Tim’s Vermeer (2014)
90%RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
1 win & 6 nominations total
Entertaining and profound in equal measure, Tim’s Vermeer uses its seemingly esoteric subject to pose fascinating questions about art and obsession.
Tim’s Vermeer is a fascinating and hilarious documentary that follows the journey of one man’s obsession with recreating a Vermeer painting. With the help of technology and a lot of determination, Tim Jenison sets out to prove that Vermeer used a camera obscura to create his masterpieces. Along the way, we are treated to some truly hilarious moments, including Tim’s attempts to recreate the painting in his own studio and his interactions with the art world elite. This film is a must-see for anyone who loves art, technology, or just a good laugh.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Delft, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some strong language
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 20m
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Language(s):English, Dutch
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 31, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 10, 2014
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, art history, technology, painting technique, obsession, inventor, Johannes Vermeer, Tim Jenison, directed by Teller, produced by Penn Jillette, Farley Ziegler, written by Teller, Penn Jillette, Sony Pictures Classics, PG-13, box office gross, $1.7M, critic reviews, reviewed by Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Eddie Cockrell, Marc Savlov, Moira MacDonald, Joe Williams, Donald Clarke, Richard Crouse, Joanne Laurier, Brian D Johnson, Mattie Lucas, Bernard Boo, audience score, 86%, runtime, 1h 20m, distributor, Peter Adam Golden, Glenn S Alai, cast, crew, self, executive producer, original language, English, genre, documentary film, MPAA rating, limited release, streaming release, rent/buy, Chasing Ice, Undefeated, 20 Feet From Stardom, Lilting, Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words, budget, producer, Tim’s Vermeer, documentary film, art and obsession, Johannes Vermeer’s painting techniques, photographic realism, optical devices, camera obscura, geometry, Vermeer’s accomplishments, Baroque painting, special effects innovator, engineering expertise, modern photograph, family, horsetrading, magic of the paintings, painstaking tasks, great art, capacity for obsession, art and technology
Worldwide gross: $1,686,917
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,108,220
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,398
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 229,904
US/Canada gross: $1,671,377
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,088,799
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,022
US/Canada opening weekend: $49,777
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $62,209
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,130
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Teller – Director
Penn Jillette – Producer
Farley Ziegler – Producer
Peter Adam Golden – Executive Producer
Glenn S. Alai – Executive Producer
Director(s)
Teller
Writer(s)
Teller, Penn Jillette
Producer(s)
Penn Jillette, Farley Ziegler
Film Festivals
Telluride, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
1 win & 6 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (121) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (108) | Rotten (13)
As a portrait of one man’s all-consuming persistence alone, it’s astonishing.
September 6, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
metro.co.uk
TOP CRITIC
Perhaps the ultimate take-away from Tim’s Vermeer is the unquenchable curiosity of certain people, albeit those with the money to finance that inquisitiveness, to get to the bottom of history’s mysteries. In that respect, Jenison is an artist.
July 9, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Cockrell
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
It’s obvious in hindsight why Penn and Teller would be so drawn to this ethereally beautiful mystery: Their passion for all things seemingly magical, often mechanical, and always amazing is practically their trademark.
March 20, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
“Tim’s Vermeer” is about many things – art history, technology, painting technique, beauty – but ultimately it’s a beguiling study of fascination.
March 6, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
We should never forget that Penn and Teller are professional bamboozlers, and their attempt to re-frame the definition of genius might be nothing but smoke and mirrors.
March 6, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Shot on grainy video, with some indifferent sound, Tim’s Vermeer is an amusing study of obsession in action.
February 28, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
The technical nuts and bolts of Jenison’s theory are playfully presented and fascinating but the real appeal here is the personal story of the eccentric inventor’s obsession and determination.
February 1, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
Tim’s Vermeer is, just that, Tim Jenison’s “Vermeer.” In fact, the movie is not about Vermeer. It is about Tim Jenison-a fascinating and unusual subject…
August 13, 2020
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
The film is a fascinating inquiry, but over time it becomes even more intriguing as a Herzog-like portrait of one man’s crazy obsession, and just how far he will go to fulfill it.
August 7, 2019
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
While the filmmakers were clearly going for a more lighthearted tone at times, it often seems at odds with what’s actually going on.
August 7, 2019 | Rating: 2/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Despite Jenison’s soft-spoken nature and Teller’s unadorned style, the film is wildly entertaining and thought-provoking, and it awakens a giddy, childlike sense of discovery and curiosity few films manage to capture.
April 3, 2019 | Rating: 8.8/10
Bernard Boo
Way Too Indie
Tim’s Vermeer shares similarities with other recent art-mystery docs like Who The #$&% Is Jackson Pollock and My Kid Could Paint That, both of which dare to question the perceived truths held dear by art world elites.
December 11, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5
Di Golding
Dear Cast and Crew…
Plot
Inventor Tim Jenison conducts experiments to discover how 17th-century Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer achieved such photographic realism in his paintings in the documentary film “Tim’s Vermeer”.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Tim Jenison, the inventor and subject of the documentary, is also a co-founder of the software company NewTek, which created the popular video production tool, the Video Toaster.
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