Somewhere in the region between the unabashed praise of a bathrobe-clad, cognac-drinking Julian Schnabel and the critical hesitation of Hal Foster, the reality of Frank Gehry and his work resides. It cannot be denied that our built environment is a better place having Mr. Gehry in it, but one must wonder if it might not be even richer if we could strip away the mythology surrounding this contemporary master perpetuated by the documentary film, Sketches of Frank Gehry. Director Sydney Pollack, who admits at the outset of the film he knows nothing about architecture, has made what is essentially an ode to a good friend. And while there are many aspects of the film that one could take issue with, or at least politely question, it is an entertaining ode.

In considering the architect and his work, there are two main points for which there can be no dispute. First, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California are among the most beautiful and accomplished works of architecture of the last 50 years. And second, that Frank Gehry has had one of the most profound influences on the practice of architecture than any other contemporary office, save for maybe Rem Koolhaas/OMA. For it is without question that the entire BIM (Building Information Modeling) movement that is currently afoot would not exist without the work of his office. Being at least a work of competent documentary filmmaking, Sketches thoroughly covers the obvious ground of the first point. The second point, however, is only alluded to. Maybe this is because the subject, largely technical in nature, would bore the lay viewer. However, it is arguably on this point that his greatest historical impact will be made, so it is a bit disappointing that the film fails to cover it properly.

Throughout the film the argument is presented that only by 'breaking the rules' of architecture can true creative expression be achieved. This, of course, is absurd and only serves to reinforce the central thesis of the film, that being Frank Gehry is a genius. What is so frustrating about this is that Mr. Pollack, the slue of artists and one or two critics who are interviewed for the film, do not have to make this false argument to prove that Mr. Gehry is a genius. The works are fundamentally willful acts of sculptural exploration, and in a sense, self evident. For this reason they are also somewhat insulated from typical architectural criticism, which might be a criticism in itself. And ironically, they are typologically quite classical which is what's most interesting from the point of view of 'breaking the rules'. The argument also implies that by not 'breaking the rules' one is destined to works of mediocrity. This denies the history of architecture itself. Pollack only need tour the works of someone like Louis Kahn (or at least watch the film, My Architect) to see the over simplification inherent in this argument.

The other irony is, Gehry has become bound by a set of rules of his own making; rules that his clients will not let him break. In a lecture he gave at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, he recounted his experience designing the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Chicago's Millennium Park. His original design had been rejected by the client for its lack of expression, or to put it another way, it was not Gehry enough. In effect, his work, where sketches become logos, has evolved into a brand that clients want to associate themselves with. It is not so much that they want Gehry, as much as they want a Gehry. One has to wonder how this has influenced the creative production of his office in recent years and if the work is now destined to merely repeat itself, and thus has run its course.

Even if it has, it doesn't matter. On his worst day, Gehry is capable of delivering works that still challenge the standard output of the architectural profession. The film provides confirmation of this fact, even if it fails to provide a thorough and critical appraisal of his real impact. And while the mythology remains intact, we do find out that there was a time when Mr. Gehry was Mr. Goldberg.