Obvious and subtle at the same time

Let's cut to the chase: This is not Ghost World II - The Darker Side, nor is it Bad Santa Goes To @#c!in' Art Class, or Adaptation or Election or any other film I've seen it compared to in other reviews. I personally avoid comparisons like the plague, but in this case I can see why this is happening. The film just feels incredibly derivative; if pressed, I would say it's more like The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys in overall tone and the way it shifts gears mid-film.

I still enjoyed it very much for its sheer ballsiness, the injected sad-but-true realities regarding The Way Things Work On This Planet (in art school or otherwise) and its derangedly skewed premise. Also commendable is the way the movie winds up being both obvious and subtle at the same time, in so many ways.

There's tons of irony here, as well, as in any proper Zwigoff/Clowes movie. My favorite bit of it has to be the way poor Jerome (Max Minghella, perfectly cast) keeps trying to get Prof. Sandiford's (Malkovich, in superb underplay mode) approval, to no avail. Even when he steals Jimmy's paintings, desperately hoping that Sandiford will now appreciate 'his' darker work, it fails - the Professor tells him, in effect, "Don't worry, you'll come out of this phase" - and here another subtle point is made, as well ~ an artist (of any kind) cannot do the work for acclaim, fame or approval; it has to be done for the sheer thrill of creation and the deep need to express what needs to come out from inside.