The Next Big Thing (2001)

A painter who finds success (and true love) after a pickpocket steals one of his works, gives it a false authorship and promotes the imaginary artist to instant success so he can cash in on his ill-gotten gains.

Director:

P.J. Posner

Writers:

Joel Posner, P.J. Posner

Stars:

Chris Eigeman, Jamie Harris, Connie Britton

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Eigeman	...	Gus Bishop
Jamie Harris	...	Deech Scumble
Connie Britton	...	Kate Crowley
Janet Zarish	...	Florence Rubin
Mike Starr	...	Walter Sznitken
Farley Granger	...	Arthur Pomposello
Marin Hinkle	...	Shari Lampkin
Peter Giles	...	Roger
Dechen Thurman	...	Damian Spire
John Seitz	...	Mr. Chesick
Ileen Getz	...	Trish Kane
Edward James Hyland	...	Museum Director (as Ed Hyland)
Gerta Grunen	...	Bernice Chesick
Samia Shoaib	...	Varda Abromowitz
Doug Stone	...	Mr. Willard

Storyline

Starving artist Gus Bishop can't even give away his paintings. But a fictitious Geoffrey Buonardi, with the same paintings and an inventive back story, can become the darling of the art world. How long can Gus Bishop perpetrate the scam and remain in the shadows while his legendary alter ego basks in the spotlight as The Next Big Thing?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality/nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Arte do Engano

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TwoPoundBag Productions, double A Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

The Whole World Walking By
Written by Pete Surdoval (as Peter Surdoval)
Performed by Pete Surdoval (as Peter Surdoval), Al Gross and Pat Casey
Published by Red Engine Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of MasterSource Music Catalog, Inc.

User Reviews

Quirky, subtle and fun.

Intelligently crafted with wry humor throughout. Almost like a New Yorker cartoon in its portrayal of upper class follies. Anyone who has seen Basquiat, which is NOT a fanciful rendition of actual events, will recognize that The Next Big Thing basically keeps it real. It is not a crass lampoon of the art world, as other reviews allege, but a finely detailed imagining of how one accident might lead to another to produce a breakout artist. It plays out as a visualization of a funny story one might hear in conversation, with unlikely twists and turns - the sort of facts that make a true story actually funny. Surely the lives of actual artists who've broken into the big time involve a twist and turn here and there, a crazy accident that seems funny in retrospect (but which would have seemed agonizing to live out in real life). Anyone wondering if this movie is worth watching deserves to hear resoundingly that it really is worthwhile. It deserves a higher IMDb rating, and only suffers a sub 6 rating because it is so intelligently made that average viewers don't appreciate its fine subtleties.