The Double

Once again, if you haven't been tuning into the last few reviews, you'll know that I am currently blazing through my Netflix list so I can start 2017 on a clean slate. So if some of these films seem like odd out of the ordinary choices, it's because they are. Usually I'm not sure if I would be watching a film like The Double, but there is actually a really good reason as to why it was put on my list.

I had heard a couple of things about this film from different movie outlets but not enough to warrant it on the list quite yet. I originally put it on when I heard the Jesse Eisenberg was going to be Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman. This is the state my Netflix list is in, I'm pretty sure this movie has been on Netflix for over a year and I'm pretty sure it's been on my list that entire time. You understand now why I want a clean slate for 2017?

The Double follows the story of Simon James (played by Jesse Eisenberg). Simon is a nice guy but he is a little bit of a quirky weirdo (I know big surprise for a Jesse Eisenberg character). He's always being pushed around and he can never seem to be noticed by anyone, especially the cute girl who lives in the same apartment complex and works at the same place he does.(played by Mia Wasikowska).

He can never get the courage to talk his neighbor Hannah until a freak accident brings them together... sort of. It seems that Simon has the chance to turn his life around a little bit until one faithful day when a new person comes to work that has the exact same face as Simon and calls himself James Simon (also played by Jesse Eisenberg).

At first, James seems to be very friendly to Simon and almost seems like the two of them could be very good friends. But soon James becomes out of control and starts messing with Simons life. The entire movie is basically the torture of this quirky awkward but sweet kid who's life is getting demolished by someone who just so happens to be his doppleganger.

The story is based off the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novella of the same name. Now I have no read this particular story by the author but I know the style as I have read Crime and Punishment and I know that his style of stories are not exactly the most merriest and happy. Like I said, it's a lot of just making this guy's life a living hell driving him to the point of almost insanity.

Now this is an independent film and because of that, it does have some really interesting visuals and creative cinematography for what I assume was done on a pretty limited budget. And sometimes I'm a fan of that and sometimes I'm not. This was a case where I was a big fan of the visuals and way this movie was shot. It was very cerebral and while I may not understand all of the shots and their meaning, I liked how unique the film was but also how digestible it was. It's unique, but just unique enough to make it feel like you can pay attention to the story without needing to pay attention to the visuals to totally understand it.

But above all, the element of the film that I liked the most was the dual performance of Jesse Eisenberg. Like I said before, this was the movie everyone was pointing to when Eisenberg was named Lex Luthor and this was the film that everyone said might give him some credit that he has the chops to be Lex Luthor

Honestly, I'm not sure which would have been more depressing, watching this movie before Batman v Superman and thinking that Jesse Eisenberg would have been a good Lex Luthor, or the way it worked out and watching it after Batman v Superman and realizing that Jesse Eisenberg can give a good performance and the one in BvS was not good.

Now, I won't say he does anything totally new in this film. Eisenberg usually has two versions of his performances anyways, the quirky, awkward, shy type, or the quirky arrogant asshole type. He pretty much plays those two roles in this movie. However, I felt like he pulled out his man voice finally in his portrayal of James (the bad one) and hell if James would have been what he did during Batman v Superman, I would have actually kind of enjoyed that! So again, it's a little depressing either way because this is actually a good movie.

And Mia Wasikowska!

I only know her from those stupid Alice and Wonderland reboots. But in this she actually has a personality and show me that she can act.

I think her character was a little bit lacking at times and they could have done more with her, but at the end of the day, this is Jesse Eisenberg's movie and the focus is mainly going to be on him.

Other performances in the movie include Wallace Shawn who did a good job as well. I think this was the movie any Jesse Eisenberg doubters needed to prove he has talent because I really enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I was going to.

Now I'm not sure if this movie is going to be for everyone. Like I mentioned, it's one of those independent films that are pretty cerebral and it may not be everyone's cup of tea. However, I can actually really recommend this film because the story was pretty strong and you actually get a pretty good performance by Jesse Eisenberg, something I didn't really think I was ever going to see.

But those are my thoughts on The Double. What did you think? Does this change your mind on Jesse Eisenberg, maybe not as Lex Luthor, but as an actor? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @cmhaugen24 as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

I'll leave you with this. I'm throwing up a random Jesse Eisenberg interview on here because I actually need to be out the door pretty soon. I am going to see Rogue One! Enjoy!