Jesse Eisenberg’s lookalikes deliver big twists but no punch in Richard Ayoade’s The Double

NEW employee James looks exactly like Simon. Even wears the same clothes on the same day. Without fail. So why does no one bother to notice?

THE famous 1846 novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsky gets a wonky modern makeover from promising British director Richard Ayoade and an eclectic ensemble cast in The Double.

Jesse Eisenberg stars as Simon, a shy and nervous data-entry clerk, whose life takes a turn for the worse with the arrival of a slick and confident new fellow employee.

Jesse Eisenberg in a scene from The Double.

James (also played by Eisenberg) seems to carry every personality trait that Simon does not. The bosses love him. The ladies adore him. Everyone else listens to his every word.

Magnifying the scale of Simon’s ever-expanding inferiority is a blatant fact nobody particularly bothers to notice: James looks exactly like Simon. Even wears the same clothes on the same day. Without fail.

Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska.

No wonder Simon’s losing his marbles and therefore giving up all hope of winning the heart of office beauty Hannah (Mia Wasikowska).

There are several big twists to be extracted from the proximity of the lookalikes, who initially buddy up before freaking out.

However, not one of these bizarre happenings is capable of truly bending the minds of viewers in the manner intended. It’s like watching the same in-joke being told repeatedly, but without ever getting to hear the punchline.

Jesse Eisenberg plays the parts of both Simon and James in The Double.

A brave, but botched endeavour for the most part, except for one stunning success: the surreal, low-tech production design, which conjures a vision of a modern world where all technology stopped being updated in 1969.

■ The Double is now showing in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia, with other states to follow.

THE DOUBLE (M)

Director: Richard Ayoade (Submarine)

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Noah Taylor, Chris O’Dowd, Wallace Shawn

Verdict: Two-and-a-half stars. Half the movie it could have been

Jesse Eisenberg and Noah Taylor in a scene from The Double.