Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

mitchco10 "Exit Through the Gift Shop" is like no other documentary ever made. I assume "Mr. Brainwash" is a real person , as I assume Banksy is a real person, although no one knows who Banksy is , because exposing his identity could get him arrested.As for " Mr. Brainwash" , he may be a real person , he may be an actor playing a role. In any case , ETTGS is a very interesting and entertaining film, it makes you question the line between art and commerce , and does it in a very interesting way. Banksy is actually a very accomplished artist , he's not your run of the mill graffiti artist. Thr film also lets you in on the world of graffiti artists , as well as Shephard Fairy , who designed the original posters for Obama's first run for the presidency. Go see this film , you won't soon forget it!

woobooridesagain In 1999, a man with a camera discovered that a cousin of his was a noteworthy member of a growing movement that would shake the art world to its foundation, make us question what art is and see the world of art change in as radical a way as Warhol and Picasso. He'd document these formative years for almost a decade, becoming the unofficial scribe for the next big wave in art.Unfortunately, he was a bit of a nutter.A film that shows that, indeed, destiny seems to snatch people and play merry hell with them, Exit Through The Gift Shop is obstinately a film about the (in)famous street artist Banksy, known for his striking counter-culture style. It has even been called a case of the documented turning the camera around on the filmmaker. But none of these can truly describe the surreal experience that this documentary becomes. The best I can do is to say that the film is about a man by the name of Thierry Guetta, who through chance and circumstance, becomes the man who captures on film the birth of a movement, is swallowed up by it and then--perhaps quite accidentally--hijacks it for himself.Thierry was on vacation in his native France in 1999, when he discovered that his cousin just happens to be the street artist "Invader", one of a number of people at the forefront of the provocative and thought-provoking street art movement of the late 90's and early to mid-aughts. Thierry also happened to have a compulsion to film every aspect of his every day life. From there, Thierry finds himself becoming part of that movement. Be it a desire to be a part of it, or simply piggybacking on the fame of others, Thierry became the cameraman for a number of street artists. Eventually, his desire to film street artists at work reached its zenith: he wanted to film Banksy.Banksy, who to this day keeps his identity a secret, is the most recognizable name in the street art movement. Indeed, his name is a by-word for the art form in the same way that Picasso is a by-word for cubism. Be it fate, coincidence or sheer chance, Thierry and Banksy's paths crossed, and Banksy found himself under Thierry's lens. As time went on, Banksy confides in Thierry, opening up to him and his camera a part of his world that many have since wished they could have been a part of. But through innocent encouragement, Banksy and his comrades in the street art movement find themselves creating a monster, as Thierry puts his camera down and picks up a stencil and the moniker "Mr. Brainwash."Whereas most documentaries are thought-provoking, or moving, or fill us with a sense of wonder, "Exit Through The Gift Shop" is a laugh riot. We are treated to watch as hapless street artists who invited Thierry into their reclusive world find themselves caught in the riptide that is the almost demented whim of their cameraman. While it shows the birth of the street art movement in fascinating detail, the true focus of the documentary throughout is the man behind the camera. The closest one can come to a comparison is if "Grey Gardens" suddenly had the Maysles put their cameras down and become residents of the dilapidated mansion themselves. We watch the steady transition of a man from an observer to an active participant, laughing and cringing the entire way. One has to admire the sheer enthusiasm that Thierry approaches his newfound subject of obsession, which leaves even the men who began the art movement baffled. The entire time, the man behind street art's most recognizable images displays the wit he's most famous for, giving the film an air of satire that makes it simply surreal.Do yourself a favor. Sit back and watch this documentary with slack-jawed wide-eyed awe. It's an experience that anyone with even a basic interest in street art, documentary filmmaking and, hell, life in general should experience.

Elena Originally this movie was conceived as a project that was supposed to show the life and work of street-artists from the inside. But in the end this film is perceived as a comedy about contemporary art.Parts of the movie, which were dedicated to Banksy's works, are really interesting. You become a witness of the process in which the art was born. The film is interesting in a sense that you can better understand works of street-artists, not only can you see the result of their work, but you can also feel sharp social motives encouraging them to create their paintings.However, the storyline is turning an ordinary American man of French descent, Terry, into a "popular" contemporary artist. He can't draw, doesn't have clearly defined social or other reasons for creativity, he just wants to be popular, wants to be part of this creative community. Why did I call the movie a comedy about contemporary art? Because the main purpose of this latter-day "creator", in my opinion, is self-PR, enrichment at the expense of popular art direction. I would call Terry a generator of ideas . But as a street-artist he is still a fake. He pays people to realize his ideas into life and calls it his own art? I don't agree with this course of things.

Sean Lamberger Banksy and friends must have mined for ages to extract the glistening artifacts that form the backbone of this documentary. Tracing the roots of street art through the constant eye of amateur filmographer Thierry Guetta, it's a legit, vivid encapsulation of the thoughts that formed a global movement's shared ideals. Guetta, whose branching connections to the scene are nothing short of amazing, captured years' worth of footage, then filed it away with no sense of categorization or even basic labeling. The resultant greatest hits reel makes for some rich viewing material, but I certainly don't envy the amount of whittling it took to get there. At some point those tapes must have run dry, though, because the focus suddenly shifts from the notorious exploits of Space Invader, Shepard Fairey and Banksy to Guetta's own farcical artistic aspirations. Whether intentional or not, (and I'm fairly certain it was) that jolting misdirection changes the tone from a fresh, adventurous documentary to a thick, bitter dissertation on art-for-profit and the redundant question of what defines the terms 'artist' and 'artwork'. It's an abrupt, unnecessary final word that seems tacked on to give the story some sort of sought-after greater message, which is a shame because the film was trucking along nicely enough without it.