Exit Through the Gift Shop (***1/4)

I was pretty lukewarm about seeing this because I’m not especially into art generally or graffiti art particularly, and was not familiar with the work of Banksy, whose work was the impetus for the film, if not its subject. Graffiti art, or street art, is sort of the (semi-)respectable version of graffiti. Its creators use not only spray paint, but stickers, stencils, and other materials that they combine into images placed on walls, streets, and other public places. This documentary came about when Thierry Guetta, a Los Angeles-based thrift shop owner, decided to make a movie about the street art movement and the UK-based Banksy, who keeps his identity secret and his face hidden, even here.

If the movie is to be believed, Banksy took a look at Guetta’s footage and decided he could do a better job, and that Guetta was a better subject than he was. So the film is partly about Banksy and the street art movement, but mostly about Guetta, who is French-born but perfectly embodies the American ideal of the self-created man. Guetta had obsessively documented his entire adult life on video, so footage of him was readily available. He’d been filming street artists, notably Shepard Fairey (creator of the Obama “Hope” poster), without intending anything in particular. He’s quite the character.

Banksy’s art, though often considered vandalism, is often clever and fun, and so is this movie. It strikes me that graffiti art is the visual equivalent of hip hop music, “sampling” existing images, or existing ideas, and placing them in new contexts. Banksy’s art, not intended as commercial product, has now made its way into exhibits and galleries. As with rap music 30 years ago, street culture has started to become high culture, and this movie is in part about this phenomenon, and about the very definition of art. But—not to fear— it’s also a down-to-earth, reasonably conventional documentary (with narration by actor Rhys Ifans) that tells a story. The conclusion is unexpected and kind of hilarious.

IMDB link

viewed at Ritz 5 and reviewed 5/12/10