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The Double

  • 2013
  • R
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
54K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,390
311
Jesse Eisenberg in The Double (2013)
A comedy centered on a man who is driven insane by the appearance of his doppleganger.
Play trailer1:23
10 Videos
99+ Photos
Dark ComedyComedyDramaMysterySci-FiThriller

The unenviable life of a government-agency clerk takes a horrific turn with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite otherwise--he's a confident,... Read allThe unenviable life of a government-agency clerk takes a horrific turn with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite otherwise--he's a confident, charismatic ladies' man.The unenviable life of a government-agency clerk takes a horrific turn with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite otherwise--he's a confident, charismatic ladies' man.

  • Director
    • Richard Ayoade
  • Writers
    • Fyodor Dostoevsky
    • Richard Ayoade
    • Avi Korine
  • Stars
    • Jesse Eisenberg
    • Mia Wasikowska
    • Wallace Shawn
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    54K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,390
    311
    • Director
      • Richard Ayoade
    • Writers
      • Fyodor Dostoevsky
      • Richard Ayoade
      • Avi Korine
    • Stars
      • Jesse Eisenberg
      • Mia Wasikowska
      • Wallace Shawn
    • 183User reviews
    • 248Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 11 nominations total

    Videos10

    International Trailer
    Trailer 1:23
    International Trailer
    U.S. Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:24
    U.S. Theatrical Trailer
    U.S. Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:24
    U.S. Theatrical Trailer
    The Double
    Clip 0:50
    The Double
    The Double: Hannah And Simon At The Diner
    Clip 0:50
    The Double: Hannah And Simon At The Diner
    The Double: Simon And James At The Diner
    Clip 1:17
    The Double: Simon And James At The Diner
    The Double: Hannah At The Photocopy Room
    Clip 1:23
    The Double: Hannah At The Photocopy Room

    Photos104

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    Top cast48

    Edit
    Jesse Eisenberg
    Jesse Eisenberg
    • Simon…
    Mia Wasikowska
    Mia Wasikowska
    • Hannah
    Wallace Shawn
    Wallace Shawn
    • Mr Papadopoulos
    Noah Taylor
    Noah Taylor
    • Harris
    Yasmin Paige
    Yasmin Paige
    • Melanie
    James Fox
    James Fox
    • The Colonel
    Cathy Moriarty
    Cathy Moriarty
    • Kiki
    Phyllis Somerville
    Phyllis Somerville
    • Simon's Mother
    Gabrielle Downey
    • Strange Woman
    Jon Korkes
    Jon Korkes
    • Detective
    Craig Roberts
    Craig Roberts
    • Young Detective
    Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
    Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
    • Guard…
    Susan Blommaert
    Susan Blommaert
    • Liz
    Bruce Byron
    Bruce Byron
    • Skinhead
    J. Mascis
    J. Mascis
    • Janitor
    • (as J Mascis)
    Tony Rohr
    Tony Rohr
    • Rudolph
    Karima Riachy
    • Secretary
    Tim Key
    Tim Key
    • Care Worker
    • Director
      • Richard Ayoade
    • Writers
      • Fyodor Dostoevsky
      • Richard Ayoade
      • Avi Korine
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews183

    6.454.3K
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    Featured reviews

    8runamokprods

    Lots of good stuff here, weighed down by some flaws

    I've now seen two films by the talented Ayodade – the other being his coming of age 'Submarine" - and had a very similar reaction though they are miles apart in style, story and theme.

    First, this is a gifted film-maker, who doesn't want to play by the usual rules. Next, he knows how to get off to a great start, build a fascinating world, get you involved with his people, but third, he doesn't quite find ways to make his third acts pay off as interestingly (or powerfully or emotionally) as the first two-thirds of the film promise. In both films the focus drifts to less interesting elements or variations on the stories he's telling.

    And last, he needs to lighten up on the too-obvious 'homage's to his cinematic touchstones. In "Submarine" it was (among others) Wes Anderson and "Rushmore". Here the overbearing influences (there are many) are led by Terry Gilliam's "Brazil". There were a large number of design and character choices – while effective - that came close enough that I couldn't help but sit there making comparisons ('Hey, there's Wallace Shawn doing Ian Holm'). And it starts to approach that fine line between inspiration and plagiarism.

    That said, there's a lot to like here. The photography is often gorgeous. Jessie Eisenberg does a terrific job in a tough double role – a meek office worker who is suddenly faced with another employee who looks exactly like him. But the new guy has a brash, self-confident personality, everyone loves him, and no one else seems to notice the two are physically exactly alike, right down to their clothes.

    This raises interesting questions about personality, perception and reality. Is "James Simon" (the cool one) merely a psychological projection of the nerd, "Simon James"? But if that's the case, why does everyone else interact with both, together and separately? Is it that Simon is the only one who thinks they look alike? i.e. is Simon projecting himself onto someone who – if we saw objectively – wouldn't even really look like him? Well, that would be an interesting idea, and a promising road for the film to explore, and it hints heavily at that possibility, only to simply drop and contradict it.

