''The Color Wheel'' is a 2011 American

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

co-written, co-produced, edited, directed by and co-starring

Alex Ross Perry Alex Ross Perry (born July 14, 1984) is an American filmmaker and actor. Early life Perry was born to a Jewish family in 1984 and raised in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where he worked on a local television news program during high school.Renninger, ...

. Perry co-wrote the film with Carlen Altman, who both also play the respective lead roles. A

screwball A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known a ...

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

, the film follows adult siblings J.R. (Altman) and Colin (Perry) as they undertake a

road trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey on the road. Typically, road trips are long distances travelled by automobile. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by t ...

to move J.R.'s belongings out of the home of her former lover and college professor (

Bob Byington Robert Byington (born April 29, 1966) is an American film director, screenwriter and actor living in Austin, Texas. He is most noted for his films ''RSO (Registered Sex Offender)'' (2008), ''Harmony and Me'' (2009), '' Somebody Up There Likes Me ...

). Shot on

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

16mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

, the film is noted for its unusual and abrasive style, rapid-fire dialogue, and dark plot. After premiering at festivals in 2011, the film was named the best undistributed film of the year by the

Indiewire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

Kohn, Eric
"The Color Wheel" Tops Indiewire's List of Best Undistributed Films; Other Films Tie For Top Spots.

. and ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

''Village Voice Film Poll 2011: Best Undistributed Film.
''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

.'' polls, and placed 12th in a similar poll conducted by ''

Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film Co ...

''.Film Comment's Best Unreleased Movies of 2011.
''

''. ''The Color Wheel'' was released in a

limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

in the United States on May 18, 2012, by Factory25.

Plot

Colin lives with his girlfriend Zoe. His troubled sister JR visits him asking for a favor. JR is an aspiring news anchor and asks Colin to accompany her on a road trip to pick up her belongings from her ex-boyfriend, Neil Chadwick. Neil is a broadcasting professor at the college JR went to. Neil and JR lived together until they broke up and JR dropped out of school. Colin begrudgingly agrees to help JR. During the trip they constantly bicker and argue with each other, revealing that JR's relationship with her parents is dysfunctional. Colin and JR arrive at a motel to spend the night. The motel owner will only allow married couples to share a room due to the owner's religious convictions. Colin and JR tell him they are married in order to fool him. The owner is still skeptical so JR kisses Colin. Later, Colin vomits grossed out from the kiss. The next day they arrive at Neil's place. JR is surprised to find another girl, who appears to be a student, is in a relationship with Neil. Before Colin helps JR pickup her belongings from Neil. They engage in a dramatic verbal exchange with Neil. Later JR notices famous broadcaster Ms. Wagner in a diner. She tries to ask her for career advice, but Ms. Wagner blows her off. Leaving from the diner, JR coincidentally meets her old best friend Julia. Julia is with her friend, Kim, who is Colin's childhood crush. Julia convinces JR to come to her party promising a TV agent that Julia is friends with will be there. JR agrees to come to the party and convinces Colin to come by reminding him that Kim will be there. At the party, the TV agent does not show up and JR has difficulty getting along with her former friends, who seem to have more successful lives than her. Meanwhile, Colin gets into a fight with some guys at the party. After Colin recovers, he makes out with Kim. JR walks into the room where Colin is making out, and they engage in a heated argument with Kim. Colin later vomits, grossed out by Kim. After the party JR and Colin stop bickering and arguing with each other and connect emotionally. They then passionately kiss and fall asleep; it is implied that they later have sex. The next day, they part as JR drops Colin off at Zoe's house. As JR is about to leave in her car, the front door of the house briefly opens, hinting that Colin is about to come back outside.

Production

Director Alex Ross Perry first met Carlen Altman at a

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

show where both were performing.Lim, Dennis
Literary Influences, Personal Pathologies.
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. The two became friends, and later co-wrote the screenplay for ''The Color Wheel''. Perry has stated that film was influenced by the novels of

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...

, which he was reading while working on the script. Perry wrote the first draft of the script on his own before passing it along to Altman to re-write."The Color Wheel" Director Alex Ross Perry Says Kim's Video Was Better Than NYU.

. The film was shot on

. Production took eighteen days.Perry, Alex Ross
In His Own Words: Alex Ross Perry.

