In the Soup (1992)

Director:

Alexandre Rockwell

Writers:

Tim Kissell (writer)
Sollace Mitchell (co-writer)

Release Date:

13 August 1992 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A comedy about getting in over your head.

Plot Keywords:

Car Theft | Hemophilia | Dostoevsky | Midget | Female Nudity

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Steve Buscemi	...	Aldolpho Rollo
Seymour Cassel	...	Joe
Jennifer Beals	...	Angelica Pena
Pat Moya	...	Dang
Will Patton	...	Skippy
Sully Boyar	...	Old Man
Steven Randazzo	...	Louis Barfardi
Francesco Messina	...	Frank Barfardi
Jim Jarmusch	...	Monty
Carol Kane	...	Barbara
Stanley Tucci	...	Gregoire
Rockets Redglare	...	Guy
Elizabeth Bracco	...	Jackie
Debi Mazar	...	Suzie
Sam Rockwell	...	Pauli

Also Known As:

In the Soup - Alles Kino (Germany)
In the soup - un mare di guai (Italy)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA | France | Germany | Japan | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:S | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Alliance Communications Corporation

Trivia:

Originally filmed in color, but released black and white.

Movie Connections:

References The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)

Lots of Fun

"In the Soup" is a nice little gem of a movie. If you liked Steve Buscemi in "Ghost World" you should like him here because he is basically playing the same perpetually dour and befuddled character. And if you liked "Ghost World" in general you should like "In the Soup" because they have a similar theme and storyline. They both focus on a character being taught how to live by the example of another character. "In the Soup" does not have "Ghost Story's" ironic twist (where the teacher is the one who actually learns how to live). It is more straightforward and not as clever but is still light years more intelligent than most mainstream films.

Buscemi's character needs a producer for his 500-page screenplay with quirky features like beginning with a 20 minute black leader (just a blank screen) to introduce his lead character's blindness. He intends to cast his neighbor (and unrequited love interest) Jennifer Beals who barely acknowledges his existence although he sleeps with her shoe under his pillow. Buscemi gets "in the soup" when he hooks up with a gangster who wants to produce the film. Seymour Cassell plays the gangster with an infectious gusto that deservedly won Sundance Festival's Best Actor Award. All three performances are excellent, as is a brief appearance by Carol Kane as the co-producer of an access TV show featuring nude interviews (The Naked Truth).

If all this sounds to you like it could be fun you are this film's target audience.

Shooting in black-and-white on a tight budget Director Alexandre Rockwell has put together a funny feature with a lot of charm. The production values are first-class. More importantly he has told a worthwhile story and communicated useful lessons to apply to the process of living.