jdesando Although in the '60's I knew famous artists could live in hovels, I never imagined the way Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush), the famous sculptor/painter, lived. In Final Portrait, his grimy Parisian first-floor apartment is strewn with famous spindly-limbed sculptures amid broken pottery and glass with an easel on which he paints a portrait of his friend, James Lord (Armie Hammer).I am usually critical of stories about painters because these biopics rarely give insight into the artistic process (Girl with a Pearl Earring, Frida, and Pollock among my favorites, but disappointing that way), concentrating rather on the dynamic personal life. However, Final Portrait lets us sit with his subject and ingest the cranky chaos that has already bred world-wide fame.While his wife Annette Arm (Sylvie Testud), is in attendance, the artist carries on at length with a delightful prostitute, Caroline (Clemence Poesy), goes to dives, disrespects money, chain smokes, and generally acts like the Bohemian he is. Such seems the stereotype, but writer/director Stanley Tucci deftly adapts Lord's book, A Giacometti Portrait, to let us experience the disarray of the process that takes weeks. The artist is disappointed multiple times, starts over, yet really believes no portrait is ever finished. Alberto Giacometti keeps us hoping that another day of Lord's sitting will produce a result, yet another day comes and goes into weeks. Lord, a writer, is remarkably patient as we all know genius will not be hurried. When it's over, however, you can bet on its being world-class.Rush is charming as the disheveled genius, while Hammer is handsome, as always, and subdued in the artist's presence. I was not bored for a second because I felt like a visitor witnessing the workings of chaotic brilliance, a true friendship, and the essence of Parisian artistic life. Sit back and enjoy an artist at work. It may seem slow, but it's not.

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. Geoffrey Rush is such a uniquely talented performer that I wouldn't hesitate to walk into any of his projects with little hint as to the subject matter. He is simply that good at what he does. Here he plays renowned Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti, a man Rush seems destined to play given their quite similar physical appearances. It's a 90 minute joy ride (though it's not really joyful) for anyone who enjoys watching an artist work ... or in this case, an artist working as an artist.Writer-director Stanley Tucci is best known for his acting career, and he also has an eye for the camera and clearly admires Giacometti and his work. Set in 1964 Paris, most of the film takes place in Giacometti's shabby little compound that includes his studio and a bedroom he sometimes shares with his wife Annette (Sylvie Testud). Occasional forays take us to his favorite café, or walks through the city by his latest portrait subject, the American art writer James Lord (Armie Hammer). In fact, the film is based on Mr. Lord's memoir "A Giacometti Portrait", which details his experience posing for the master ... a task that was originally promised to last a couple of hours, and turned into 3 weeks.Also appearing are Tony Shalhoub as Diego, the artist's brother and assistant, and Clemence Poesy (IN BRUGES) as Caroline, a local prostitute who also serves as Giacometti's muse. It's a fine and talented cast, but this just as easily could have been a one-actor play. Rush plays the lead as a typical artist in shambles - one who cares as little for relationships as he does about money, clothes and appearances. He's perpetually rumpled with mussed hair and a dangling cigarette being his sole accessory. He is both charming and miserable, sometimes in the same breath - unwittingly pitting his forlorn wife against his more pampered muse ... never more obvious than when comparing gifts of a new dress versus a new BMW. Much of the time on screen is spent in the daily ritual: adjusting the chair just so, Lord sitting down and assuming the pose, an artistic gaze cast, followed by the careful selection of a particular brush. More often than not, Giacometti mutters an "Ahh F***", and proceeds to start over (and over and over). An honored yet frustrated Mr. Lord is forced into numerous flight reschedules, as time means nothing to an artist. Director Tucci shoots through the smudged window panes more than once, and when Giacometti tells Lord, "I'll never be able to paint you as I see you", it really captures the tortured madness and brilliance of such an amazing artist. He doesn't see the world the way most of us do, and that's what sets his art apart. Of course the personal toll on the man and those around him is quite high ... Giacometti passed away less than two years after the Lord portrait.

zif ofoz A simple well written and perfectly acted story of an artist and his need to create and make that creation perfect to his liking.Set in the early 1960's the feel and charm of this film is quiet and unrushed to show a time when daily life wasn't as complex and full of the communication distractions we are saddled with today.This story isn't so much about the artist as it is about the artist nearing his final days and facing his needs.Loved it !

phd_travel Luckily this movie isn't that long because there isn't that much story. But nevertheless it's interesting for a look a the creative process of one of the most famous sculptors in the world. This isn't a sweeping biopic of the artist's life just a segment.Geoffrey Rush is effective as the sculptor trying to paint a painting and starting over and over again. His subject is an art critic played by Armie Hammer who looks elegant as he poses in his suits. Clemence Poesy plays a prostitute mistress of Giacometti.Worth a watch if you are interested in Giacometti.