. Unlike many contemporary

productions, the film features almost no

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

and was extensively rehearsed beforehand. ''The Color Wheel'' had its world premiere on 14 April 2011 at the

Sarasota Film Festival The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and is held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-lo ...

. It played in competition at the

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, s ...

, and was also screened at the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

Maryland Film Festival The Maryland Film Festival is an annual five-day international film festival taking place each May in Baltimore, Maryland. The festival was launched in 1999, and presents international film and video work of all lengths and genres. The festival ...

, and

Ljubljana International Film Festival The Ljubljana International Film Festival (also known as LIFFe) is an international film festival established in 1990 and held annually in Ljubljana, Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , ab ...

. The film shared the prize for Best Narrative Feature Film at the 2011

Chicago Underground Film Festival Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF), founded in 1993, is the longest running underground film festival in the world. It's an internationally recognized program providing a venue for documentary, experimental and avant-garde narrative film and ...

.Chicago Underground FF Announces 2011 Awards.
''

''.

Reception

Prior to its 2012 theatrical release, ''The Color Wheel'' was named the best undistributed film of 2011 by the

and ''

'' polls of film critics, and placed 12th in a similar poll conducted by ''

''. Since its release, the film has received both strongly positive and strongly negative responses from critics.

A.O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis. Early life Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...

of ''

'' wrote that the film was "sly, daring, genuinely original and at times perversely brilliant",Scott, A.O
Are We There Yet? On the Road, Sibling Rivalry That Reveals No Limits
/ref> while also stating that it was "a singularly unpleasant movie" that had "scramble hissignals ... effectively, overriding deeply ingrained habits of response and judgment." Eric Kohn of

praised the film, writing that it was "a sheer delight of sarcasm and uneasy wit."Kohn, Eric
5 Must-See Films at BAMcinemaFest.
''

.'' Writing in ''

'', Nick Pinkerton described ''The Color Wheel'' as "a movie that's consistently unafraid to get confrontational and plain weird, with Colin's is-it-or-isn't-it-ironic racism, abrupt smothering close-ups, and scenes pushed past the boundaries of plausible motivation until they nosedive into absurdity. Like

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A v ...

's ''

Twentieth Century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...

'', it's a travelogue movie about a couple whose impossible, porcupine personalities leave them safe, finally, for nobody's company but each other's."Pinkerton, Nick
Family Ties that Break and Bind in ''Elena'' and ''The Color Wheel''.
''

.'' In his personal blog,

MSN MSN (meaning Microsoft Network) is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95. The Microsoft Net ...

film critic

Glenn Kenny Glenn Kenny (born August 8, 1959) is an American film critic and journalist. He writes for ''The New York Times'' and '' RogerEbert.com''. Biography Kenny attended William Paterson University, where he majored in English literature.Ionesco-style

absurdism Absurdism is the philosophical theory that existence in general is absurd. This implies that the world lacks Meaning of life, meaning or a higher purpose and is not fully intelligible by reason. The term "absurd" also has a more specific sense ...

put into a contemporary hyperdrive, with a bit of sneering near-

Letterist Lettrism is a French avant-garde movement, established in Paris in the mid-1940s by Romanian immigrant Isidore Isou. In a body of work totaling hundreds of volumes, Isou and the Lettrists have applied their theories to all areas of art and culture ...

technical crudity thrown in. The effect, at certain other times, is of a ''

Which Way to the Front? ''Which Way to the Front?'' is a 1970 American comedy film produced, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis, which was his first film for Warner Bros. Plot Brendan Byers III is a rich playboy who enlists to fight in the war against the Axis powe ...

''-era Jerry-Lewis-written-and-starring incest comedy directed by ''

Carnival Of Souls ''Carnival of Souls'' is a 1962 American independent horror film produced and directed by Herk Harvey and written by John Clifford from a story by Clifford and Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss. Its plot follows Mary Henry, a young wo ...

Herk Harvey Harold Arnold "Herk" Harvey (June 3, 1924 – April 3, 1996) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and film producer. Early life Harvey was born in Windsor, Colorado, the son of Everett and Minnie R. Prewitt Harvey. He grew up in ...

