The Cool School (2008 film)

The Cool School
Directed byMorgan Neville
Written byKristine McKenna
Morgan Neville
Produced byMorgan Neville
Kristine McKenna
Narrated byJeff Bridges
Edited byChris Perkel
Dylan Robertson
Music byDan Crane
William Ungerman
Distributed byArthouse Films
Release date
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Cool School is a 2008 American documentary film about the rise of the Los Angeles contemporary art scene. It was directed by Morgan Neville and narrated by Jeff Bridges. The documentary premièred at the Cleveland International Film Festival.

It focused on the Ferus Gallery, and its founders, Walter Hopps and Ed Kienholz. It profiled numerous artists, including Ed Ruscha, Craig Kauffman, Wallace Berman, Ed Moses, John Altoon, and Robert Irwin.[1]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 26 critics and, categorizing the reviews as positive or negative, assessed 24 as positive and 2 as negative for a 92 percent rating. Among the reviews, it determined an average rating of 7.00 out of 10. The critics consensus reads "A breezy and lively modern art documentary, revealing that LA is not a cultural wasteland when it comes to fine art."[2]

  1. ^ Dargis, Manohla (March 28, 2008). "Birth of Los Angeles Art, Assisted by Hip Midwives". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  2. ^ "The Cool School". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved September 2, 2021.