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Movie Maven: 'Tim's Vermeer'

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by Stephanie Curtis

February 21, 2014

penn jillette tim jenison tim's vermeer
Penn Jillette and Tim Jenison in the documentary, "Tim's Vermeer".
Sony Pictures Classics

MPR Movie Maven and Cube Critic Stephanie Curtis joins Jill Riley and Steve Seel to talk about Tim's Vermeer a new documentary in which a man attempts to re-create the work of Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.

The eponymous "Tim" is Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, who wonders how Vermeer — who created such works as "The Milkmad" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring" — managed to paint so photo-realistically 150 years before the invention of photography.

Jenison is a friend of Penn and Teller, and the documentary, narrated by Penn Jillette and directed by Raymond Joseph Teller, follows Jenison's research and his attempts to test his theory. Jennison learns Dutch, visits Delft in the Netherlands, then creates a duplicate of Vermeer's studio in Texas.

Stephanie says it's "fun to be with them on this crazy ride" but it also raises questions such as, what makes something art? And what makes you love it? The end result, Stephanie says, is "mysterious, funny and kind of profound."

Tim's Vermeer is rated PG-13 and is screening at the Landmark Uptown Theatre in Minneapolis.

Have you seen the film? What do you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.