Movie Review - Exit Through the Gift Shop

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

Directed by Banksy

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Ten years ago, Theirry Guetta was a French immigrant living in Los Angeles running a used clothing store.  What made him unique was that he filmed every single aspect of his life.  While on vacation in France, he comes in contact with his cousin, a "street artist" named Invader who posted little tile mosaics of Space Invaders aliens all around France (and the world, for that matter).  Theirry became fascinated with street art and decided to follow and document other artists (who worked in the mediums of "poster art" [plastering posters of their art onto public places] and the typical "street graffiti" art).  However, there was one street artist that Thierry longed to capture -- the ever elusive and extremely popular Banksy.

Through a series of seemingly fated circumstances, Theirry and Banksy meet in L.A. and Banksy agrees to let Theirry film him.  Eventually, however, the tables are turned and Theirry finds himself becoming more involved in creating the art himself much to the chagrin of the very artists Theirry was filming.

Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary that essentially poses the question that is often posited when one stares at a piece of modern art -- "Is what I'm looking at actually art?"  I remember heading up to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC a few years ago and walking through a room of apparent art pieces and thinking to myself, "How the hell do I get in on this art thing because I think if I spit my toothpaste out onto a canvas it could find its way into this museum."  When the tables are turned on the "real" street artists like Banksy, he is essentially pondering the same question as me.

The film is ultimately unique in that it starts off as a film we think is going to be about Thierry documenting artists and eventually turns into a movie about artists (Banksy) filming Thierry attempting to become an artist.  An interesting concept, but, as has been the criticism of this film, one has to wonder how much of it is real and how much of it is staged (of course, the same critique was lobbied at Catfish, but I had no problem believing the truth there).  The issue ultimately lies in the fact that Thierry's art really isn't that good (even this reviewer who lacks any true art knowledge could see that), yet he is seemingly lauded by the L.A. community.  

Even looking past the veracity of the subject matter, I don't quite know how this film is popping up on several 2010 Top Ten lists.  I mean, the film is fine, but it's not all that exciting and not all that groundbreaking.  It lulls at times (particularly during the first 30 minutes) and the art itself (even from the real "artitsts" portrayed) didn't excite me in the slightest (which I guess isn't a fault of the film, but it certainly didn't help keep me interested).  There's a much better art documentary out there right now -- The Art of the Steal -- that should definitely be watched before this more lauded entry.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+