The Christophers

In London, the children of the ageing painter Julian Sklar hatch a plan: secretly have his unfinished Christophers series completed so they can sell it after he dies. They hire Lori Butler, a young artist with no money. Julian, considerably sharper than he appears, sees it immediately. Steven Soderbergh directed from a script by Ed Solomon. Ian McKellen plays Julian and Michaela Coel plays Lori, with James Corden and Jessica Gunning as the scheming children. The film's best stretch is Lori starting to challenge Julian's judgement. After his death she finishes the series in a style deliberately made unsaleable. It premiered at Toronto on 7 September 2025 and opened in the United States on 10 April 2026 through Neon, grossing 4.8 million dollars. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 96 percent. Peter Bradshaw described McKellen as voluble, needling, vulnerable and pathetic and Coel as calm and withholding, calling theirs the onscreen chemistry of the year. Several critics called it McKellen's best work since his Gandalf days. Who it is for: viewers who like satire aimed at the art market and two actors circling each other. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace. The film is almost entirely conversation and very little happens.