If actor Owen Wilson looks, paints and brings viewers peace like Bob Ross, then surely he’s playing the beloved painter, right? Not exactly.
In the trailer for IFC Films’ upcoming “Paint,” released Wednesday, Wilson sports Ross’ signature perm and button-down and soothes audiences with inspirational sayings as he paints a tranquil landscape.
He muses on feeling “a little lost as we begin” and taking in the beauty of the world, the way Ross did on “The Joy of Painting.” But the joke is on viewers expecting a biopic.
“There’s nothing like having the one you hold dearest nearest when the world turns cold,” Wilson continues. “Thanks for going to a special place with me — Carl Nargle.”
Wait, what? As the trailer progresses, it’s clear that the film, written and directed by Brit McAdams, isn’t about Ross, but rather a fictional TV painter.
“Paint” centers on Wilson’s Carl, who goes through an identity crisis when a younger painter — with a promise to bring “paint to a whole new place” — takes up his TV throne.
Carl is escorted tearfully out of his home studio and splashes his wall of original paintings with a bucket of bright green paint. Thrust out of the spotlight, Carl must find beauty and meaning in the world around him.
It’s not the first time IFC has mined the lives of popular figures for fiction. Its mockumentary series “Documentary Now!” specializes in parodying beloved documentaries including “Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present,” “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” and “Grey Gardens.”
Even if the film isn’t about Ross, the late artist certainly lives on in Wilson’s “Paint” performance. The “Joy of Painting” host died of cancer on July 4, 1995. He was 52.
“Paint,” which also stars Michaela Watkins, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Ciara Renée,premieres on April 7.
