d05ac7a578:

I have removed this review as a protest against NF highly obnoxious banishment of Friends Features. Thanks to a recent update to the movie detail page, I can no longer see what my friends and family think of ANY of the movies on this website, the top 10 lists have been removed, and I can no longer send movie notes to friends. I realize that some members do not utilize these features, and if you are one of those members, please accept my apologies for removing this review. However, many longtime members have treasured these features for years, and although complaints have been lodged to NF by a wide variety of members, our concerns have been collectively ignored. Weve shown loyalty to you, NF. Show some loyalty to us, and give us back our friends.

WideStance:

I can't say enough about Giamatti's masterful performance in this movie. It's alternately deadpan, absurd, crazed and very funny. He holds the dry, dreamlike film together, even as the plot gets a bit in its own way during the third act. Good stuff.

Peter Olafson:

There's just not enough story here. Playing himself, Giamatti starts out well enough as a character unbearably weighed down by the play he's rehearsing. But the directions this takes are fundamentally uninteresting and when the movie wanders from Giamatti into the gray market in imported souls and the side effects of borrowing one, it wanders away from us as well and never quite comes back.

beeswax:

Under normal circumstances I might have reviewed this dvd, but when NetfIix implemented the new movie detail page design they removed friends' ratings, top 10 lists and the ability to send movie notes. That made it harder for me and others to find movies we'd like to see. If you are reading this, please call NetfIix at 1-866-716-0414 and ask them to give us the community features back. Thank you, and I apologize for this non-review.

rmgebhardt:

It's definitely a dark and bleak movie, but amongst the angst there are some genuinely great darkly comedic moments and a number of questions posed to the viewer. Slow at times, but it is necessary for the mood of the film and the weight of certain scenes. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

Movie Jay:

This is the funniest film I've seen since "Burn After Reading". Like "Burn After Reading", the comedy in this film is extremely dry. This is not your average Judd Apatow garbage. Rather, you actually have to think to appreciate the subtle nature of this flick. It is a polarizing film for this very reason, people will either love it (as I did) or hate it. As far as offering a recommendation, if you enjoy dry comedy as opposed to silly flicks made for teenagers and folks whose 'soul' purpose in watching a flick is to turn off their brain, I would say to give it a shot. Paul Giamatti is fantastic in this role. Part of the charm in this flick is the fact that all the actors play this so straight-edge through the entire film (which makes it all the more humorous to me) and make something that could be turned into a ridiculous satire into a fairly serious, while yet funny at the same time, look at the nature of people and the world around us. This is highly recommended for people who want a thinking-person's comedy as opposed to the usual teenager drivel out there. (13 Feb 2010)

HisDudeness:

Giamatti is excellent, the movie is not. It's plodding, simplistic, and boring. The script tried to fit too much in plot-wise, instead of focusing on the idea of souls or soul-switching. Without the whole Russian black market part, it probably would've been more interesting.

BFIrrera:

Under normal circumstances I might have reviewed this dvd, but when NetfIix implemented the new movie detail page design they removed friends' ratings, top 10 lists and the ability to send movie notes. That made it harder for me and others to find movies we'd like to see. If you are reading this, please call NetfIix at 1-866-716-0414 and ask them to give us the community features back. Thank you, and I apologize for this non-review.