Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? (2006)

Documentary. Imagine that a salty-tongued, truckdriving, trailerpark grandma buys an abstract painting as a gag gift for $5 at a thrift shop -- then discovers it could be a Jackson Pollock creation worth tens of millions. Next imagine how the art experts puff and preen over their assertions of expertise and do no more than sniff impolitely in her general direction. Here is a great documentary that doesn't stack the deck either way. While many seem to love this woman for her determination to get a straight answer from the art "experts," it doesn't take a chummy populist to conclude she is (as one of her own business partners admits) "her own worst enemy." Nevertheless her story is a meandering yet captivating one for all who are genuinely curious about the art world. She gathers forensic experts to try to prove her painting is a Pollock, yet the art experts pooh-pooh scientific evidence that would convict in court. The art world, we learn, is about consensus, and sometimes illusion, but most importantly, great naked gobs of money. 4 stars.