Jesse Eisenberg, as talented an actor as he is, has a habit of almost always playing the same character. So it must have been with a great big grin on his face that he first checked out the script for The Double, the directorial debut of British jokester Richard Ayoade, in which he gets to play a man who has his life taken over by a mysterious doppelganger. Yes, he’s playing the same character. Twice. In the same movie.
And good luck trying to figure out just which one is which in this new trailer.
Simon is a timid man, scratching out an isolated existence in an indifferent world. He is overlooked at work, scorned by his mother, and ignored by the woman of his dreams. The arrival of a new co-worker, James, serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon’s exact physical double and his opposite — confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon’s horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.
Despite IT Crowd funnyman Ayoade’s involvement, and the fact that it was being billed as a comedy, the first trailer made this seem very much like some kind of psychological thriller. This new trailer definitely feels more “comedy” though, despite the fact that there is still a seriously dark undercurrent, almost Terry Gilliam-ish, running through it all. The film has already screened at a few film fests and has picked up quite a lot of positive buzz, so keep an eye out for it.
The Double also stars Mia Wasikowska, Chris O’Dowd, Wallace Shawn, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor, James Fox, Cathy Moriarty, Sally Hawkins, Craig Roberts and Paddy Considine. The film doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, but set to open some time in early 2014.
Last Updated: December 19, 2013
