Time for another yearly drop from director Steven Soderbergh. Last year, he practically spoiled audiences by delivering both a unique haunted house story (Presence) and a slick spy thriller (Black Bag). The Christophers technically debuted at film festivals last year, which continues showing just how busy he’s chosen to keep himself. With that in mind, while being prolific could also lead to a miss now and again, The Christophers is a delightful push back into somewhat more familiar indie territory (minimal characters, locations), combined with a story quite suitable for a filmmaker adept at delivering on comedy and drama by way of the talented ensemble assembled. Adding a bit of a caper element and commentary on art culture only increases the value, making this a piece worth checking out.
Michaela Coel stars as Lori Butler, an artist currently working out of a food truck. She’s recruited by Barnaby and Sallie Sklar (James Corden and Jessica Gunning), the children of the famed retired artist Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), to pose as his assistant for a nefarious purpose. You see, Juian has an incomplete series of paintings known as “The Christophers,” and in anticipation of his death, the kids want Lori to sneak into his office and complete them to increase their value, once they have control of his estate. While Lori is brought on as an assistant, things take a turn when Julian discovers the plot and comes to understand Lori’s immense skill as an artist in the process.
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A more contrived version of this story would push the greedy children into more aggressive territory, leaning away from the joy we get from the interactions between Julian and Lori. Sure, Soderbergh could no doubt pull off some homage to The Ladykillers or other Ealing comedies. Still, not only did we already get one of those earlier this year, but the script by Ed Solomon (a current frequent Soderbergh collaborator and past screenwriter of the Bill & Ted films) is much more willing to explore this interesting dynamic between artists. As a result, we get a couple of wonderful performances from McKellen and Coel.
Frankly, this is one of the best performances I’ve seen from McKellen in a long time. It’s not just him having a director allow his commanding presence and voice to do most of the work; it’s a role that lets him be playful, mischievous, and sincere about his work and the work of those who respect this profession. McKellen has had to rely on being an older man with one last shot to prove himself in a variety of roles for a while now, but this feels like he’s actually having fun with the part and not needing Helen Mirren or some other equivalent of a similar age to pull it off.
At the same time, this is a great display of Coel’s talent. Already an award-winning performer and writer for her work in the limited series I May Destroy You and Chewing Gum, it’s great to see her in the non-obvious role of a very talented painter who is good enough to forge the work of a well-known artist, possibly. This becomes even more interesting when the character describes Julian’s art, breaking down the process in technical terms rarely heard in film. This not only goes a long way toward building credibility in the film’s approach to the subject matter, but also finds far more interesting common ground for our lead characters to stand on.
Not for nothing, but Corden and Gunning (coming off her award-winning turn in Baby Reindeer) are also ideally cast. Yes, Corden included, as he’s ostensibly playing a boorish snob up to no good. That may be harsh, but also the sort of feature film role he could best occupy without turning anyone off. It also speaks to why the film doesn’t need to veer into cliché.
As noted, instead of getting a seedier film that needs to push vague threats of violence, The Christophers takes a smarter approach by building scheme upon scheme. Can we see various characters outwit each other, and who will end up on top? At the same time, this film serves as an examination of what it means not so much to assess which types of people do and do not have talent, but to have true talent and give it up. The conversations that arise from this concept allow us to understand the characters’ meaningful depths without the film giving up on the audience.
Making all this fun is a challenge in itself. Still, even while merely focusing on a few locations at most, and no other characters than the ones I’ve already listed, there’s an engaging, tight film that knows how to utilize its space and when to involve different members of the cast. I suppose one could say it feels akin to a stage play. That’s not without merit, but the construction of this film (with editing and cinematography once again handled by Soderbergh under his aliases), along with the quieter but fun score by frequent composer David Holmes, gives The Christophers the cinematic edge it needs.
There’s something enjoyable about evoking the prolific nature of Soderbergh, as I do like seeing a filmmaker who not only likes to keep working but seems very much inclined not to repeat themselves. There’s a fire in him to hold onto ambition that I greatly admire, and when it allows for horror, thrillers, comedies, period dramas, and more, all handled skillfully, and with a wonderful set of performers, it’s something I feel worth championing. The Christophers has a simple enough premise wrapped around complex characters who are terribly fun to get along with. That has made for more than just a rough draft, but in fact a full-blown, completed work to observe.
The Christophers opens in limited release on April 10, 2026, and expands wider on April 17.
