If David Lynch, Alfred Hitchock, Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson made a love child in the form of Jesse Eisenberg, you would end up with the strangely unique but self absorbed feature film, The Double.
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| "Facebook......we're always watching." |
While the actors do their best to fulfill this strangely knit story of socially inept Simon, The Double struggles to compete with other more competent movies that have already attacked the same topics that this one is so heavy handedly trying to broach.
Some may find The Double entertaining because it feels like an amalgamation of so many profoundly great film makers. It looks awesome and has a uniquely noir feel, but sadly fails as director Richard Ayoate proves his apparent love for Lynch but is ultimately never as smart and is way too self aware for his own good. If he would just get out of his own way for five seconds, The Double could have been an entertaining tribute to the story its based on and the men that have so influenced him to attempt a topic of this magnitude. However, he's not an accomplished enough director to take on such a multifaceted story arc.
In light of the failings of the overall delivery of story, The Double does feature a strong score, great lighting, and a defined sense of imagery. Yet, it's never enough to pull the whole thing together in to the tightly wound package that a mind bending movie like this needs to be. I would commend Ayoate's willingness to try something this grand in scope, but he fails so miserably that I honestly wish I could have my ninety minutes back to watch something better.
Devout indie fans will find things to like about the movie and will enjoy its film geek nods in tribute, but general audiences will struggle with its solipsistic nature and overall ineptitude. Years from now, Ayoate will take a step back and see the deep rooted flaws with his picture while I may just take another shot at this art film gone so terribly wrong.
-CG
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| "Lex Luthor DOES NOT ride the bus!" |
Devout indie fans will find things to like about the movie and will enjoy its film geek nods in tribute, but general audiences will struggle with its solipsistic nature and overall ineptitude. Years from now, Ayoate will take a step back and see the deep rooted flaws with his picture while I may just take another shot at this art film gone so terribly wrong.
-CG