Butler's Cinema Scene

Jesse Eisenberg and…Jesse Eisenberg in “The Double”

“THE DOUBLE” My rating: C+ (Opening July 4 at the Screenland Crown Center)

93 minutes | MPAA rating: R)

Though it is based on a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, one could be forgiven for thinking “The Double” is an adaptation of Franz Kafka.

Richard Ayoade’s film gives us a hapless protagonist trapped in a web of illogical but rigid social and political rules. This poor schlub finds himself living in a nightmare from which he cannot awaken.

The problem is that for me dramatizations of Kafka never really work.  They may be well acted, imaginatively mounted, and they may deal with important human issues. But what seems subversive and insightful on the printed page always comes off as a bit silly and, worse, boring when brought to the screen. Kafka-ish yarns are always about an Everyman…and Everymen aren’t all that interesting.

Once in a blue moon a director takes a Kafkaesque situation and makes it both funny and compelling — Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil,” for example.

“The Double” works about half the time, thanks to its depiction of a glum alternative world and a bravura double performance from Jesse Eisenberg. But it can’t quite make it over the hump.

Eisenberg is best known for playing dweebs in films like “Zombieland” and “Wonderland” and — let’s face it — “The Social Network.” Here gets to play not only a disaffected dweeb but also his lookalike tormentor. Two characters that are polar opposites.

And, yes, the kid can act. He’s so good here I wish I liked the movie more.

Simon (Eisenberg) lives in a grungy, ill-lit metropolis in which technology seems to have peaked around 1935.  He’s employed by some sort of government agency ruled by the Colonel (James Fox), a paternalistic Big Brotherish figure in a white uniform. Exactly what this agency does is never made clear, but it must be important since it has a high degree of security. When he leaves his ID at home, Simon has a hard time convincing anyone at work that he’s been coming there for years.  He’s that forgettable.

Our man yearns for success but is totally lacking in the qualities that might bring it. He’s got no self-assurance, creativity, or charisma.

Mia Wasikowska

Still, he’s got a crush on Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), a girl at the office. Of course, he’s afraid to approach her. Instead Simon devotes his nights to peering into her apartment with an astronomy telescope. (He also sees plenty of jumpers…apparently in this world suicide is the preferred way out.)

And then a new guy comes to work. His name is James and he’s a dead ringer for Simon…although only Simon seems to recognize their similarities in appearance.

James is everything Simon is not — and outgoing operator who quickly charms Hannah and Simon’s boss (Wallace Shawn) and begins taking credit for Simon’s ideas. Then James begins manipulating Simon, suggesting that under certain circumstances they exchange places.  What could go wrong?

Eisenberg seems to be having a good time playing both roles, and he’s been surrounded by terrific supporting players: Noah Taylor, Cathy Moriarty, Chris O’Dowd, Paddy Considine, Sally Hawkins.

The production design and cinematography effectively capture the setting’s oily, neon-lit dystopia.

And yet “The Double” never rises above the merely dour.

| Robert W. Butler