What do you get when Wes Anderson, David Lynch and Spike Jonze have weird sex and one of them gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby? You get Richard Ayoade’s new dark comedy, The Double, a wildly imaginative adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novella that goes by the same name.

The Double stars Jesse Eisenberg as Simon James, a lonely, insecure employee of a mysterious company referred to only as, ‘The Colonel.’ Pining for the affection of co-worker Hannah (Mia Wasikowska) and desperately trying to climb the corporate ladder, Simon seems inept at succeeding in anything in life other than being looked through as though he does not exist. After being unceremoniously thrown out of the mandatory company ball because security does not recognize him as an employee (a running joke that is expertly delivered by a deadpan Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), Simon sees a man who is his physical doppelganger run past him into the apartment building across the courtyard from his own. This duplicate, we quickly learn, is named James Simon and he just so happens to be the newest employee at ‘The Colonel.’ He is popular, extroverted and literally everything Simon is not. At first he appears to be trying to help Simon improve himself, but it becomes clear that he is really trying to take everything Simon holds dear and make it his own. And that’s all the plot synopsis you’re getting out of me because to tell any more would be to deprive you of a uniquely satisfying movie experience.

Ayoade has crafted a semi-dystopian world in which it seems possible that Russia won the Cold War and technological advances have ceased since 1980. Everyone pretty much exists to serve the needs of the greater good, in this case ‘The Colonel.’ The world in which The Double exists is simultaneously hilarious and tragic. Nothing mechanical or electronic ever seems to work properly and often need a good kick. All computers are antiquated and push-button operated. Simon watches his favorite TV show, a very Russian-styled action/sci-fi program with laughably awful visual effects and choppy editing. Your first reaction is to laugh because this material is very funny but after the laughter subsides you feel a sadness, not just within Simon James but within the landscape of Simon’s entire world. It’s rare that a movie can pull these strings at all, let alone effectively, and yet The Double effortlessly does this task for 93 minutes without breaking a sweat.

The fact that no one on screen is bothered in the least that both Simon and James appear to be identical is a non-issue because Ayoade spends the first thirty minutes of the movie explaining the rules of this world. That this cold, unloving world is given such care and attention to detail to allow it to grow and be fully realized in the viewer’s mind speaks volumes about Ayoade as a director and writer. As absurd a portrait as The Double paints, you never feel like you’re watching nonsense. This insane world carries weight and parallels real-world fears and anxieties within its bizarre canvas. If you can’t relate to Simon James on some level then you’re probably a sociopath, in which case you’ll certainly be able to find some common ground with James Simon.

Jesse Eisenberg has to be commended for playing dual roles (both the straight man and foil, often times to himself.) He is in full Zuckerberg mode while playing the cocky, arrogant James Simon and it makes for some great character moments. That said, you’re constantly rooting for the nebbish Simon James because he, like most of us, is struggling to succeed in all walks of life. Nothing comes easy to him like it does the cool, confident James. In fact, as fun as it is to have James on screen, you almost hate him immediately. I don’t know if I’d call this an award winning performance but it’s definitely one worth checking out.



Director Richard Ayoade is officially a filmmaker you need to keep your eye on. In other words, do not miss The Double. It’s an incredibly funny, immersive and thought provoking film that features terrific performances from everyone involved. Plus, it features my favorite line of dialogue of 2014 when Jesse Eisenberg tells Jesse Eisenberg he’d, “Tear the asshole off an elephant to get a piece of trim like that.” Wouldn’t we all?

8/10

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