DVD Corner

The Christophers Blu-ray Review

“The Christophers” is one of Steven Soderbergh’s best films of the past 20 years.

Written by Ed Solomon, “The Christophers” is a comedy-drama set in London. The story revolves around a starving artist (Lori) who is hired by siblings Sallie and Barnaby for a very specific job. You see, the two individuals are the children of a once famed aging artist (Julian) whose glory days seem to be behind him. Julian is best known for his paintings dubbed The Christophers and one of them happens to be an unfinished work. The siblings want Lori to pose as Julian’s new assistant and finish the unfinished painting so that they can sell it in the future. Lori accepts, but what they don’t know is that Lori has a bit of a vendetta against Julian. As Lori begins to spend time with Julian though, they begin to form a bond and manage to help one another.

One of the most intriguing things about filmmaker Steven Soderbergh is that he never sticks to one genre. He’ll do heist films, horror films, documentaries, spy films, and even a chamber piece like “The Christophers.” He may have a noticeable directorial style present in his work, but he always seems to be challenging himself. Sometimes his efforts and or experiments don’t always pan out, but his work is nothing if not admirable. With “The Christophers” he delivers one of his best films in recent memory. It may have a stage play like vibe, but Soderbergh makes it both cinematic and intimate. Julian’s home is essentially a character in itself here and feels like an extension of the character. 

What makes “The Christophers” so rewarding is the character work. With Julian and Lori you have two polar opposites and two people of different generations. Julian is an intelligent elderly man who has become jaded. He can be a jackass and is egocentric, but he has heart. Lori is a smart, calculating, young talented artist whose career hasn’t panned out yet. She harbors some pain and has something against Julian (of which we learn about later). Seeing these two interact and form a connection feels genuinely earned and it turns into something that is surprisingly moving. It’s the definition of a great character piece.

As impressive as, well, everything is in this film, it is Ian McKellen who takes it to another level. McKellen has had a long accomplished career giving career defining performances in films like “Gods And Monsters” and, of course, the LOTR trilogy. Now, at age 87, he gives yet another one of his best performances of his career and one of the best performances of 2026 thus far. This is the type of role he was born to play. Julian is a layered, larger than life character and McKellen takes full advantage of playing him in every moment. Not to be forgotten here is Michaela Coel who gives a quiet and thoughtful performance and displays a memorable dynamic with McKellen. Coel (best known for “I May Destroy You”) is having a banner year between this and “Mother Mary” in which she delivers an extraordinary performance in an otherwise lackluster film.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? This is an expectedly sharp hi-def transfer.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 5.1. How does it sound? The 5.1 track is quality, but the Atmos track is much more dynamic (especially with the score).

Extras include “The Christophers” and “I Love Boosters” trailers and “Conversation With Screenwriter Ed Solomon And Charlie Kaufman” (Q&A clips over film clips).

June 29, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, Steven Soderbergh, The Christophers Blu-ray Review