Review: HBO’s ‘Remembering The Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr.’ Is A Loving And Heartfelt Tribute From Son To Father!

Remembering The Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr. follows the rise and fall of an obscure painter who didn't quite fit in with the rest of the art world. Viewers are given a brief and enlightening piece of art history, as well as a loving and heartfelt tribute from one son to father.

The portrait of the esteemed abstract painter is split into two halves. On one side, viewers are treated with art history lessons from the expressionistic '40s to the pop art movement that swept the '60s. For art buffs, this is exciting material, and for a casual viewer, there is enough paintings shown to expand on the artistic movements made throughout the years.

Directors Perri Peltz and Geeta Gandbhir do an amazing job getting audiences to understand what the abstract painter had to struggle through in order to create his art. Even though his paintings were exhibited in galleries, jealousy reared its ugly head after the struggling artist watched his friends make more money and gain better recognition for their works.

De Niro, Sr. kept repeating to his son that artists gain their kudos posthumously. Most illustrators don't reserve any credit during their lifetime. After seeing the wonderfully rendered still-life paintings from De Niro, Sr., you definitely wish it was the other way around.  

At the documentary's core, this is about a son recognizing his father's flaws and forgiving them. It's difficult for any child to see their parent anything less than their hero. When the Raging Bull actor recites his father's downtrodden lines, there is such a cathartic sense of acceptance in his powerfully moving voiceover. 

Whenever the critically acclaimed actor talks to the camera, his monologues echo the universal theme of "What could I have done differently?" Towards the film's finale, the Taxi Driver thespian remembers certain events from his father's last days and wonders if he could have tried harder. After looking back, sometimes people do wish they had a time machine and flashback to the past to change things.

Remembering The Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr. explores the celebrated artist's works through the eyes of his loving son. Viewers should take a look at the documentary when it airs on HBO June 9 at 9PM.