    And that's part of why this is two-thirds of a great film, not a whole one. In the end things play out in a way that has been foreshadowed from early on, and suddenly the film feels less deep, less challenging, more an exercise in cinematic playfulness than an exploration of deeper themes both personal and societal. The head trip becomes too literal, the conclusions too simple for the complex surreal reality we've come to accept

    On the plus side, the effects are terrific, and many of the best scenes in the film are Eisenberg talking to himself in one shot. (A hell of an acting challenge as well). And the film has a dark sense of humor that keeps the Kafkaesque world and 'big themes' from becoming ponderous, (Again, I just wish I had less often chuckled, but then thought 'hey, that just like the scene in 'Barton Fink…', or whatever).

    In any case I look forward to whatever Ayoade does next, but I hope he will find a way to finish as strong as he starts, and to be brave enough to trust his own very good sense of style, and not borrow quite so much from others.
    7M0n0_bogdan

    The Double

    Everybody thinks they are special. Everybody thinks they are unique. Everybody also thinks there is someone deep down that can and must come out so they are better people. As our protagonist thought. But in this case, that person was not that great but was what our protagonist thought he was missing.

    I am not familiar with Dostoevskys book but this adaptation from Ayoade was really more like Kafka. A bizarre story set in a bureaucratic, soul-less environment where humanity tries to come out like a flower through concrete. Or as an obnoxious douchebag.

    But the memorable Brazil-like imagery aside it's a few degrees too weird and loses you a bit.
    Red_Identity

    Pretty ambitious

    Here's the basic gist- this film is pretty ambitious on a visual level. It's reminiscent of the type of film Lynch would have made in his early days (yes, I got memories of Eraserhead for whatever reason). On a storyline-level, it's more straightforward. You can pretty much guess where the narrative is going and the strings it's going to pull. The film still works however, largely because of its cast. Jesse Eisenberg's performance here stands alongside his Oscar-nominated turn in The Social Network as the best acting he's ever given. It's truly superb work. Wasikowska is also quite effective. The score is effective and sort of haunting. Overall, I wish I'd liked it more, but it's definitely recommended.
    7AlbertCinefilu

    An interesting addition to/reinterpretation of the Dostoyevskian novel

    I am currently studying Russian Literature at the University of Bucharest and one of this semester's assignments involves reading three of Dostoyevsky's novels: Crime & Punishment, The Double and The Brothers Karamazov. Having finished the second book today, my memories in regard to the source material are still clear & well-defined, so I will try to pinpoint some things I've liked and some things I didn't about Richard Ayoade's 2013 film.

    What I didn't like.

    • I understand that the movie doesn't aim to be the most accurate adaptation, hence it's modern setting, but the truth is, the movie is just loosely based on the novel. I say that because it only makes use of some plot devices that are to be found in the book, but mostly fails in capturing the inner emotional turmoil, dilemmas, paranoia and mental dizziness of Simon, elements that make Dostoevsky's Golyadkin an interesting case for me. Here the character of Simon is simplified a bit. For example when Simon meets his double, instead of the sheer dread that makes me feel the horror of this unspeakable resemblance, one can see a sudden cut to a Simon that has just faint - an easy gateway for the screenwriters and the director. Or the very first encounter with the double, when James takes the photos of the Colonel and other employees, that seemed a bit too abrupt and in a certain sense - rushed.


    • an unnecessary comedic tone, with tasteless jokes for a rather profound story.


    • The mild Chinese racism - did the screenwriter try to copy Dostoyevsky's sense of mocking towards the ethnic Germans?


    Things I did like

    • the color grading, the tones, the hues, the sick greenish of the office; Better that I'd have imagined.


    • Jesse Eisenberg's (The Social Network) and Mia Wasikowska's performances.


    • ''a person can get really sick by just floating by''


    • also the speech about Pinocchio and feeling like you're not real. And the subway scenes especially.
    agraciotti

    what a great piece of filmmaking

    I was surprised to see the bad reviews on IMDb. This is actually the most creative, enigmatic, philosophical and visually stunning film I've seen in a long time (and MUCH better than the disappointing Villeneuve's "Enemy"). Every scene is made in an unusual and unexpected way...enhancing the awkwardness of the characters and the story as a whole. From the very first 10 minutes I knew I was watching something really special.

    "Submarine" was cute, but this is the film that definitely makes Ayoade one of the most promising directors nowadays. Can't wait to see what he's gonna do next.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The piano motif throughout the film comes from the song 'Der Doppelgänger' by Franz Schubert; the words to this piece tell the tale of a man and his evil twin.
    • Quotes

      Simon: I don't know how to be myself. It's like I'm permanently outside myself. Like, like you could push your hands straight through me if you wanted to. And I can see the type of man I want to be versus the type of man I actually am and I know that I'm doing it but I'm incapable of what needs to be done. I'm like Pinocchio, a wooden boy. Not a real boy. And it kills me.

    • Connections
      Featured in Film '72: Episode dated 5 March 2014 (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Akasaka Rain
      aka "Ameno Akasaka"

      Written by Jun Hashimoto, Tsunaki Mihara

      Published by Watanabe Music Publishing Co. Ltd (c) 1968

      Administered by Fairwood Music (UK) Ltd for the UK & Eire

      Performed by The Blue Comets

      Licensed courtesy Watanabe Music Publishing Co. Ltd

      Administered by Fairwood Music (UK) Ltd for the UK & Eire

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    FAQ19

    • How long is The Double?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 4, 2014 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El Doble
    • Filming locations
      • London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Alcove Entertainment
      • Attercop Productions
      • British Film Institute (BFI)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $200,406
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $14,646
      • May 11, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,662,515
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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