Jackson Pollock: Ed Harris	Lee Krasner: Marcia Gay Harden
Peggy Guggenheim: Amy Madigan	Ruth: Jennifer Connelly
Clement Greenberg: Jeffrey Tambor	Willem de Kooning: Val Kilmer
Edith: Sally Murphy	Director: Ed Harris

30 Second Bottom Line: A down and out painter becomes an "overnight success" after years of living in poverty. After an "extended 15 minutes of fame," when he is not as special as he once was, he reverts to his old alcoholic ways, and becomes self destructive in all aspects of his life.

Story Line: Pollock is more of a documentary told in a slice of life manner, rather than a film with a typical plot. Ed Harris portrays Jackson Pollock, with a passion and rage, that remind you of the jazz musicians of the 1940's-50's, who were creative and too often dependent upon drugs. Rather than being like clean living trumpeter Clifford Brown, Pollock followed the same path as trumpeter Charlie Parker, who was highlighted in the Ken Burns series, Jazz. When they were sober, they were creative and always pushing the envelope of creativity. When substances were controlling their lives, everything suffered…their art, relationships with family, their self-image and in general, their life.

While living in NYC, Jackson meets fellow artist Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden), who is able to provide the order in his life that he needs to be something other than a forever-struggling artist. She helps him deal with his substance abuse and manages their money. Eventually they marry and Pollock wants to have kids but Lee tells him "We don't just get by, we struggle"…and "I have all I can handle with taking care of the two of us."

Peggy Guggenheim (Amy Madigan) offers Pollock a financial retainer that is enough to sustain him and Lee. Jackson's relationship with Peggy is sexual as well as professional, and beyond that she tolerates him urinating in her fireplace in the middle of a New Year's Eve party. He's upset that more of his paintings have not sold at higher prices. His abstract paintings don't sell very well until he gets a spread in Life magazine, which makes him America's first "Art Star."

Art critic Clement Greenberg (Jeffrey Tambor) helps generate a good buzz on Pollock's work and he later learns that what can send you up can bring you down. As new artists are discovered and Pollock is not the only person in the limelight, he becomes conflicted and starts drinking again.

Pollock and Lee underscore their 1950's, pre hippie, attitude as she tolerates his open affair with Ruth (Jennifer Connelly). Lee also retains her maiden name and continues to paint. Jackson is angry with Lee in part because she will not give him children. He also loves being with the younger, sexier Ruth. When Lee takes an extended vacation in Europe, Jackson is free to spend all the time with Ruth that he desires and it's that freedom and his drinking that puts him on a downward spiral from which he is unable to recover.

Tell Me More About It: …Footnote…although this film has not done very well at the box office, it generated two Academy Award nominations with Harris for Best Actor and Harden for Best Supporting Actress, which she won. While the Academy tends to be influenced by well made films that do bang up business at the box office, often they are not the best films of the year. Gladiator is an example of this thinking and it won Best Picture.

Some of the great films are not necessarily the easiest or most pleasant ones to watch. Such is the case with Pollock and in recent years with films like Boy's Don't Cry and Affliction. The first received an Oscar for Best Actress and the other for Best Supporting Actor. What this means is that if you love movies, and pride yourself on expanding your horizons, these are films to see. Pollock deserves to be supported at the box office so that more films like this will be made and obtain widespread distribution. If you are interested in quality films and are not familiar with Talk Cinema or Shooting Gallery Films, click to the web page for more information.

From the viewpoint of an artist, this may be the best film ever made regarding the creative process. Clearly, a certain amount of creativity comes from an innate talent that is within one. But it takes more than that to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

One must have balance in their personal life and ideally obtain joy from things not related to the art. In looking at Pollock, we do see genius and it may just help us better appreciate that quality in others who are also able to have a life outside of that genius. Think of Meryl Streep who participates in car pools with the neighborhood kids, Denzel Washington who coaches at his children's school and others who show us that there is a way to be both rich and famous and still have a "normal" life.

Within each of us there is some creativity…if you are not doing something creative from time to time, dig deeper until you do. Now you are onto something.

Ed Harris: Enemy at the Gates	Marcia Gay Harden: Space Cowboys
Amy Madigan: Loved	Jennifer Connelly: Requiem for a Dream
Jeffrey Tambor: Girl, Interrupted	Val Kilmer: Red Planet
Sally Murphy: Charming Billy