The Christophers review: Smart, unpredictable art drama
Steven Soderbergh is the definition of prolific. He has directed at least one film a year since 2017 and shows no sign of slowing down. After a dip with Magic Mike’s Last Dance and Presence, he returned to form with 2025’s Black Bag and thankfully maintains that standard with his new movie, The Christophers.
The film stars Michaela Coel as Lori Butler, an art restorer who is hired by the children of artist Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) to complete his famous portrait series The Christophers. Paintings in the series have sold for millions, and his children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), want Lori to pose as his new assistant and secretly finish the abandoned Christophers, so that when Julian dies, they can sell them for a fortune.
But when Lori arrives at Julian’s chaotic, messy, chock-full London townhouse (incredible production design by the way), she realises that it won’t be so easy to fool Julian, a pompous, egotistical man who sullied his reputation over the years and now makes money through Cameo videos. He doesn’t let her get a word in edgeways, often goes off on long monologues and stream-of-consciousness tangents. Meanwhile, Lori, who has studied Julian’s artwork intently over the years, knows him better than most people and refuses to be a yes man, like everybody else. She is no fangirl; she sees through his pretences and cuts to the heart of him.
With the help of Ed Solomon‘s clever script, the duo develop a complicated and evolving professional relationship that’s hard to define. Lori is very hard to read and her allegiances change over the course of the film, so the plot becomes quite unpredictable, and you’re not sure where it’s going to go. It feels almost like a stage play; it’s a dialogue-heavy, character-driven piece primarily set in Julian’s home – it’s juicy, unexpected and often quite funny.
McKellen is perfect for Julian and seems to relish sinking his teeth into such meaty, cruel dialogue. Julian suffers no fools and says exactly what he thinks, regardless of the consequences. Given his verbose nature, he dominates his scenes with Coel, but she is still magnetic, compelling and in control of her character. Lori is mysterious, cunning and keeps her cards close to her chest; you don’t know what she’ll do next.
Gunning and Corden feel like they’re in a different movie, one with comedy sidekicks who are too stupid to pull off their great scheme. However, they are hilarious as the buffoons who think they’re being smart and are bested at every turn.
The Christophers doesn’t quite reach the next level, but it’s still a solid two-hander that is much more complicated and exciting than expected.
In cinemas from Friday 15th May