User Reviews

The comparisons (fairly or unfairly) to Villeneuve's "Enemy" are unavoidable in this doppelganger movie. And while this movie at times is rather interesting and thought provoking, it doesn't stack up compared to "Enemy".

Well. This was something. The world building was great. I felt they were in a different world/era ala "Brazil" (the movie) But I got bored quickly, only a few of the "jokes" landed, and as a bland person myself, I just can't believe I would take even 20% of the crap Jessie Eisseinberg's (which was good) character take on this one. In the end, dark/black comedies should make you laugh or chuckle way more than this one did. There is "romance" here, and for me is the only thing that really works.

from the beginning to the end, this artwork seems to know how to make audiences feel dazzled.

In spite of its surrealism resulting in quite a disjointed narrative and its occasional propensity towards the painfully dull, Richard Ayoade actually offers an expert analysis of depression, loneliness and alienation.

The Double is an interesting film, but its concept is not enough to save the whole film, that is perhaps its biggest mistake, what really rescues it is the work of its protagonist and the style printed by its director.

I love me some weird; and this was right up there. The Story was good, the score was chilling, and the use of colors was truly impressive stuff. Although the story wasn't the most original; the execution won me over. I definitely recommend this to everyone who is fan of the genre.

The Double was a very interesting indie flick (just like Under the Skin). It's sort of hard to follow, and a bit confusing, but it wasn't like a Christopher Nolan confusing movie. Just a normal confusing movie.

Jesse Eisenberg plays both parts skillfully and Ayoade constructs some nicely observed comic scenes, particularly some good physical comedy with the luckless, hopeless, Simon...With its dystopian industrial setting, stripped back set design, off-kilter dialogue, understated performances, imposing soundtrack and surreal atmosphere this feels a bit like an early David Lynch film. But it doesn’t quite have the same intensity or conviction. It’s soft-core Lynch. I have the feeling this is going to be a love it or hate it film. The humour will not be to everyone’s taste; dark, surreal and **** director, Richard Ayoade, has imposed a distinct rhythm and texture, the plot and style follow its own twisted logic and it's more interested in establishing feeling and atmosphere than giving clear answers; if you’re likely to be frustrated by mind-twisting plot points going largely unexplained, then this may not be for you. For me, it worked well enough and I have a feeling I may enjoy it even more on a second viewing. Full review at ponderflix on wordpress.

I found The Double incredibly boring. I had watched this after Enemy, and since it was pretty good, but the critics had thought this was better, I had high expectations. Boy, should I never trust the critics again...

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

This one totally turned my brain into mush, but I could not help but be captivated by it, in particular by Jesse Eisenberg's stunningly brilliant performance. Richard Ayoade also cemented his status as a director to keep an eye on in this one as this hauntingly beautiful, moving, unique, and entirely weird, films shows that he has all of the elements to become one of the top directors working down the line. There is a lot going on here and the relationship between the Eisenbergs and Mia Wasikowska's character is certainly important, but this one is truly over my head. I could probably take a stab at what this one is about (loneliness, self-worth, split personality, desire to be something you are not, etc.), but I doubt it truly encompasses everything here. The dystopian elements here were also a real cool touch, but this one truly excels in its brilliant blending and twisting of the dark comedy, drama, and thriller genres. Overall, The Double is a resounding success and if you like mind benders, this one is for you.

THE IT CROWD comedian Richard Ayoade’s second feature film THE DOUBLE is a noir-stylish incubus, and it cannot dodge the comparison with Denis Villeneuve’s ENEMY (2013, 8/10), since both tackle a storyline with a doppelgänger and may or may not be a case of split personality. In an unspecified background, Simon (Eisenberg) is an easily frightened and paltry clerk works in an unnamed enterprise headed by The Colonel (Fox), we have no clue of what the real deal of it except that their business are people, characterless people as commodities, still it is rather implicit. Simon is unfairly treated and looked down upon by everyone (the people in the company consider him as a nameless pawn), even the girl whom he has a crush on and who is his voyeuristic object, his co-worker Hannah (Wasikowska) takes his admiration for granted, everyone, the pathetic Simon goes to her department and asks for make one copy of some documents, it is the only way he can speak with her. continue reading my review on my blog: google cinema omnivore, thanks

The movie has an interesting start and stylish it is also quite tasteful. It reminds me a bit of Brazil. However I believe the story is too boring. Nothing ever happens and it feels like an anticlimax!

I was surprised by the user score after watching the film. The cinematography is utterly brilliant and perfectly executed, and although the acting does not seem outstanding in maybe the first half of the film, it certainly does what it needs to in the second half! The story is interesting to watch unfold, and the light use of comedy really keeps the film flowing so it doesn't stagnate into "trying to be something more". The soundtrack fits the tone of the film perfectly, with audio cues being introduced at times to help almost tell the story and reinforce it's darkish tone. Definitely a film to pick up and watch!

