Cold Souls 2009

Ben Lyons, At the Movies: A terrific premise, but I'm not so sure about the execution. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: The more elaborate the plot becomes, the sillier it gets. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: Inspired by one of [director] Barthes' dreams, Cold Souls has the kind of twisted but clever self-awareness of Being John Malkovich. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: The premise seems profound, but the claustrophobically inert execution lacks reach or imagination. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: The movie turns what could have been a tedious meta-movie exercise into a sincere dour farce. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: A dark indie comedy that's distinguished by a sci-fi theme and surrealistic touches but ends without a payoff. Read more

Justin Berton, Houston Chronicle: Giamatti stammers and futzes and self-loathes with the best of 'em, and his endearing persona and droopy-dog face can move the film along even when the narrative can't. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: [Giamatti is] terrific throughout, although the movie, which is more clever than funny, sometimes resembles second-tier Charlie Kaufman stuff. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The inventiveness of Barthes' story is matched by a sense of visual fluidity that's especially striking in a first feature. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: This quaintly goofy premise makes for pointedly neurotic Sleeper-ish fun, not to mention nifty digs at our culture of self-reinvention. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: These are all very surreal, inventive ideas, heightened by the dreamlike cinematography from Barthes' partner, Andrij Parekh; the scenes shot in St. Petersburg, for example, are simultaneously gauzy and bleak. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: This is a comedy, not a philosophy lesson, and thus richer in bafflement than in understanding. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: For all its quirks and laughs, there's something in this film you haven't seen in many others during this long summer. A soul. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Giamatti is one of the few guys who could take a joke about a chickpea-sized soul and make a meal of it. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: It's comical, yes, but glum and brooding, too, a wintry waltz through acting, underground commerce and metaphysics. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: A clever existential comedy. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: For 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. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: [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. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: The film is superbly shot by Andrij Parekh and edited by Andrew Mondshein, but it's the hilarious and heartbreaking Giamatti who provides it with, well, soul. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: Cold Souls works precisely because its ambitions are somewhat mellow; this isn't a relentlessly high-strung picture. Read more

Justin Berton, San Francisco Chronicle: It's a simple query, and a fun one to explore, yet only a temporarily compelling conflict for a feature-length film. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Peppered with ingenious twists of imagination, Cold Souls walks a tightrope between intellectual slapstick and edgy social commentary. Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: You wear a smile right through the surrealist spoof Cold Souls, but leave the theatre feeling somehow under-entertained. Read more

Jason Anderson, Toronto Star: A sombre slice of surrealism, Cold Souls is a welcome opportunity for America's most agony-prone actor to do what he does best: suffer. Read more

Ben Kenigsberg, Time Out: Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: The credible production design impresses, the camerawork offers an exquisite chill and Giamatti is in his pomp. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: The low-key satire would have benefited from more of a back story to Giamatti's character and a clearer sense of his relationship with his wife. But what we do get is compelling in the way of an indelible, dreamy short story. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: An amusing slice of existential whimsy with an Eastern European bent. Read more

Anthony Kaufman, Village Voice: Giamatti works the comedy like a pro, from deadpan to slapstick, but he also delivers pathos. Read more