Carl Nargle, Vermont’s #1 public television painter, is convinced he has it all: a signature perm, custom van, and fans hanging on his every stroke… until a younger, better artist steals everything (and everyone) Carl loves.
Acting
Owen Wilson commits fully to perm-powered patheticness.
Production
That custom van is a character with better development than most.
Costume
Carl's wardrobe is cosplay for dads who peaked in 1978.
Director
Brit McAdams
Owen Wilson
Carl Nargle
Michaela Watkins
Katherine
Wendi McLendon-Covey
Wendy
Ciara Renée
Ambrosia
Lusia Strus
Beverly
Stephen Root
Tony
Lucy Freyer
Jenna
Denny Dillon
PBS Host
Evander Duck Jr.
Reuben
Elisabeth Henry-Macari
Bridget
Michael Pemberton
Dr. Bradford Lenihan
Rob Figueroa
Donald Moore
Sonia Darmei Lopes
Mary
Joel Leffert
Sydney
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film borrows heavily from Bob Ross's actual PBS 'Joy of Painting' format, down to the whisper-soft instruction style—though Ross was famously kind, not a narcissistic mess.
Mount Mansfield, Carl's obsession, is Vermont's highest peak and functions as his unattainable white whale—he literally paints it 1,000 times without ever capturing it.
US
