Richard Ayoade makes us do a double-take in his third feature-length film (2013), THE DOUBLE, as we see one of England’s funnymen resurrect David Lynch’s neon-colored dreamlike sequences as a backdrop to the comedic antics of Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, and Jesse Eisenberg again. We follow Simon James (Eisenberg) and his pilgrimage to insanity when he finds out that his doppelganger James Simon is better than he is in virtually every aspect of his life. While the stills alone may suggest a horror film setting that would surely culminate in the emotional breakdown of Jesse Eisenberg’s character, Ayoade shamelessly brings his past collaborations to the table as if we’re revisiting ANCHORMAN 2: Chris O’ Dowd (THE IT CROWD), Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige (SUBMARINE), and Christopher Morris (NATHAN BARLEY), for starters. Smart and silly and terrifying, this loose adaptation of the 1846 Fyodor Dostoyevsky novella may cause compulsions of laughter and appreciation for weird jokes.

THE DOUBLE (2013) DIR. RICHARD AYOADE @KENDALL
5/16 – 11:15 AM ($9 bargain weekend)
5/16 – 2:05 PM, 4:45 PM, 7:20 PM, & 9:40 PM ($11 general weekend)
5/16 – 11:55 PM ($8 midnight special)

Kendall Square Cinema
One Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139