Exit Through the Gift Shop Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 04.28.2010
Street art, pranks, and documentary filmmaking converge into one event you can't miss.
Featuring:
Banksy
Shepard Fairey
Thierry Guetta
Space Invader
Narrator: Rhys Ifans
Directed By: Banksy
Release Date: April 16, 2010
Running Time: 87 minutes
Rated R for some language.
Exit Through the Gift Shop, the unorthodox, yet supremely hilarious debut film from graffiti artist Banksy, is destined to be one more of those documentaries like The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Tyson, and Grizzly Man that will be revered and praised up the wazoo, but will never garner any major awards attention. That is unfortunate considering you’re not likely to see many more documentaries in 2010 that are simultaneously this entertaining, informative, or provocative.
Banksy is a world-renowned graffiti artist and all-around prankster whose achievements include placing his own paintings in art museums right under the eyes of security. He is also responsible for artwork on walls from post-Katrina New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. He guards his anonymity to avoid prosecution, and resisted all attempts to be put on film until Thierry Guetta came into his life. He would never be the same. Thierry is a French-born L.A. boutique owner that became obsessed with filming on his camera. He just let the camera roll on anything and everything. He had no goals with this hobby until he stumbled upon Shepard Fairey, a street artist.
From then on, Thierry was fixated on street art, and through his lens we meet the likes of Shepard Fairey, Space Invader, Zeus, Seizer, Swoon, Borf, Buffmonster, Neckface, Sweet Toof & Cyclops, Dotmasters, and oh…Banksy. It turns out that the global reputation that precedes Banksy propels Thierry to search for him fanatically. Eventually the two meet, and Thierry follows him everywhere, and basically becomes his servant. Banksy and the others allow Thierry to film them because most of their work ends up being destroyed in one form or another the day after making them. They figured it was a good idea.
Problems abound when these artists discover that Thierry’s epic documentary on street art does not really exist at all. Thierry never did anything with the boxes, bins, and stacks of recorded tapes. If he dated them at all, it was by simply writing the year, but no more details than that. As a result, Banksy takes it upon himself to assemble a film about Thierry Guetta, thus turning the tables on his zany fan. Things get stranger when Thierry grows into a street artist himself, thus turning the tables once again. It is a tale that is almost stranger than fiction, but whatever it might be to you, Exit Through the Gift Shop is an invigorating gem.
Some of the street art displayed in this film, and all over the world, is quite eye-catching, inventive, and rather cool to admire. On the other hand, some of it is uninspired, dull, and lame. Many newspaper headlines are shown throughout the picture, and one question often appears: “Is it art?” Exit Through the Gift Shop raises this question, but leaves it for the viewer to decide. Considering this was concocted by Banksy, it is remarkable that this does not glorify street artists as contemporary geniuses. As a matter of fact, by the end of the film, many of the artists, including Banksy, must look at themselves in the mirror and evaluate what it means to be a street artist, how easy it is to become known, and what is the difference between artwork and vandalism?
For instance, the opening credits sequence is a montage of random people creating their graffiti and escaping the authorities. One group actually drives a truck at high speeds alongside a moving train just to pain a line across its body of cars. The graffiti is stupid, but watching them go to such dangerous lengths to make that mark is fascinating. If you ever wanted to catch one of these mysterious artists, the best place to be is Kinko’s, where it seems all of them head to prepare and obtain supplies.
It’s tough to rave about Exit Through the Gift Shop without giving away the whole movie. Shepard Fairey crafted a nice little reputation from the red and blue Obama “Change” image that circulated, but his calling card is an image of Andre the Giant, which comes in varying sizes. Banksy is still the most intriguing, not just because his face and voice are concealed, but some of his acts are truly unbelievable. One is some fake money he printed, which ended up being accepted at most places in the U.K. He is uncredited as the graffiti artist for Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men, and has had exhibits that attract hordes of people and even celebrities like Brad Pitt and Jude Law.
When all is set and done, the audience will have trouble concluding whether or not Thierry Guetta is one of the smartest people on the planet or one of the luckiest. His interviews are amusing as he discusses meeting the artists, and how one thing led to another. In trying to find the words to describe Banksy, he stumbles, mumbles, and rambles until finally saying “I really liked him”, which strikes me as similar to how a school girl would act with a crush. Sporting burnside facial hair, Thierry certainly makes an impression.
Apparently some have wondered if this is yet another Banksy prank, and are suspicious that the entire film could be a put on. After all, this is the same guy who replaced copies of Paris Hilton’s debut CD with something else. I would seriously doubt this is a hoax. I wouldn't put it past the director, but he is not Danny Ocean, nor Thomas Crown, and this might be elaborate even for them. Banksy might not be your idea of an artist, but he is extremely intelligent, and understands the humor in what occurs, even though he is dismayed. Superbly narrated by Rhys Ifans, and featuring a terrifc Robert Hawley tune called "Tonight the Streets Are Ours", Exit Through the Gift Shop is endlessly enjoyable, thought-provoking, and delightfully confounding. I can make one promise. After you’ve seen this, you might discover yourself stopping, and skimming the streets for interesting “street art.”
The 411: These are the types of documentaries (and films in general) that I enjoy spreading the word about. It's because I'm very confident that most of the people who see this will be pleased. Whether or not you ever cared about street art, and whether or not you think these enigmas are losers, this is one documentary that you won't forget. It is funny, enlightening, and consistently gripping. It also does not overstay its welcome, and will have you talking about it immediately.
