In the crime comedy-drama film The Christophers, elderly and eccentric London painter Julian Sklar lives past his artistic prime, earning money by recording personalized video messages for fans. His greedy children, Barnaby and Sallie, want to cash in on his legacy. They hire Lori Butler, a struggling artist who has not exhibited in years, to secretly finish an abandoned series of paintings called The Christophers so they can sell them for a fortune after he dies.
Lori takes the job as his assistant, entering a complex web of deceit and artistic rivalry. Julian quickly realizes Lori is an artist and discovers his children hired her. Instead of following his initial command to destroy the unfinished canvases, Lori secretly saves the real paintings while pretending to shred fakes.
As Julian and Lori spend time together, they develop a genuine friendship based on mutual respect and shared artistic discussions. Barnaby and Sallie attempt to check on the progress, but Julian and Lori trick them into believing the works are destroyed, temporarily derailing the siblings' financial schemes.
Lori and Julian form a deep artistic bond that survives his initial harsh judgment of her career.
Following Julian's death, Lori alters his final series and gives the collection to his former lover Christopher.
The story resolves with a museum exhibition showcasing both Julian's altered portraits and Lori's tribute artwork.
The final act of The Christophers unfolds when Julian demands that Lori burn the remaining unfinished paintings from the third series. When she refuses and tells him to do it himself, he hesitates and brings the canvases back upstairs. In a surprising turn, Julian decides to sabotage the works himself so they cannot be sold, adding glitter, feathers, and various ornaments to them in a moment of creative passion.
He then lashes out at Lori, criticizing her art after finding it online, which prompts her to quit her job. Frustrated by the ordeal and realizing Barnaby and Sallie are deeply in debt and have already pre-sold the paintings, Lori briefly teams back up with the siblings. Soon after, Julian visits Lori at her shared art studio.
He admits he was wrong to judge her online portfolio without seeing her work in person and apologizes, revealing he was the one who harshly criticized her on television years earlier, causing her to stop exhibiting. They mend their relationship, and he invites her to return to work for him soon. However, before that can happen, Julian passes away and is discovered by his masseuse with a paintbrush in his hand.
Following his death, Lori retrieves the real Christophers from his home and continues modifying them by adding yarn, sequins, feathers, and slashes to the canvas. She also forges a document from Julian transferring ownership of the series to Christopher, his former lover and the inspiration behind the portraits. At a subsequent museum exhibition celebrating Julian, Christopher displays the newly finished and heavily altered Christopher portraits.
Next to them, Lori exhibits her own modern piece celebrating Julian by weaving together dozens of his recorded video messages. The narrative concludes with Julian's masseuse handing Lori his final unfinished self-portrait, which features an inscription on the back reading for Lori.
What does the ending of The Christophers mean?
One reading of the ending of The Christophers is that it explores themes of artistic redemption, legacy, and breaking free from commercial exploitation. Throughout the narrative, Julian and Lori struggle with how their art is valued by the market versus its personal meaning. Julian spends years resting on a fading reputation and producing superficial video messages for income, while his children view his life's work purely as a financial commodity to solve their debts.
By intentionally ruining the commercial viability of his final series with glitter and feathers, Julian reclaims his autonomy and shifts art away from capitalistic greed into genuine creative expression. Lori similarly reclaims her voice, moving past the trauma of past public criticism to create her own tribute piece and ensure the original inspiration, Christopher, receives what is rightfully his. The conclusion suggests that true artistic value cannot be contained by traditional markets or manipulated by greedy relatives, but instead lives on through personal connections and the transformative act of creation itself. The story ultimately resolves by favoring authentic human relationships over financial gain, leaving characters to find peace through shared artistry.
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Where to watch The Christophers
How
Available on
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Hulu
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The Christophers ending FAQ
Who hires Lori Butler in The Christophers?
Julian Sklar's greedy and unscrupulous children, Barnaby and Sallie, hire Lori Butler to secretly finish their aging father's unfinished paintings so they can sell them for a fortune after his death.
What happens to the unfinished paintings in the end?
Julian initially decorates them with glitter and feathers to make them unsaleable, but after his death, Lori takes them, continues modifying them, and gives them to Julian's former lover Christopher.
Why did Lori stop exhibiting her art before the film began?
Lori stopped exhibiting after Julian Sklar harshly criticized her work years earlier on a television program, an incident he later apologizes for when they reconcile at her studio.
How does Julian Sklar die in the story?
Julian passes away peacefully between his studio work and a planned reunion with Lori, and he is eventually found in his home by his masseuse holding a paintbrush.
What is featured at the museum exhibition in the final scenes?
The museum exhibition features the newly finished and altered Christopher portraits exhibited by Christopher himself, alongside a modern tribute artwork created by Lori using Julian's video messages.
Where can I watch The Christophers?
Stream: Hulu. Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex. Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home. Availability listed for region US and varies by country.
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