STONEWALL VITURAL CLUBS

The Christophers is a sharp, stylish black comedy from Steven Soderbergh that blends art‑world satire with an unexpectedly tender look at aging, legacy, and creative identity.

At its center is Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), once a celebrated figure of London’s 1960s–70s pop‑art scene, now eccentric, broke, and largely forgotten. His most mythologized works—three series of paintings known as The Christophers, inspired by a former lover—remain unfinished, tucked away in his cluttered home studio. When his estranged, opportunistic children (James Corden and Jessica Gunning) hire Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), a talented but sidelined painter and sometime‑forger, to secretly complete the canvases so they can sell them after Julian’s death, the film kicks off its darkly comic chain of deception.

What follows is a clever, intimate two‑hander between McKellen and Coel. Julian quickly realizes Lori’s true purpose, and instead of exposing her, he draws her into a strange, prickly friendship built on artistic critique, ego, and mutual mischief. Their dynamic—equal parts mentorship, manipulation, and creative sparring—drives the film’s emotional core. Critics have praised their chemistry as “the onscreen pairing of the year,” noting how the film uses humor to explore deeper questions about artistic authenticity, the value of failure, and the absurdity of the art market.