Solid acting from the main role players keep this boat afloat, which could otherwise have been dragged under by the slow pace and the cloyingly sentimental soundtrack. Ellen Burstyn lights up any screen (big or small), and I can imagine it must be a joy for any actor to partner her on screen. There is an effortless 'chemistry' (for lack of a better word) between her and Landau here.
The central theme here though is not romance as such, but rather ART, and the creating of art that will stand the test of time. While I'm sure that there are as many reasons for becoming an artist as there are actual artists in the world, the interested viewer here will find much to ponder about the process of creating something called a masterpiece, and what drives or inspires the artist to reach his/her full potential.
It is a bit of a pity that the film-making team here couldn't invest the same amount of love into their endeavours, as the artists who truly care about their work - like Max Loeb, the protagonist of this film. I rate this film 7/10 due to good, respectful treatment of the film's main theme, but not any higher due to a somewhat mediocre "delivering" of the film's message.
