be modern art, as most of it must seem ridiculous to the casual onlooker. And as tempting as it may seem, "(Untitled)" takes the hard road and succeeds, starting with its glorious opening shot, by not treating its characters as caricatures. And with its witty and thoughtful deconstruction, does not go after the artwork itself, but the commercialization of it. In fact, it changes the question from is it art to do you like it? It is Madeleine's job to convince the collectors to like the artwork displayed, so she adopts a hip persona to play the part. Conversely, with the exception of Josh, the artists are sincere(and I think it is sheer genius to have Vinnie Jones play one of them) in their efforts, especially Adrian. I disagree with the onscreen critics. I think his music is emotional, just not a positive emotion, since he always seems like he is in a great deal of pain. In the end, music like art is a deliberate action, unlike noise such as cell phone rings and the sound of Madeleine's clothing.

• meril l

  
  A spoof on the pretentious modern art scene? Count me in! Masterfully executed, this film is so ridiculous - and doesn't take itself seriously. You will learn to see taxidermy and doorstops as the next big things in art, as well as the correct way to kick a bucket. I quite liked… More
  A spoof on the pretentious modern art scene? Count me in! Masterfully executed, this film is so ridiculous - and doesn't take itself seriously. You will learn to see taxidermy and doorstops as the next big things in art, as well as the correct way to kick a bucket. I quite liked some of the atonal music... what does that say about me!?

• Sunil J

  
  I was very bored.