The Double (2014)
A clerk in a government agency finds his unenviable life takes a turn for the horrific with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite - confident, charismatic and seductive with women.
Cast and Information
Directed By: Richard Ayoade
Written By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Richard Ayoade, Avi Korine
Starring: Wallace Shawn, Paddy Considine, Chris O'Dowd, Jesse Eisenberg, Sally Hawkins, Cathy Moriarty, Noah Taylor, Mia Wasikowska, Gemma Chan, Craig Roberts, Phyllis Somerville, Yasmin Paige
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Suspense/Thriller
Country: UK
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The Double belongs to 25 collections
1. Certified weird (collaborative: moderated by Dreamer - 47 stars)
2. similar to julien donkey boy (public: kikifas - 8 stars)
3. Mindfuck, surreal, strange and weird films (List by André "BadSmile" Byman) (public: stalebread - 8 stars)
4. Based On Novel (collaborative: moderated by tathiel - 7 stars)
5. THE WORLDWIDE CELLULOID MASSACRE: Recommended (collaborative: moderated by edkrak - 6 stars)
6. Twin Films (collaborative: moderated by amazedemon - 4 stars)
7. edkrak films to see (public: edkrak - 4 stars)
8. Doppelgänger (collaborative: moderated by Sunsplitter - 2 stars)
9. Sundance (2001-2014) (collaborative: moderated by vwgregov - 2 stars)
10. Low-Budget Films (collaborative: moderated by TV+Film-Hub - 1 star)
11. Toronto International Film Festival 2013 (collaborative: moderated by toro913 - 1 star)
12. film puanlamalarım (collaborative - 1 star)
13. British director (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 1 star)
14. allah (x4) bu nasıl sevmek (public: egebasaran - 1 star)
15. toucé (public: rnest - 1 star)
16. Liffe 2014 (collaborative: moderated by aney)
17. 2014 US Theatrical (collaborative: moderated by DrBroel)
18. Co-workers (collaborative: moderated by tipar)
19. Adaptations of Russian literature (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed)
20. Sundance 2014 - Spotlight (public: chemical404)
21. My Movies (public: Thilerion)
22. Netflix Instant and Popcorn Time (public: TraverseTown)
23. unheimlich (public: egebasaran)
24. on PLEX (public: ozdemibr)
25. Read the book and seen the film (public: ylajali)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 11 |  |
Barthalen | 84 90th |
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I guess this movie potentially works best for schmucks who lead schmucky lives in which they are too afraid or passive to take any big chances, who enjoy watching movies that make fun of schmucky characters stuck in schmucky lives as a way to unload all their negative schmuck-feelings about themselves. Totally unrelated, I thoroughly enjoyed everything this movie had to offer. Anyhoo, time to do my taxes and go to bed alone at a sensible time. Like a schmuck.
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| 7 |  |
KasperL | 85 93rd |
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Get sucked 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.
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| 5 |  |
Okkervil | 90 96th |
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Magnificent. I'm actually not the biggest Eisenberg fan, but here he's cast supurbly, producing an immersive performance, full of nuance and timing. Ayoade's direction is slight, comic and forboding when the mood requires it to be, and his clear mish-mash of influences here feels natural, shaped into something truly of his own conception; rather than the more direct paying homage impression given in "Submarine". Thoughtful and full of style and flair, this comes highly recommeded.
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| 5 |  |
Paxton | 68 53rd |
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Franz Kafka sarcastically presents Terry Gilliam's Enemy. Or maybe this is just an extremely focused retelling of Roman Polanski's The Tenant, which really is not a bad thing. Eisenberg is actually a dead ringer for young Polanski. Holy Doppelgänger! In all seriousness though, the suave one should've been played by Michael Cera.
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| 4 |  |
Kojiless | 44 48th |
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Starring Jesse Eisenberg in the role he was born to play--Jesse Eisenberg. According to Amazon.com, people who watched The Double also viewed: other movies starring Jesse Eisenberg as Jesse Eisenberg. 3/10 people found this review Jesse Eisenberg.
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| 4 |  |
frederic_g54 | 8 77th |
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It's rare to see a film as tonally balanced as The Double, a wonderful blend of kooky comedy and inner emotional turmoil that pushed all the right buttons for me, both thematically and stylistically. Eisenberg rivals his performance in TSN as a mild-mannered office worker trying to break out of his introverted shell and the film's playful use of sound and beautifully inventive lighting are married in harmonious fashion, rendering this weirdly charming story in a magnetic audiovisual experience.
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| 3 |  |
Moribunny | 35 19th |
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It's certainly a "double" of works other than Dostoyevsky's, imitating the aesthetic of Terry Gilliam's bureaucratic dystopias and the pulpy, allegorical Fight Club. For a film purporting to discuss personal uniqueness, its total lack of personality, of distinguishing features, and its complete reliance on off-the-shelf cliches and platitudes, is actually glaring.