Not the worst, but the film's constantly poor lighting and a frustrating performance by Jesse Eisenberg make The Double quite unenjoyable and, all in all, boring. It was a good take on Dostoevskij, capturing the essential feel of anguish and the bureaucratic machine as pictured in the novel, but in my opinion lacked stronger acting. I didn't like it, but I can easily see why someone else would: its cinematography is great (although, as in Enemy, all the sets are extremely dark), the direction is cool, quite unusual, and the story - originally a harsh critique of Tsarist bureaucracy - can be applied to modern-day cubicle workers. Also, having the office a little bit bigger might have helped, since it is kind of unbelievable that nobody knows Simon when it looks like only fifteen people work there.

Get **** into a nightmarish but very funny tale of absurdity, bureaucratic insanity and madness based on Dostoyevsky's novel (skyrocketing to the top of my reading list), peppered with a dash of Kafka and a pinch of Ayoade's very own sensibilities. It's even better than 'Submarine', very high praise in my book! Jesse Eisenberg, on double duty, is simultaneously hilarious and believable, and the feel and rhythms of the stylish, bold and sublimely weird movie he's carrying wholly unique.

Creo que es una buena pelicula cpn un tema que alo mejor mucha gente se puede sentir identificada. es lenta pero agradable y muy buena musica tambien muy oscura.

What starts off as a breath of fresh air in today's overly commercial cinema with its allusions to Kafka, 1984 et al, and the eerie stylised sense of dread of being inconsequential before the System, halfway through turns into a predictable and tiresome cliche story with too many recurring gags. With its dark sense dispelled halfway through there is only time to quickly wrap up the film with a predictable ending that screams "first year screenplay student". Good try though.

With inspiration from Fyodor Dostoyevsky‘s novella of the same title, co-writer/director Richard Ayoade uses The Double to look at how one man’s frail psyche tries to break free in an oppressive corporate environment. The trick to it, though, is to understand that the doppelgängers are not two people who look alike, but instead two versions of the same person living something of a shared, yet parallel, existence. It's as much science fiction as it is drama or thriller, and it turned out to be one of those films that I needed to let marinate before it finally came together. It was very much worth letting it work its way through my mind.

Definitely an interesting film. It's very stylistic, almost like an early comic book-adapted film. Eisenberg is an overcast actor but he's not too annoying in this and Wasikowska is good. The directing is very good, can't wait to see what Ayoade directs next.

Reminiscent of both "Brazil", Kafka, and Orwell, this movie is worth seeing for its art direction alone. Like "Brazil", it blends futuristic and out-of-date technology. The tone is consistently dark and brooding, and Eisenberg does an excellent job of keeping the two characters distinct.

The Double left this viewer feeling as delightfully discomfited as David Lynch's cult classic Eraserhead. The somber cinematography, disquieting soundtrack, and overall desperate tone of the film seriously invites the viewer to plunge headfirst into insanity with it's main character. Taking the role of Simon James and James Simon was an audacious choice for Eisenberg, but he deftly brings both sides of his charming personality to his roles in this film. This is without question a "thinking man's movie" in that during the entire film you're thinking, "What the hell is going on?". The genius of Ayoade's adaptation is that the viewer, if captured by the psychological and social implications of the film, actually cares enough to participate in the overwhelming absurdity in order to discover the fate of James and Simon. Not only a "must see" but a "must see again-and-again."

the actor is really boring and you can't care about the movie because it's boring and he ****. when a movie's main character is terrible the movie is unwatchable.

The Double is consistently fascinating enough not to be considered a bad film, but is also too frustratingly opaque to be a really good one. Set in a dark futuristic society the film reminded me of both Gilliam's 'Brazil' and Polanski's 'The Tenant'. It is a small ambitious film, Orwellian in tone, in which the production achievements belie its low budget. The cinematography is amazing in depicting atmosphere which in turn compliments the claustrophobically dark sets. The music also perfectly judges the film's mood. Jesse Eisenberg, possibly envying Armie Hammer's dual role in 'The Social Network', now finds himself with a doppelganger all his own, albeit not a twin. He gives a committed performance which is actually quite mesmerising to behold. He is well supported by Mia Wasikowski (who is a lot better than usual) and an assortment of character actors in very small parts only some of whom are recognisable. I particularly liked Paddy Considine, and it's also good to see Cathy Moriarty again. Director Richard Ayoade adds the occasional eye catching visual flourish and some of the writing is very good, but as a whole the script is as uneven as the film is obscure. Ultimately it fails to be as good as it could have been because one is left somewhat perplexed by it all.