Paint
IFC Films | Release Date: April 7, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
14
Negative:
9
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
89
Austin ChronicleMatthew MonagleApr 5, 2023
We need gentle comedies like this in the world; we certainly need more movies that remind us of why we fell in love with Owen Wilson in the first place. Like the work of Carl Nargle, history will hopefully be very kind to what McAdams has created. Read full review
75
ObserverEmily ZemlerApr 7, 2023
Some of the scenes are tonally strange, which will appeal to certain viewers and feel off-putting to others. But thanks to the visual style, which evokes a vintage palette and lighting, and Wilson’s likable portrayal of Carl, Paint has its own sort of indie-movie charm. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubRay GreeneApr 7, 2023
While it’s possible to quibble about the weirdly sci-fi mix of period signifiers (white boy afros exist beside cellphones), and to look askance at Paint’s rather too blithe approach to sex-in-the-workplace power dynamics, few comedies in recent memory come by their laughs more honestly than Paint does because, like all the best comedies, the laughter is based on a genuine unease. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 5, 2023
The film follows its own winding path and covers a lot of emotional ground in 96 minutes, with Michaela Watkins lovely in a key role as Carl’s former lover and colleague. Some movies are more than just a story, they’re a world — and Paint is a world worth visiting. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithApr 6, 2023
It is the year’s sweetest cinematic surprise so far, containing much of the childlike tenderness and dry whimsy of a Wes Anderson film, minus that director’s sometimes-suffocating obsession with surfaces. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleApr 6, 2023
Paint may ultimately be just modestly amusing, but at least it understands that a palette of well-blended tones has a better chance of earning our laughs than the one-color-fits-all kind. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzApr 5, 2023
Paint is one of those good ideas that doesn’t quite make a good movie. Until it does. Read full review
60
VarietyOwen GleibermanApr 4, 2023
In its dry deliberate way, Paint skewers something all too real: a certain kind of toxic self-deluding male myopia. Read full review
58
ConsequencePaolo RagusaApr 5, 2023
At its best, Paint is a delightful and occasionally awkward ode to art, and how it defines us as creators and consumers. But at its worst, Paint feels, well, pointless. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony LaneApr 10, 2023
As for Nargle, he seems like a refugee from a Christopher Guest film, and I can imagine him, say, as an artist-in-residence among the folksingers of “A Mighty Wind” (2003). Whether he merits a movie to himself is another matter. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperApr 6, 2023
We find it hard to get invested in the fates of any of these characters, despite the talented cast and the undeniably interesting look of the film. Read full review
50
The PlaylistChristian GallichioApr 5, 2023
Paint is a truly strange film that is never the full-on comedy that one might expect, but it also never commits to the despair that seems to be lingering right under the surface. Despite a truly unhinged final twist that almost makes the entire film worth it, “Paint” is more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny. Read full review
50
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaApr 5, 2023
Paint almost gets by on its shaggy dog charm mostly thanks to Wilson, who remains loveable enough to guide us through this world. But the comedy is flat and the drama is dry, and none of it adds up to a pretty picture. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliApr 5, 2023
There’s nothing in Paint to excite fans of the late painter and even less for those who don’t know anything about him. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 5, 2023
Wilson seems perfectly cast, but comes off as so mellow there’s barely anything comical to hang onto. A few flashes here and there tell us where this could have gone. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckApr 4, 2023
Despite Wilson’s on-the-nose caricature and the enjoyable comic performances of such supporting players as Lusia Strus and the ever-reliable Wendi McLendon-Covey, Paint never delves beneath the surface. Read full review
42
IndieWireJude DryApr 6, 2023
With Vermont jokes that read like the musings of someone who’s only ever been for ski season, and the embarrassingly half-baked attempt to critique sexism by writing a kind-hearted womanizer, every stroke of Paint misses the mark. Bob Ross deserved better. Read full review
40
SlateDana StevensApr 7, 2023
To the film’s credit, nothing in Paint comes off as mean-spirited or patronizing, including the treatment of the town’s many less-than-sophisticated consumers of televised artmaking. But by the last half, the ambient niceness felt so pervasive and the film’s ultimate purpose so vague that, even when the performances and much of the dialogue remained sharp and funny, the movie around them seemed to dissolve into one of those happy little clouds. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisApr 6, 2023
Written and directed by Brit McAdams, Paint is a comedically inert parody of male privilege that’s all sight gags and very little substance. Read full review
40
Rolling StoneDavid FearApr 5, 2023
All you’re left with is Wilson’s exquisitely left-of-center take on the master of friendly trees, which keeps creeping toward the sublime before Paint knocks it back into the middle of an undefined road. Read full review
39
TheWrapTomris LafflyApr 4, 2023
A slight comedy that sadly embraces neither the worthwhile questions that surround its central premise nor the story’s dark humor potential. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comNick AllenApr 7, 2023
Ross always preached that there were no mistakes, just happy accidents. A mess like Paint—all broad strokes and no point—proves that he wasn’t always right. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineGregory NussenApr 4, 2023
The film doesn’t have a clear opinion on its main subject and the scourge of misogyny in media. Read full review
37
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanApr 4, 2023
Wilson’s portrayal of Nargle/Ross isn’t so much a performance as an impersonation. It’s a thin coat of paint, in other words, covering up some serious cracks in the storytelling. Read full review
35
The Daily BeastNick SchagerApr 4, 2023
Fails to locate a humorous rhythm or coherently develop its collection of characters. It’s the skeleton of a promising idea rather than a full-fledged movie. Read full review
33
ColliderRoss BonaimeApr 4, 2023
Paint is an odd attempt to make a comedy while also doing the least amount to make that comedy actually funny. Read full review
30
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiApr 10, 2023
Paint could’ve been funny; it could’ve had more heart; it could have even been more fun and ridiculous, with something interesting to say. But it's a mess from start to finish. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonApr 5, 2023
Paint is so haphazardly thrown together it’s painful to watch. Read full review
20
Paste MagazineBrianna ZiglerApr 4, 2023
Paint is interested in the meme of the man. As the old proverb goes: A funny meme does not a feature film make. Read full review
More From This Movie

45 Critic Reviews

3.9 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL