You'd say that Cold Souls is strange, but strange doesn't begin to describe this darkly humorous, concept film.
Comment
11/26/09
Cold Souls (2009)
74
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:105
Fresh:78
Rotten:27
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Straddling existential drama and surrealist comedy, Sophie Barthes debut feature is beautifully shot and full of inventive quandaries.
Theatrical Release:Aug 7, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $700,980
Synopsis: In response to shiny, bigger, better American consumerism comes COLD SOULS, first-time feature director Sophie Barthes' surreal comedy in which souls can be extracted and traded as commodities.... [More]
Starring: Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, Dina Korzun, Katheryn Winnick
Director: Sophie Barthes
Reviews for Cold Souls
Cold Souls is imitation Kaufman, written and directed by newcomer Sophie Barthes, who makes no effort to hide the source of her inspiration.
11/26/09
The result is a deliciously deadpan piece of absurdism with some unexpectedly poignant touches.
11/26/09
In Cold Souls, it is time for more metaphysical mucking about with an actor playing a pretentiously remixed version of his real self.
11/26/09
There's added appeal thanks to Barthes' silly but fun film via the outstanding cinematography by her collaborator, Andrij Parekh, whose arty lighting and careful framing make the film a visual treat.
11/26/09
An uneasy mix of comedy and ideas, which flatters both itself and its audience that it's smarter and wryer than it really is.
11/24/09
Much of cinema is so predictable these days. Cold Souls isn’t.
11/22/09
Smart and funny, it's an amusing showcase for a great idea and the terrific Giamatti.
11/22/09
I love the bizarreness of the premise about a man who feels so heavy by the weight of his soul he puts it into cold storage, and although Cold Souls doesn't quite gel in the final analysis, there is much about this dream-inspired film that is wonderful
11/20/09
Cold Souls is odd and gloomy but the deadpan comedy and introspective musings are engaging and Giamatti’s tour de force is worth the price of admission.
11/13/09
Moving from antiseptic clinics to the streets of St. Petersburg, there's something appropriately chilly about "Cold Souls." But if it lacks warmth or a tidy ending, it is very funny, and has plenty of intellect. Much more than a chickpea's worth.
11/13/09
The credible production design impresses, the camerawork offers an exquisite chill and Giamatti is in his pomp.
11/13/09
For those who like Charlie Kaufman on paper but occasionally find themselves a little tested by his self-conscious meanderings in practice, the hilarious Cold Souls is a pleasingly tight and subtle execution of an eye-opening concept.
11/13/09
The writer-director Sophie Barthes does her best to keep things moving, but the film runs out of steam about halfway through.
11/13/09
The pedantic borrowings from Kaufman are obvious. Is there any other "–esque" to be detected? There's Allen-esque, but that comes with the Kaufman-esque territory. Maybe Huxley-esque? The anxiety of influence hangs heavily here.
11/13/09
A trippy premise literally dreamed up by director Sophie Barthes, it is pensive and ponderous, offering a nod and wink to the likes of Philip K Dick and Charlie Kaufman. But it’s also peculiarly remote.
11/13/09
What might sound on paper like heavy-handed flick that tries to shove clever-clever ideas down your throat is nothing of the sort. Cold Souls is funny, thought-provoking, often witty and always boasts a tremendous lightness of touch.
11/13/09
Competently made but remarkably smug for a film unique only in its paucity of original ideas.
11/13/09
This clever, surreal comedy is closer to the more whimsical work of a young Woody Allen.
11/13/09
Writer-director Sophie Barthes can't decide whether to take the idea seriously or comedically, with the result that it works neither as comedy nor drama.
11/13/09
Latest News for Cold Souls
November 22, 2009:
Win Double Passes to Cold Souls
In the tradition of Charlie Kaufman and Woody Allen comes writer-director Sophie Bathes' debut Cold Souls an existential comedy about an actor (Paul Giamatti, playing himself)... More...
August 06, 2009:
Critics Consensus: It's Quiet For G.I. Joe. Too Quiet.
This week at the movies, we got real American heroes (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, starring Dennis Quaid and Sienna Miller); kitchen chronicles (Julie & Julia, starring Meryl... More...
June 21, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review 
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