Ian McKellen’s acclaimed new drama has become available to watch in the UK. Also starring Michaela Coel, The Christophers focuses on a forger who is hired by the children of a renowned artist (McKellen) to complete some of his paintings and secure an inheritance.
If you want to catch the movie on the big screen, you can now do so as it has landed in UK cinemas as of today.
The Christophers comes from director Steven Soderbergh, and also features James Corden and Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning as the adult children of the central artist, Julian Sklar.
Picturehouse
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The film has attracted a near-perfect 96% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 138 reviews, with Time labelling it “one of the best films of the year so far”.
“Many of us often find ourselves asking, Where are the smart, entertaining movies made for grownups? Soderbergh is one of the few directors making them, and the latest of these is The Christophers, which is both modest and extraordinary,” they added.
The Guardian further called it “terrifically exhilarating and funny” and “as bracing as a large vodka and tonic before lunch: fast, literate and funny with a key plot progression elliptically and unsentimentally managed” in a five-star review.
“Another solidly gripping film from the ever-prolific Soderbergh, this is a terrific two-hander, with Coel and McKellen on fine, fierce form,” added Empire.
Picturehouse
Variety suggested it was “a crackling original drama about artistic legacy in all its facets” with McKellen and Coel “at the top of their respective games”.
Meanwhile, RogerEbert.com wrote: “Your mileage will vary on other aspects of The Christophers, but there’s no denying the appeal of Ian McKellen delivering one of Solomon’s gloriously ornate monologues while Soderbergh frames him in closeup. Simple pleasures like these are why movies were created.”
The Christophers is out now in UK cinemas.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.