Film Review - The Double (2014)

Review - "The Double" (2014) - Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) stars (and co-stars) as the meek office drone whose hollow existence is thrown into further flux with the arrival of a doppelganger whose personality is the antithesis of his own.  Essentially an elongated episode of The Twilight Zone, it's a mildly amusing and ultimately rather poignant commentary on the duality of self that's highlighted by a game cast, atmospheric cinematography and some nice little musical selections.

Imprisoned by his insecurities, stuck in the doldrums of a thankless career and harboring romantic designs for an intriguing co-worker (played by Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska (Stoker)), our submissive hero can only watch in horror as his brash and charismatic identical counterpart slowly usurps his existence.  Eisenberg (both of 'em) and Wasikowska put in good work here, though there's not much in the way of chemistry between the onscreen couple- the material doesn't really ask for, or allow for it.

Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride) plays our hero's oblivious boss, while there are a number of brief, cameo-like appearances from Yasmin Paige (Submarine),  Noah Taylor (Max), Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull), Paddy Considine (Dead Man's Shoes) and Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids).

Based loosely on Fyodor Dostoyevski's novella of the same title, Director Richard Ayoade (Submarine)  approaches the material with a darkly comedic and satirical slant that's somewhat reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's "Brazil"- there are a number of little touches that indicate that this particular story may very well be set in the slight future or an alternate reality.  Expect lighter shades of Lynchian influences, as well.

The only thing I could really pick at here is that the the film feels as if it may be missing a substantial portion of a second act- it's barely over an hour and a half long and could have used a good ten minutes more of character development and narrative padding.

While it may not stick to the ribs, The Double is still a delightfully strange and rewarding little diversion for those who pine for something completely different in their film-viewing ventures.

Recommended

8.5 out of 10

Director: Richard Ayoade
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, Noah Taylor, James Fox, Phyllis Somerville, Jon Korkes, Craig Roberts, Kobna Holbrook-Smith, Paddy Considine, Rade Serbedzija, Yasmin Paige, Gemma Chan, Cathy Moriarty and Chris O'Dowd.
Run-Time: 93 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for language