A film review by Chris Cabin of Filmcritic.com
Director: Sophie Barthes
Producers: Daniel Carey, Elizabeth Giamatti, Paul S. Mezey, Andrij Parekh, Jeremy Kipp Walker
Screenwriter: Sophie Barthes
Actors: Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun, Emily Watson, David Strathairn, Katheryn Winnick, Lauren Ambrose, Boris Kievsky, Oksana Lada
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Premiere Date: August 7, 2009 (Limited Release)
FilmCritic.com Rating = 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars
In this case, it is the soul of actor Paul Giamatti who takes on the task of playing himself and, for a few brief moments, Uncle Vanya in a new production that is being mounted in NYC. Bothered by the weight of existence, he gets his soul removed at a clinic that he has read about in the New Yorker. As much sight gag as philosophical quandary, his soul turns out to be the exact shape and color of a chickpea.
The most cumbersome concept in Barthes’ film is the clinic itself: A hyper-modern dentist’s office run by the professionally quirky Dr. Flinstein (David Strathairn, aptly off-kilter) and manned by a complacent assistant (Lauren Ambrose). The souls are kept in what looks like an air-conditioned safety deposit box and are taken out at will; there are two “convenient” locations on Roosevelt Island and New Jersey, if you want to avoid certain taxes. The waiting room features bowls of marshmallows.
Read the full review by Chris Cabin at FilmCritic.com.
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Copyright © 2009 Filmcritic.com
Not too interested in the movie, but I love the trippy cover.