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| 3 |  |
terrymac | 82 89th |
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A very enjoyable and blackly comic take on a novella I want to read now. Beautifully shot, and styled somewhere between Brazil and a David Lynch nightmare; the sound design alone is terrific, but I was mesmerised by the look of this film. Featuring a very strong performance from the reliable Eisenberg, this is a very impressive follow-up to Submarine, confirming that Ayoade has bags of talent, and I'm interested to see what he'll do next. Bonus points for Wallace Shawn and a Chris Morris cameo.
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| 3 |  |
JakeAesthete | 99 99th |
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As with Ayoade's first film, this can't really avoid feeling highly derivative, but likewise i'm not sure it matters when this is a lot more enjoyable than most of the things it's copying. The consensus seems to be that it's a Brazil rip-off but personally i got way more of a Charlie Kaufman and Aki Kaurismaki by way of Von Trier's Europa vibe. Plus, Mia Wasikowska is amazing and there's a Chris Morris cameo too. Also i'm pretty sure that Avi Korine is now the better Korine brother...
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| 3 |  |
moraesfelipe | 40 13th |
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It might work as a part Wes Anderson-goes-dark, part De Palma-goes-indie experiment, but it turns out that The Double imposes a style that strikes with vapid imagery thrills. Its Kafkaesque references also seem too obvious. The character is considered a non-person, is dedicated to a work he doesn't understand (actually, we don't quite know what they do there for that Colonel), pursues a girl (and a Double who is his opposite) and rides trains (the most common transport for loners).
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| 3 | sellis | 86 78th |
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Borrows a lot narratively, but from the best of sources. You can't be too upset when something is Brazil meets Youth in Revolt, with shades of The Apartment, film noir, and Wes Anderson. The visuals and production design are all top notch. Darker and more authentic than something like Grand Budapest Hotel, but just as boldly stylistic. Like 60% of these shots would be the best shot in any other movie this year. So there's that. And the humor is sharp, and the satire is just over the top enough.
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| 3 |  |
Ocelot | 75 81st |
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A great film about fear -- not so much as outward terror so much as what drives our inhibitions. Simon and James are, effectively, the same person, but the key difference is in the latter's assertiveness and lack of pause. We're all Pinocchio for as long as we desire to be. Oh, and it's pretty funny, too.
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| 3 |  |
FrederikA | 60 49th |
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Points for the anachronistic Terry Gilliam inspired universe, but I liked it better when it was called Fight Club.
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| 2 |  |
Guernica | 10 4th |
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Just go watch Fight Club again instead.
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| 2 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 84 77th |
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Excellent atmosphere, good performances and a narrative that does a great job of balancing surrealism with comprehensibility, in large part thanks to a very effective emotional core.
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| 2 |  |
Dean Franz | 50 42nd |
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To be fair, this movie deserves way, WAY less than a score of 50, but you've got to respect a film that so doggedly pursues mediocrity on every level.
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| 2 |  |
astrakhan | 77 49th |
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Ayoade's film has an interesting dystopian steampunk aesthetic and stark lighting, but it's really not that riveting to watch - especially when the Jesse Eisenberg count doubles. The cyclical/repetitive plot is more confusing than exciting, and the characters aren't up to much. Soon, you feel you'd rather be exploring any other location and any other character in the film, than what Simon James Simon is up to. Watching it feels "worthy", but also hollow and a let-down in entertainment terms.
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| 2 |  |
Matthew Parkinson (CineMarter) | 80 89th |
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The Double is a great movie, one which I intend on watching several times in order to completely figure it out. It has a strong style, interesting themes, a great lead performance by Jesse Eisenberg, and enough humor to keep its bleakness from being off-putting, even if it is dark, dark humor. That just matches its subject matter. This is one of those films that you need to see.
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| 2 |  |
eCitizen | 20 8th |
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I was bored by the never ending monotony and dull, dark sets. The uninspired performance from Jesse Eisenberg was also quite tedious. The beautiful Mia Wasikowska was the only person, or thing, that was interesting or worth watching. The plot and dialog is a ridiculous load of pretentious nonsense. I laughed once at the beginning, and everything else fell flat. The premise might have been good, but the execution was depressing, pointless and stupid. Mostly rotten writing, directing and editing.
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| 2 |  |
kough33 | 81 90th |
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I cared about the non existant!
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| 2 |  |
thereeldeal | 85 91st |
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The blatant humor is at first concerning but soon after not at all distracting due to the central perspective being that of a hopeless cynic who thinks the world's out to get him. Of course, it's actually just him. Besides being funny, The Double makes its old themes poignant by the rest of its sheer creativity in beautifully consistent set design that evokes both fantasy and cold satire. The sort of film that would seem jumbled but has unwavering confidence.
