The Stranger

Art & Copy's essay-worthy subject is the American advertising industry, with director Doug Pray weaving interviews with history-making major players of the ad world—the minds behind "I Want My MTV!" "Got Milk?" and Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" campaign ad—with footage of the legendary ads themselves. Few if any art forms receive such intense second-to-second attention from their creators as the television commercial, and showcasing classics of the form on the big screen does plenty to highlight their artistry. Background and insight are provided by talking heads, who sometimes seem baffled by the power of their own blockbuster creations. As with other Artsy Homages—specifically, Gary Hustwit's industrial-design pageant Objectified—Art & Copy's focus on triumph gets a little one-note; both films could've been paired with supplementary features devoted entirely to the failures, rough drafts, and ideas that fizzled in their respective fields. Still, Pray's ad-world victory lap is perfectly enjoyable in its own right, and anyone interested in mass communication should see it. By David Schmader

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