Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Bento de Espinosa If you like patriotic movies, in which it is said that you must be thankful for living in the USA, because the rest of the world is really awful, if you like stereotypes, if you think that the Germans are always the bad guys and Russians have vodka for breakfast, if you think that contemporary art is crap and only realistic painting is real art and if you like artificial dialogs that are never spoken in real life, then this film is for you.And I am saying all this even though I normally actually like movies that people classify as "art movies", like many European films use to be!My humble opinion: Boring.

snookie It is a feel-good movie based on a true story about a young wannabe artist who wants a forgotten Russian master's help and advice on how to be a great painter. The first five to ten minutes I was so happy with what Ray Liotta had to bring. However I didn't feel the same about Trevor Morgan. At times his acting was probably the only thing that bugged me about this movie, but it was good enough and it couldn't have possibly ruined the effect of the film. Then I found out the true gem of this picture - Armin Mueller-Stahl. Nicholi Seroff is probably one of the greatest characters I've ever seen in a feel-good movie. His acting made me feel like a real artist. Seeing him eat his breakfast with vodka while insulting John (Trevor Morgan) in one scene and then talking about true art with a pure heart and tears in his eyes was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had.Besides Mueller-Stahl there are lots of other influential performances, such as Perlman's cocky and kind of gay character (I was amazed, I never would've expected Ron Perlman to take such a role and he delivered it at 110%). Diana Scarwid's acting was so warm and relaxing and I think I fell for Samanta Mathis. Of course Ray Liotta's homophobic performance was hilarious. And I liked the whole idea of the movie which was basically a classical artist's view on the "crazy" modern world. It deals with one of the main problems in modern art, as Perlman's character puts it - does sentiment have a place in it? My only regret about this film is that it never got to the big screen in my country. My only hope is that some day I will be able to show this movie to my kids. So if you are an artist yourself or just an admirer - this is probably one of the best art movies you'll ever see. I give it 9/10 just because of Morgan :D

Claudio Carvalho In 1974, in the suburb of Port Chester, New York, the teenager aspirant artist John Talia (Trevor Morgan) has a troubled relationship with his homophobic father (Ray Liotta) that does not understand his talent. While visiting his friend Yammi (Charles Durning), John finds that the genius Russian painter Nicoli Seroff (Armin Mueller-Stahl) lives nearby and he decides to pay a visit to his idol. John finds a bitter alcoholic elder that still grieves the loss of his wife Anya many years ago but he successfully befriends the master. When Nicoli travels to the countryside in Pennsylvania, he invites John to go with him to teach him how to paint. Then John meets Nicoli's neighbor Carla (Samantha Mathis) who grieves that loss of her son, and the arrogant critic of art and Nicolai's friend Curtis Sunday (Ron Perlman). Along their vacation, the synergy of Nicoli and John improves their individual lives."Local Color" is a nostalgic and melancholic movie about life and passion for arts. The story is based on true events and is beautifully disclosed through the magnificent performance of the fantastic Armin Mueller-Stahl, very well supported by Trevor Morgan. The gorgeous Samantha Mathis has also a minor but important participation and she does not appear her stated age (36); therefore she fits perfectly to the role of Carla. The movie plays with emotions, oscillating between few bitterly funny moments (like for example when Nicoli shows the paintings of the children with mental retardation to his arrogant friend or his behavior in the art exposition in the countryside) and many heartbreaking moments. The message to follow the dreams is nice; the cinematography is beautiful; the pace is adequate and my only remark is to the pronunciation (or accent) of the narrator in long texts, which is difficult to be followed. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Mestre da Vida" ("The Master of the Life")

hollyinthewoods Most of the time when I see a film, I instantly forget about it the minute I walk out the theater door. This movie is different. It's been three weeks now since I've seen "Local Color" and I can't stop thinking about it. There are scenes so poignant that I can still hear the dialogue echoing in my head. There's a scene in particular early on in the film when the old painter looks up to the sky and asks his young protégé, "What color are the clouds? You think that they're white, but look again". Since seeing this film, I too find myself looking around me, analyzing the color and beautiful nuances of life. This film has honestly changed the way I look at things.Furthermore, this film is very funny. The humor is very human and it takes you by surprise. I laughed out loud a lot. I love this film.