The Double

[Ms Thrifty]

"A comedy centred on a man who is driven insane by the appearance of his doppleganger."

I couldn't find a thread for this so please no-one shoot me if it does turn out to be a duplicate.

Anyway, I logged on this morning, eager to read reviews by those who won tix to last night's preview + Q & A, only to find no mention. So what happened - did the promoters impose an embargo? Only a week until the release, and given the number of previews last night, it didn't look as though the aim was to avoid publicity!

[yogi]

No embargo in Manchester, maybe I was just still processing what I saw.

I didn't win a competition but used a code I had to see the film and live feed of the Q&A.

Anyway I really wanted to like the film, I'm a big fan of Richard Ayoade and loved Submarine but really didn't like this.

He talked a great film during the Q&A and there's a great look and sound design to the film and plenty of ideas, but the deliberately unreal setting (apparently like a '50s vision of the future that never existed') and the constant stream of cameos from the likes of Tim Key, Sally Hawkins and the rest of the Submarine gang probably helped keep me at a distance and I didn't really engage with the dramatic part of the story.

And the comedy wasn't really as 'hilarious' as the posters promised, it's quirky and interesting and sometimes works well, but overall it did feel a long 90 minutes.

I hope plenty of others like it as you can see the craft and detail on screen but sadly it didn't do it for me 4/10

[Ms Thrifty]

Pleased to see a report, Yogi, though obviously sorry that the film wasn't for you. It will be interesting to see what others think. I was keeping a lookout for this film and would have been happy to attend a free preview in innocence, but if others share your view, I shall delete The Double from my list.

[funthing29]

Weird and bizarre were my thoughts after watching this last night (and not in a good way). It was not the black comedy I was expecting and there were a few parts I thought were funny and other parts that felt quite pointless. I was left slightly confused by the ending but I assume that was deliberate and is intended to spark discussion.

I was unimpressed with the film so I did not stay for the Q&A. 4/10.

[valda]

It reminded me of Eraserhead, Twin Peaks, Terry Gilliam and those sorts of influences. RA mentioned The Tenant as being an influence as well. Visually and Aurally it was up there with the best of them. I have to admit the music and sounds were creeping me out a lot.

However, it just wasn't for me. I didn't understand it, didn't know where or when it was set or anything at all.

I stayed for part of the Q&A but he's pretty shy and not a natural interviewee so I went before the audience questions.

Hopefully there is a cult market for that sort of film, and for a second time directing he's done very well.

5/10

[The Sparrow]

I loved Submarine and really like Richard Ayoade too but I hated this film. It started off well enough and kept my interest but was way too weird for my taste. I came away feeling very disappointed.

[scootermcc]

Weird film that bored me rigid.

Here's my review: www.cinemabang.com

2/10

[RAZORBACK]

Afraid I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I thought this was very decent indeed.

I really liked the trailer for 'Submarine' but found the film itself to be a little bit disappointing so I must admit to being a little bit concerned that a similar scenario would occur with 'The Double' as I thought it's trailer was really good as well.

Thankfully it didn't disappoint in the slightest, it was imaginative, surreal & visually quite Gilliamesque...it was however noticeably superior in overall quality than Terry's more recent releases.

The only criticism I can really make against it is that there's not much more to this movie, excluding the final fifteen or so minutes, than what's already been shown in the trailer.

Overall it gets an 8/10 from me and I think it's well worth taking a chance on (especially if you've got an unlimited card or a spare voucher)...

[Livi92]

Found the film really boring and was very disappointed. It certainly didn't live up to expectations and I think marketing it as 'hilarious' is a real over-exaggeration, the funny parts, were few and far between for me.
2/10

[weirdfilms33]

I'm utterly confounded at the negative reception that The Double has received on FMUK; it seems that many were expecting something conventional and familiar. I personally think it's an audacious and rather brilliant piece of work. Jesse Eisenberg gives a deeply intelligent and nuanced performance - or should that be performances?! There were some fantastic cameos in addition.

I loved how cine-literate the whole thing was - the influence of Terry Gilliam has been noted everywhere, but I seemed to also notice references to John Boorman's Point Blank and the films of the Nouvelle Vague. The sound design was crashingly industrial, and I actually really admired the indeterminacy of its setting - it lent the story an archetypal and deeply enduring quality. And I did find it funny! There's something innately hilarious about the fact that no-one recognises the physical similarities between the two Doubles, something humorously surreal.

Perhaps it is difficult, what with its ambiguous setting and idiosyncratic style, to engage emotionally with the characters. Yet this is not necessarily a criticism - some of the greatest films ever made don't really ask for such emotional engagement. This isn't one of the greatest films ever made, but it is a remarkable product of a filmmaker with an impressively wide array of cinematic interests, and far far better than people are giving it credit for.

9/10