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| 1 |  |
AgentSnipe | 77 49th |
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I don't think I understood this movie at all. In fact, I'm sure I didn't. As soon as it was finished, I was sure I'd have to re-watch this to try and make sense of it, but I'm still not sure if I want to.
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| 1 | nuotio | 62 75th |
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Quite different from director Richard Ayoade's previous film "Submarine", but I liked both films about equally. This one reminded me of films of Lynch, Gilliam and Radford's "1984" - and that's not too common these days. Eisenberg is a good fit as the lead and Wasikowska keeps picking interesting roles.
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| 1 |  |
Suture Self | 5 43rd |
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The problem here is Jesse Eisenberg, who is fairly convincing as a mumbling loser, but not quite as convincing as a charismatic lady's man, and to see these two types play off each other is more annoying than anything else, even if the ambitious photography and production design are inspired.
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| 1 | theficionado | 63 61st |
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Don't want to press this too far right now, but it seems like Ayoade might be the British version of Rian Johnson: a pastiche artist who can competently and convincingly incorporate the palette and themes of his forebears into something new but can't quite overcome the sense of derivativeness his procedure invokes. And, insofar as they are the cinematic equivalents of David Mitchell, they need to make their own Cloud Atlases, some work that puts their formidable talent for mimicry to good use.
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| 1 |  |
td888 | 20 9th |
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This must have been my worst PSI ever.
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| 1 |  |
andayb | 80 91st |
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who knew the it guy could direct? the double is a masterpiece in its super stylish moody atmosphere. eisenberg is spot on for the part, and doesn't disappoint. excellent use of sound and editing is also noteworthy. this may be this year's surprise hit.
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| 1 |  |
Ofterdingen | 29 8th |
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Like embarrassing poems written by some wannabe intellectual just turned 19.
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| 1 |  |
omgfridge | 7 65th |
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Shot in a fantastic manner which I wouldn't expect any less from Ayoade and I can't think of any other actor who could pulls this role off like Eisenberg. For a film all about frustration though, was a little disapointed with the lack of payoff for the hero.
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| 1 |  |
FunkyAstro | 80 80th |
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One of those movies that gives you that feeling when you watch someone trying to thread a needle and they're failing miserably to the point where you want so bad to just snatch it out of their hands and do it for them, but instead you're forced to look away because it's too unbearable. Like some kind of empathetic anxiety that strands you in a constant state of discomfort. You kinda just gotta sit back and let your intuition soak it up.
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| 1 |  |
wetwillies | 85 59th |
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Bizarre and hilarious and depressing, The Double is a nightmarish, anxiety-ridden adventure into existentialism, mixing Lynch and Gilliam with Wes Anderson and Woody Allen into an unnerving 90 minutes that has you wondering things like, "Is that fucking J Mascis?". Jesse Eisenberg is great, and Wallace Shawn steals the fucking show.
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| 1 |  |
deaddilly | 70 48th |
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An infuriating experience. Basically taking the annoying side of Eisenberg's typecast and feeding it steroids. Nightmarish- if only for the fact that I couldn't figure out how to stop watching and after it was finished I just felt sweaty and frantic. I was impressed by the way it looked, but I can't say I liked looking at it.
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| 1 |  |
Tjekhov | 75 79th |
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Brilliant production design..
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| 1 |  |
cclxndr | 85 79th |
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I can't get over how excited I am with each new project Ayoade releases. The Double takes a modern day/Orwellian spin on the already clever Dostoevsky novel. The film's cold palette is a nice icing on an already isolating theme. A wonderfully sharp and complex dual-performance by Eisenberg, who understands the effect of comedic timing and full-bodied nuances. It's a dark, stylistic, and thoughtful flick that I would highly recommend.
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| 1 |  |
Wezzo | 83 59th |
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Fun yet vaguely unnerving, surprisingly easy to follow yet extremely hard to pigeonhole, a unique and offbeat gem. Jesse Eisenberg does superb stuff with his central roles, the script is an insanely enthralling blend of dark comedy and psych horror, and Ayoade's direction is sublime, every shot painstakingly crafted. Excellent.
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| 1 |  |
Jimmis | 80 69th |
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Felt like a cross between Lynch and Gilliam. Excellent use of color. Great second film by Ayoade.
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| 1 |  |
Boxcars | 8 71st |
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Morbidly comedic whilst also being haunting and stark in its atmosphere, Eisenberg gives an absorbing performance in this stylistically off-putting "Brazil"-esque picture.
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| Average Percentile 53.67% from 1281 Ratings |  |