My Kid Could Paint That (2007)

Director: Amir Bar-Lev

Starring: Amir Bar-Lev, Anthony Brunelli, Elizabeth Cohen, Jonathan Crosby, Ron Curtis Jr., Michael Kimmelman, Laura Olmstead, Mark Olmstead, Maria Olmstead, Zane Olmstead, Celeste Russi, Tara Sands, Stuart Simpson, Jackie Wescott

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Inspiration or Manipulation? You Decide.

Plot: A look at the work and surprising success of a four-year-old girl whose paintings have been compared to the likes of Picasso and has raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars.



My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Nah.

This is an interesting documentary.  It flows like most documentaries where there is a controversy involved.  It starts at the beginning, telling us about how this kid started and then the media attention followed by questions about the authenticity of the paintings (did she have any assistance or were these 100% created by the kid) to a public outcry and abandonment by the art community.  It's quite a ride.  It's well worth watching.  The film feels like it's leaning toward one view but it did leave me asking questions (that I know how I would answer) like, what is the true value of art, does it matter all that much if an adult did guide a child with a painting?  It seems to me that art collectors, generally speaking, are petty and pretentious.  I realize this might not generally be the case but it certainly applies to a lot of those portrayed in the documentary.  Do they have valid complaints and concerns?  Possibly.  Definitely as they see it.  But the big question I have for them is, what are you buying, the art or the artist?