Movie Review: Velvet Buzzsaw

Velvet Buzzsaw *** ½ / *****

Directed by: Dan Gilroy.

Written by: Dan Gilroy.

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal (Morf Vandewalt), Rene Russo (Rhodora Haze), Zawe Ashton (Josephina), Tom Sturridge (Jon Dondon), Toni Collette (Gretchen), Natalia Dyer (Coco), Daveed Diggs (Damrish), John Malkovich (Piers), Billy Magnussen (Bryson), Alan Mandell (Dease).

 

Dan Gilroy’s Velvet Buzzsaw is a brightly lit, pop art satire/horror film and is daring and original enough that you wish it was just a little bit more daring and original, because then you may have something truly special on your hands, or perhaps a little less daring and original, because then you would have a wonderful guilty pleasure on your hands. Instead, it occupies that squishy middle ground. It’s impossible to dismiss – there is something here that will remind you of Gilroy’s brilliant first feature, Nightcrawler, and yet I don’t think Gilroy is ever really able to bring Velvet Buzzsaw to the next level. It’s interesting and unique – and obviously the work of very talented people – and just not quite good enough to be something truly special.

 

The film is set in the superficial art world of Los Angeles, and pokes fun at just about all the players in that world. The main character is Morf Vandewalt – played by Jake Gyllenhall is a deliciously over-the-top performance (when your character’s named is Morf, over the top is the only way to go). He is an art critic, who can essentially make or break an artist, a gallery, a show, whatever with one review (I’m not sure, in the age of social media, anyone has that power anymore, but go with it). He moves around in a world where gallery owners and artists essentially kiss his ass, in the hopes of him making their show, instead of destroying it. He has a special relationship with Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo) an artists agent who represents only the best artists, and has a great reputation. Her assistant is Josephina (Zawe Ashton), who Morf starts sleeping with despite the fact that he’s gay. The story really kicks into high gear when Josephina discovers that her newly deceased neighbor’s massive treasure trove of art. It is the work of a tortured soul – and although he had left instructions for it to be destroyed, she “rescues” it – and of course, it becomes the hit of the art world. Everyone wants a piece. And then people start dying.

 

The death, when the happen, recall a films like the Final Destination franchise. These are not normal deaths, but actual instances of art striking back against those who are trying to exploit it. Critics, agents, gallery managers (like Toni Collette) and other bloodsuckers will become the victim of art striking back at them. It starts out as just the work of the artist in question – but it can really be any art that can be activated.

 

Gilroy’s film is really just asking that we take art seriously – that all the crap around the art, the buzz, the prices, the sales, the influencers, etc. are all just explotiing art for their own purposes, trying to make money, trying to gain prestige or be seen as cool. They don’t care about the art, they don’t take it seriously, they don’t love it – they love the idea of it. The art from the deceased painter we do see is clearly haunting, demented and it’s way, beautiful. Those who can appreciate the art on its meritis are fine. Those who try and exploit, are not.

 

The performances in the movie really help – as most of the characters are fairly one note, more caracicture, than characters. Add this to the growing list of great performances by Jake Gyllenhaal – and considering I just watched him a couple of weeks ago in a subtle, understated, at times very quiet performance in Wildlife, it certainly shows his range as well. When he wants to, Gyllenhaal can go for it – this isn’t as out there as his performance in Okja – but it’s getting there. Actresses like Rene Russo (who did the best work of her career in Nightcrawler) and Toni Collette really do elevate characters that are nothing on the page. Zawe Ashton is the breakout here as Josephina – the one who will get corrupted throughout the film. Young Coco (Natalia Dyer, from Stranger Things) doesn’t get sucked in so easily.

 

As with Gilroy’s other films, the cinematography here is by the great Robert Elswit, and his bright color palette is also one of the best things about the movie. As a whole, Velvet Buzzsaw doesn’t add up to very much. It doesn’t hit you as hard as Nightcrawler did, and for all of its many (many) flaws, I don’t think it will stick in my mind as much as Roman J. Israel, Esq. has (seriously, I didn’t much like that film when I saw it more than a year ago – but I think about it often). But it’s an interesting film by Gilroy just the same.