Pollock (2000)

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I love Jackson Pollock art. And I love Ed Harris. So, I discovered the film as a challenge . And that is it. Because it is not, exactly, a film about art, a pure biopic or fresco of a fight of a genius. It is more. A perspective about Pollock like a confession. Or question. Direct, honest, little bitter. That is all.

Jackson Pollock (Ed Harris) is famous with a Life magazine cover in 1950. The movie flashes back to 1941. He's a drunk staying in Greenwich Village with his brother and pregnant wife. Artist Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden) shows some interest and becomes his lover/supporter. His brother moves to Connecticut. Jackson breaks down which is why he can't be drafted into the war. Lee takes Jackson home acting more and more like his manager. His work eventually gains the attention of art collector Peggy Guggenheim (Amy Madigan) who gives him an one-man show in 1943. Lee and Jackson decides to move to a country house on Long Island away from the drinking and doing more work. His paintings are still not selling and then the Life article happens. Lee and Jackson have a roller-coaster relationship and then he has an affair with Ruth Kligman (Jennifer Connelly).Ed Harris directs a mostly straight forward biopic of Jackson Pollock with a few fascinating scenes of painting sessions. His directing style doesn't necessarily project Jackson mental breakdowns but his acting is able to bridge the gap. Ed Harris is not the most imaginative director visually but it is overcome by good actors doing good work. It is a good debut directorial effort.

An ambitious and brilliantly realised film biography of the American artist Jackson Pollock, Ed Harris stars, directs and paints on-screen. Harris' performance is a tour de force, superbly portraying a challenging (and challenged) individual, and Marcia Gay Harden is excellent (and rightly recognised by the Academy) as his wife, artist Lee Krasner.It's apparent from Mr. Harris' portrayal that Pollock was a difficult person to deal with and it seems clear that he had mental health issues – quite possibly being bipolar, in spite of his talents as an artist he is not a likable character for whatever reason.But despite the fact that neither Pollock's art nor his personality do anything for me, Mr. Harris' film is absolutely compelling and a very rewarding watch. The painting scenes are remarkable, they have a hypnotic quality and in their raw creativity are a stark counterpoint to the destructive tendencies that the man exhibited at times. They also present moments calm in the alcohol-fuelled whirlwind that apparently surrounded Pollock for periods of his life.If you like biography I think you will enjoy this piece, it's a career-topping performance and a brilliant portrayal of an intriguing talent and the people around him.

Sitting through Pollock will test the limits of your patience. I admire Ed Harris for taking on the persona of such a complicated individual, but all I saw throughout the entire film was Ed Harris acting drunk and dripping paint. First, Harris was far too old at 49/50 to be playing a man we are supposed to believe is in his 30s and early 40s. Harris' performance was so overshadowed by his admiration for Pollock and his art that it marred the entire film. Marcia Gay Harden certainly deserved her Oscar for her performance as Lee Krasner--the most developed character in the film--but again, the actress was too old for the role. It is two hour biopic that barely touched the surface of a man's extremely complicated relationship with his family, friends, and the art world. A very disappointing film overall.