Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight) is arguably one of the busiest filmmakers working today. After two separate occasions when claims were made that he had retired, Soderbergh has continued to make massively entertaining, if flawed, finished products. His latest film, The Christophers, follows Barnaby Sklar and Sally Sklar (James Corden, Jessica Gunning), the children of renowned artist Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), and their hiring of a painter and forger, Lori (Michaela Coel). Their mission is for Lori to pose as Julian’s assistant so she can secretly finish his masterpieces (called “The Christophers”) and cash in on them after his death.
Ian McKellen as Julian Sklar in THE CHRISTOPHERS. Photo Credit: Claudette Barius. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Before delving into the review of this home release, I would like to clarify one factor. When viewing the film in theaters, I missed large chunks of the dialogue, making The Christophers a rather sweet but emotionally disengaging experience. Now, watching the film with closed captions, yielded entirely different results. Those differences shine through the performances. Both Michaela Coel (Mother Mary) and Sir Ian McKellen (Richard III) offer a slyness to their roles, the back-and-forth banter simply joyous, making each line funnier than the last. Both work in synchrony, but I would like to take a moment to highlight each individual performance.
Michaela Coel as Lori in THE CHRISTOPHERS. Photo Credit: Claudette Barius. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Sir Ian McKellen absolutely steals every moment he is on the screen. McKellen plays things broadly, is hilarious, and is effortlessly charming. Writer Ed Solomon (Bill & Ted series; Men in Black) has crafted a challenge for any performer in the role as Julian Sklar is not meant to be likable for large portions. In the wrong actor’s hands, that can make the character repulsive. McKellen delivers this while imbuing Julian with a kind of grace. Yes, he says plenty of crass and inappropriate things, yet his presence alone is commanding. That makes the performance incredibly entertaining, and completely difficult to look away from. A performance like McKellen’s needs a metaphorical buoy to offset its broadness, which comes in the form of Michaela Coel.
From her first scene, Lori is an almost cipher in the story. Not much is known about her aside from her connection to Julian’s daughter, Sally, which makes the character all the more fascinating. Yes, the icy exterior Coel puts on presents the character in one way, but it’s how she plays Lori interacting once she enters Julian’s orbit that is fascinating. While constantly testing Julian, Lori allows the banter to unfold in an effective back-and-forth. That back-and-forth helps the film overcome some narrative shortcomings in Ed Solomon’s screenplay.
The Christophers has a plot in the sense of a beginning-to-end narrative. The problem is that the plot is simply not as interesting as the many moments of rapport between Coel and McKellen. While Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and James Corden (Cats) (who delivers his best performance in years) both deliver good performances, their characters exist as nothing more than plot devices. They undoubtedly have funny lines, but anytime they’re on screen, it’s hard not to hear the narrative gears grinding. At 100 minutes, that should not be viewed as a harsh criticism but rather as a slight detraction.
L-R: Jessica Gunning as Sally Sklar and James Corden as Barnaby Sklar in THE CHRISTOPHERS. Photo Credit: Claudette Barius. Photo courtesy of NEON.
As a Blu-ray release, The Christophers is, unfortunately, a bare-bones delivery. There are three different subtitle options (English SDH, Spanish, and French) alongside a Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and Audio Description 2.0 track. The only featurette is a two-minute discussion between screenwriter Ed Solomon and Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), which is accompanied by a trailer for the film. The featurette is so frustratingly inconsequential that there is little to say other than that it left me wanting more. In a time of high physical media costs, that can be a serious detraction from the urgency of a purchase. Granted, a film like The Christophers has plenty of merits within its own narrative.
Director Steven Soderbergh on the set of THE CHRISTOPHERS. Photo Credit: Claudette Barius. Photo courtesy of NEON.
The Christophers is a welcome reminder that Steven Soderbergh can truly tackle any genre. Which, in the case of this film, is a quiet, understated, and surprisingly heartfelt story of a friendship. The premise certainly promises a heist movie, but it’s the understated characterizations that leave an impression. In a time of big-budget blockbusters and Oscar hopefuls, The Christophers operates somewhere in the middle, murky grey area. With any lesser filmmaker, that could mean the experience is nothing more than a fleeting memory, whereas, with the actors Soderbergh assembled, the results are memorable. I couldn’t recommend a full-price purchase, but I would definitely say the film is worth a purchase on sale.
The Christophers Special Features:
- Conversation with Screenwriter Ed Solomon and Charlie Kaufman
- Trailer
Available on VOD and digital May 12th, 2026.
Available on Blu-ray July 14th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official NEON The Christophers webpage.
To purchase, head to the official NEON Shop The Christophers webpage.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews, streaming
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