'Paint' is the Bob Ross saga that never happened. Though absurd, it works ... almost

“Paint” is one of those good ideas that doesn’t quite make a good movie.

Until it does.

A fictionalized telling of the life of a painter a lot like the late Bob Ross, he of the peaceful trees and whatnot, is all over the place in terms of story and performance. At least the tone is consistent. Consistently weird. Then it coalesces in one final cosmic joke that some people might not get.

But for those who do (and writer and director Brit McAdams goes unnecessarily out of his way to try and make sure of it), it’s a pretty swell payoff.

Does the ending redeem all that’s gone before it? Eh. But it does make “Paint” a worthwhile watch.

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Is Owen Wilson playing Bob Ross?

So goes Owen Wilson, who plays Carl Nargle, sporting a giant perm, a beard and, when he’s painting on-air for the local PBS station, a Sherlock Holmes-like pipe. His buttery voice talks viewers through adding a tree here, a cabin there, and always a mountain in the back (a plot point that comes and goes).

He’s clearly modeled on Ross, whose presence was soothing enough that, despite having died in 1995, his videos remained a popular balm during the darkest days of the pandemic.

Nargle’s clothes scream ’70s, as does his van, complete with a fold-out bed in the back. But the film is set in the present, and as much as the residents of the retirement home and the occasional random weirdo enjoy tuning in, ratings are tanking.

Tony (Stephen Root), who runs the station, is ineffectual (what a treasure Root is). Katherine (Michaela Watkins), the assistant general manager, really runs the place, but she’s stuck in place, still carrying a torch for Carl, with whom she had an ill-fated affair long ago.

She is not alone on that front.

Several other women who work at the station have a history with Carl, including Wendy (Wendi McLendon-Covey, always hilarious). Carl is at least outwardly oblivious. Confronted with anything, he just smiles, utters some nonsensical koan and drifts along.

But, the almost whispery voice and preternatural calm on display when Carl is on-camera turns instantly into a passive-aggressive control mechanism when the red light turns off.

Is 'Paint' based on a true story?

He’s still got his fans, and Jenna (Lucy Freyer), who works at the public TV station, is practically a groupie. But he’s starting to lose the Zen-master-like grip he had on the town.

In an act of desperation, the station hires Ambrosia (Ciara Renée), who shows up unbeknownst to Carl, palette and paints at the ready, for a new show that follows his. She’s all smiles and humility, praising Carl as the reason she wanted to paint.

Her first offering is amusingly unexpected, and the audience isn’t sure what to make of her. But over time she settles in. Boy does she. Evidently on-air artists are romantically irresistible to all those around them.

Carl begins a downward spiral. Maybe it’s karma catching up to him, maybe it’s something else. But it’s not pretty. Can he find his way out?

(There is no evidence that anything of the sort happened to the real Ross in real life. And good for him on that front.)

The emotional stakes are lessened a bit by the loony tone. Everything is heightened, sometimes slightly, sometimes to the point of parody, sometimes to absurdist levels.

'Paint' has a good ending. But it could have been great

Through it all Wilson maintains his Ross-like tranquil demeanor. It’s a punch line when he walks away after a confrontation and someone says, “I’ve never seen him this mad.”

If Carl is a one-note character, Katherine is more complex. Her fling with Carl years ago left her unsure of herself, of her abilities, of her future. She is in many ways the real heart of the film, and Watkins makes you root for her.

And it’s all leading to that great punch line, the payoff that McAdams surprises us with — and then beats us over the head with. It’s still a good moment. If he’d trusted his audience a little more, it could have been great.

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'Paint' 3 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Brit McAdams.

Cast: Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Ciara Renée.

Rating: PG-13 for sexual/suggestive material, drug use and smoking.

How to watch: In theaters Friday, April 7.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Paint' review: Is Owen Wilson playing Bob Ross? Kind of