Review of Cold Souls (2009) by Ylber M — 20 Jul 2010

I'm really loving this newly emerging but still largely unexplored genre of movie in which a famous actor plays himself while everything else about the story is quite fictional. I find this juxtaposition inventive and full of possibilities.

Paul Giamatti is his usual slightly odd, hilarious self here which is perfect for a weird project like this. One of my favorite scenes is when he's rehearsing for Vanya after he's had his soul removed.

His acting is so awesomely bizarre with moments of Shatner-esque cadences shining through in spots that you can't help but laugh. Especially when you see the director's reaction. Hilarious! Then there's Sveta's list of American actors whose souls she wants.

Clooney maybe, but I'm not sure that DeNiro and Pachino are the caliber of actor that one would consult for Russian Soap acting. Isn't that the equivalent in the sports world of asking Michael Jordan for advice about playing baseball? This movie isn't perfect by any means, but it certainly had the right idea.

I wonder what my soul would look like? Lump of coal?