Local Color

Best known for penning Midnight Run, painter and filmmaker George Gallo's Local Color is a semi-autobiographical story of an aspiring artist and his reluctant mentor. Trevor Morgan plays John, an artistic 18-year-old living in Port Chester, NY, circa 1974, with his parents (Ray Liotta and Diana Scarwid). When art supply vendor Yammi (Charles Durning) tells John about nearby retired painter Nicoli Seroff (Shine's Oscar-nominated Armin Mueller-Stahl), the lad sets out to secure the Russian émigré's services as an instructor. A foul-mouthed, vodka-guzzling widower, Seroff resists John's overtures at first, but eventually invites the teen to stay with him in Pennsylvania for the summer. Seroff is actually looking more for a handyman than a student, but his new protégé still finds the experience transforming, as John meets Seroff's agent (Ron Perlman) and becomes smitten with free spirit Carla (Samantha Mathis). Amongst this creative crowd, speechifying runs rampant, but the cast is accomplished enough to bring conviction to their comments. Just as Gallo makes the case for sentiment in art, Local Color makes the case for sentiment in cinema, which he overstates somewhat by drowning scenes in syrupy strings; still, the premium cable-level profanity insures that no one will confuse this for a Hallmark Hall of Fame production or Lifetime movie. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include interviews with costars Armin Mueller-Stahl, Samantha Mathis, and Trevor Morgan (15 min.), a “making-of” featurette (9 min.), a tour of George Gallo's studio (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning film.] (K. Fennessy)