If I have one real beef with Cold Souls, it's simply this: I don't think it digs particularly deeply into the philosophy or the unanswerable questions dredged up by its premise.
Comment
09/04/09
Cold Souls (2009)
75
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:106
Fresh:79
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
The script thinks it's "oh so clever" that I just wanted to puke. A chore to sit through. It felt like it was 3 hours long, but was only half that.
08/29/09
While [it] has a certain quirky charm--mostly due to its star--the overall effect is rather pallid.
08/28/09
Cold Souls is less a movie than a cinematic decoupage that rips off pieces of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich and blends them together.
08/28/09
Peppered with ingenious twists of imagination, Cold Souls walks a tightrope between intellectual slapstick and edgy social commentary.
08/27/09
A dreary-looking, glacially paced collection of missed opportunities.
08/25/09
The first half is inventive, but the film really loses steam in the second half. Too many technical problems went unsolved in bringing this story to the screen.
08/23/09
Inspired by one of [director] Barthes' dreams, Cold Souls has the kind of twisted but clever self-awareness of Being John Malkovich.
08/21/09
These pitch-perfect moments, as well as Giamatti's performance as an artist driven to a personal and creative brink, make Cold Souls, if not always coherent, at least compelling.
08/21/09
It's a movie about losing your soul that doesn't really have one.
08/21/09
More ridiculous than thought-provoking.
08/20/09
A clever existential comedy.
08/20/09
This new meta-movie does have its moments, after establishing its offbeat premise.
08/20/09
A dark indie comedy that's distinguished by a sci-fi theme and surrealistic touches but ends without a payoff.
08/20/09
[Director] Barthes takes her notion and runs with it, and Giamatti and Strathairn follow fearlessly. The movie is rather evocative about the way we govern ourselves from the inside out.
08/20/09
Top CriticIt's a simple query, and a fun one to explore, yet only a temporarily compelling conflict for a feature-length film.
08/14/09
Barthes is no Charlie Kaufman -- never mind Anton Chekhov.
08/14/09
The movie turns what could have been a tedious meta-movie exercise into a sincere dour farce.
08/13/09
Top CriticFor those who like comedies that derive humor through absurd situations and dialogue rather than through more lowbrow methods, this film is worth taking a chance on.
08/12/09
Top CriticI found myself thinking about this movie for a long time after I got out of the theater.
08/10/09
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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