Calgary International Film Festival 2012 - Beauty is Embarassing

Posted on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 12:28 AM

Review Type: Festival
Movie: Calgary International Film Festival

Beauty is Embarassing by Neil Berkeley

By Troy Steinke

Art school kids rule the world. Its true. Pretty much anything you think is cool, fashionable or just plain interesting seems to invariably yellow-brick road itself back to some zany kid toiling away in a dingy back room studio. It was no surprise to me then that Wayne White is just that. A self-described weirdo from the hills of Tennessee with a penchant for puppetry and kitchy country-style artforms, the likes of which I am surely unqualified to classify amongst his peers. Wayne went on to find commercial success with the hit children's show 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse" as an Art Director and Puppeteer, which I now know thanks to this autobiographical film. In the twilight of his career, White has found a new audience amongst art collectors with a series of paintings that superimpose humorous phrases on cheesy landscape art, an ironically simple concept that has made him a wealthy man.

On the surface, 'Beauty is Embarassing' gives us a glimpse into the emergence of an artist in the classical sense. Struggle and strife set against a backdrop of youthful exploration, then successes, failures and finally contentment. There are some interesting insights in addition to a mere celebration of the narrator, taking time to acknowledge the sacrifices made by his wife Mimi Pond - an accomplished comic book illustrator in her own right. We also get to know his best friend, Mike Quin who appears to have passed on fame and fortune, and perhaps his own sense of fulfillment.  

All in all 'Beauty is Embarrassing'  shows us a portrait of man who for all his quirks and imperfections has made a life for himself in his chosen pursuit. It is a refection of anyone who has ever chased the machinations of the imagination. Though success finds some and and passes by others, White inspires us to roll those dice. Who knows - you might just find yourself laughing all the way to the Playhouse someday.