The Christophers poster

2025·100 min·Released

The Christophers

“Art can be copied. Artists cannot.”

Crime
Comedy

The estranged children of a once-famous artist hire a forger to complete his unfinished works so they can be "discovered" and sold after his death.

6.4(58 votes)

Popularity5

Videos

Official UK Trailer

Cast & Crew

Michaela Coel

Michaela Coel

Lori Butler

Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen

Julian Sklar

Jessica Gunning

Jessica Gunning

Sally Sklar

James Corden

James Corden

Barnaby Sklar

Ferdy Roberts

Ferdy Roberts

Owen Appleton

Tilly Botsford

Tilly Botsford

Esme

Lucy McCormick

Lucy McCormick

Lori's Flatmate #1

Le Fil

Le Fil

Lori's Flatmate #2

Daniel Fearn

Daniel Fearn

Locksmith

Dmitri Prokopiev

Dmitri Prokopiev

Food Truck Patron

Dallas Campbell

Dallas Campbell

Art Fight Moderator

Stuart Cooke

Stuart Cooke

Press (uncredited)

No editorial yet

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CinemaSerf

Written on 5/19/2026

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure quite how much actual acting was going on here from Sir Ian McKellen as he slightly updated his effort from "The Critic" (2023) and becomes legendary painter "Julian Sklar". He has long since lost his touch, and is now suffering from a terminal disease so his grasping children "Sallie" (Jessica Gunning) and "Barney" (James Corden) have a cunning plan to ensure that their nest is well and truly feathered after he has gone. This involves embroiling "Lori" (Michaela Coel) in a plan to creatively enhance (no, that's not the same as forging) some of his most famous but still pending artworks that are sitting in an old metal bath tub atop his London home. Ostensibly there as his assistant helping to catalogue his considerable collection, the pair are soon spatting away as he becomes more suspicious of her motives and she of his - but with the venal offspring pushing relentlessly and more desperately, might the pair come up with a solution all of their own? This is at it's best when Sir Ian and the understated Coel indulge in their sparring, and it's the writing of those scenes that impresses and entertains. He can resort to crude vulgarities at times, but he is also capable of intellectual debate with a woman who is not without her own demons, but who is also more than capable of holding her own against a man who is very used to getting his own way. It does poke a little fun at the superciliousness of the art world, but it also shines quite a powerful spotlight on the complex and emotionally-charged motivations for many works of art that symbolise much more than might appear to the uninitiated on the canvas. There's quite a fun twist in the tale at the end, and with some decent chemistry on display and quite a bit of humour from the script, I did quite enjoy this.

Media

THE CHRISTOPHERS | Membership Moments with Kia

THE CHRISTOPHERS | Membership Moments with Kia

Ian McKellen Interview

Ian McKellen Interview

Ian McKellen on THE CHRISTOPHERS and the meaning of art

Ian McKellen on THE CHRISTOPHERS and the meaning of art

Official UK Trailer

Official UK Trailer

UK Premiere | Red Carpet Interviews

UK Premiere | Red Carpet Interviews

Official Clip

Official Clip