Cold Souls (2009)

Paul is an actor who feels bogged down by his participation in a production of Chekov's play, Vanya.

Director:

Sophie Barthes

Writer:

Sophie Barthes

Stars:

Paul Giamatti, Emily Watson, Dina Korzun

4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Giamatti	...	Paul Giamatti
Armand Schultz	...	Astrov
Michael Tucker	...	Theatre Director
Dina Korzun	...	Nina
Ted Koch	...	INS Officer
Oksana Lada	...	Sasha
Natalia Zvereva	...	Blonde Mule
Larisa Bell	...	Russian Singer
Anna Dyukova	...	Olga (as Anna Dukova)
Charles Techman	...	Soul Storage Doorman
Lauren Ambrose	...	Stephanie
David Strathairn	...	Dr. Flintstein
Laura Heisler	...	Female Client in Promo
Brienin Bryant	...	Young Woman in Soul Storage
Charlotte Mickie	...	Mrs. Rathbone

Storyline

Civilization and its discontents. Paul, an actor preparing for "Uncle Vanya" on Broadway, is mired in ennui. His agent tells him about an office where he can put his soul in storage. He does so then discovers that being soulless helps neither his acting nor his marriage; he returns to the office and rents, for two weeks, the soul of a Russian poet. His acting improves, but his wife finds him different, he sees bits of the borrowed soul's life, and he's now deep in sorrow. He wants his own soul back, but there are complications: it's in St. Petersburg. With the help of Nina, a Russian who transports souls to the U.S., he determines to get it back. Who has he become?

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | english language | new york city new york | language lesson | saint petersburg russia | 

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Taglines:

A soul searching comedy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for nudity and brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie opens with an onscreen quote that says: "The soul has its principal seat in the small gland located in the middle of the brain." -René Descartes, The Passions of the Soul, 1649.

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Goofs

Dmitri tells the actress not to worry that Paul's soul looks like and is the size of a chickpea, telling her that Al Pacino won three Oscars. Al Pacino has actually only won one Oscar (Best Actor in 1992, Scent of a Woman).

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Quotes

Giamatti - Paul: Are you telling me, my soul is a chick pea?

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Jack Dagger & Tonya Kay/Paul Giamatti/Regina Spektor (2009)

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Soundtracks

Petchal
Written by Viktor Tsoy (as Viktor Tsoi)
Performed by Kino
Courtesy of Moroz Records

User Reviews

Chickpea Chekov

Greetings again from the darkness. I really enjoyed the originality of the basic story here, but originality is not sufficient .. this one needed some script doctoring prior to filming.

Paul Giamatti delivers another fine, hangdog, long-suffering turn as, well, Paul Giamatti. Exasperated with his general outlook on life, he does some research into the company who removes the soul from those like him. David Strathairn is the doctor at the soul removal clinic and he plays the knowledgeable, caring professional to perfection.

At different times, this one will remind of Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind, and Total Recall, it never really delivers the depth or entertainment value of any of these. It's almost as if first time feature director Sophie Barthes has so many ideas that it became more important to include them all, rather than refine the best.

As for sci-fi, this one is worth seeing, but ranks behind Moon as this year's best in the genre.

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook Page

Country:

USA France

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

5 May 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

Cold Souls

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$63,302, 9 August 2009

Gross USA:

$905,209

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,134,837

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Films, Two Lane Pictures, Winner Arts

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1