."Kenny, Glenn
"The Color Wheel."
/ref>

David Edelstein David Edelstein (born 1959) is a freelance American film critic who has been the principal film critic for ''Slate'' and ''New York'' magazine, among others, and has appeared regularly on NPR's ''Fresh Air'' and ''CBS Sunday Morning'' programs. O ...

of ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...

'' chose the film as a Critic's Pick, citing it as "the most entertaining unpleasant film I’ve seen in years."Critics' Pick: The Color Wheel.
''

.'' For a ''New York Times'' feature on the film, ''

Cahiers du Cinéma ''Cahiers du Cinéma'' (, ) is a French film magazine co-founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca.Itzkoff, Dave (9 February 2009''Cahiers Du Cinéma Will Continue to Publish''The New York TimesMacnab, Ge ...

'' editor Stéphane Delorme wrote that the film "reminds us of a New York independent cinema that we loved — black and white, shot on film, spontaneous, with funny and intelligent dialogue — and that seemed to no longer exist."

Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (born 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with Jenna Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast '' Still Processing.'' Previously, Morr ...

of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' similarly praised the film, writing: "There aren’t enough of these truly independent movies anymore."Morris, Wesley
The Color Wheel.
''

''. A notable early championTully, Michael
A Conversation with Alex Ross Perry.
Hammer to Nail. of the film was critic

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Ignatiy Igorevich Vishnevetsky (; russian: Игнатий Игоревич Вишневецкий; born September 5, 1986)Vishnevetsky, Ignati''Time Indefinite'': "A Talk with Sergei Loznitsa" ''Mubi'' is a Russian-American film critic, essayist ...

, who was the first to write about ''The Color Wheel'' during its festival run. Vishnevetsky wrote that, "despite (or maybe because of?) its detours into broad comedy, ''The Color Wheel'' manages to invest both characters with vulnerability, depth and even a perverse dignity; it's better at being a drama than most dramas."Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy
The Lower Depths: Alex Ross Perry and "The Color Wheel."
''Mubi.'' Reviewing the film in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Ronnie Scheib wrote: "Hard to swallow but impossible to ignore, this nihilistic comedy may emerge as a cult touchstone."Scheib, Ronnie
The Color Wheel.
''

.'' Other critics were not as impressed. Peter Keough of ''

The Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' a ...

'' gave the film 1 1/2 out of 4 stars, comparing the film unfavorably to ''

The Puffy Chair ''The Puffy Chair'' is a 2005 mumblecore road film written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass. It stars Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton and Rhett Wilkins. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2005, and went on to ...

'' and writing that "Alex Ross Perry's self-consciously coy indulgence reminds me of the work of

Diablo Cody Brook Maurio (''née'' Busey; born June 14, 1978), known professionally by the pen name Diablo Cody, is an American writer and producer. She gained recognition for her candid blog and subsequent memoir, '' Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unl ...

, but slighter and more irritating."Keough, Peter
Review: The Color Wheel.
''

.'' Shawn Levy of ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' complained about the film's style, writing: "There’s handmade and then there’s amateurish. This, alas, is the latter."'The Color Wheel' review: mumblecore becomes fumblecore in comic road movie.
''

''. David Fear of ''

Time Out New York ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

'' gave the film a negative review, writing that "Some will call ''The Color Wheel'' daring. Others will remember that it takes more than desperate shocks to add substance to the sloppy diddlings of a dilettante."Fear, David
The Color Wheel.
''

''. Even more negative was the review written by Ryan Brown for IonCinema.com, who stated: "The fact that the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

in New York could recently sanctify its movie screens with epiphanic Bresson and Zulawski retros, only to smear them now with a full week’s run of this tripe only goes to demonstrate how haywire and scatterbrained 21st century film culture has become. Maybe the most appalling thing about Perry’s movie is his obnoxious swipe at a truly great American film artist,

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings" — with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been ...

, by conspicuously associating the character of a fatuous 'broadcasting' professor with a book of Schnabel’s paintings."Brown, Ryan
The Color Wheel.
IonCinema.com. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

the film holds a 78% rating based on reviews from 27 critics.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Color Wheel American independent films 2011 films American black-and-white films American road movies 2010s road movies Films directed by Alex Ross Perry Films about siblings Incest in film Films with screenplays by Alex Ross Perry Mumblecore films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films