In the Soup

Cast your mind back to the early 1990s when the American indie scene spawned such wonderful movies as 'Johnny Suede', 'Barton Fink', and 'Reservoir Dogs', and this one, Alexandre Rockwell's brilliant debut 'In The Soup'. Rockwell's subsequent career didn't really go the way you'd imagine, and lately he's really slipped off the radar, but that doesn't take anything away from this wonderful little movie. And yes, it IS a "quirky indie comedy", but don't panic, it's a very good one. Indie favourite Steve Buscemi ('Reservoir Dogs', 'Fargo', 'Trees Lounge') plays Aldolpho, a pretentious wanna be movie director, who unexpectedly finds himself partners with Joe (Seymour Cassel), a small time hood. Cassel is one of those character actors who delivers the goods year in, year out, but never gets the attention he deserves. Even if you don't know his name you will recognise his face, from John Cassavetes movies to 'Rushmore'. He's almost always good, but 'In The Soup' is the best I've ever seen him. He gives a superb comic performance, and he and Buscemi work very well together (Buscemi must think so too, as he gave Cassel a small cameo in his directorial debut 'Trees Lounge'.) The rest of the cast are excellent, and include Jennifer Beals ('Vampire's Kiss'), Stanley Tucci ('The Impostors'), Will Patton ('Jesus' Son'), Sam Rockwell ('Safe Men'), Debi Mazar ('Goodfellas'), and others, as well as a quirky turn from Carol Kane ('Taxi') and director Jim Jarmusch ('Mystery Train') as producers of a nude cable TV show. Don't be put off by the "quirky indie comedy" tag, 'In The Soup' is a great movie, and highly recommended to fans of Steve Buscemi and/or Seymour Cassel.

Adolpho (Steve Buscemi) is a loser who wants to be a filmmaker. However, his prospects are non-existent and he has two singing gangsters threatening to break his legs unless he pays his rent. His fortune seems to have changed when he finds a guy who likes his work and wants to finance his films. But the more time Adolpho spends with Joe (Seymour Cassel) the more he realizes the guy just ain't right...plus he's a crook. Adolpho is shocked and despite the two guys threatening him, he refuses to work with Joe, as Joe just seems dangerous and bizarre. Joe simply won't take no for an answer. What's next? See the film.

This small black & white independent film is very odd. It's because although it appears to have been made for practically nothing and looks grubby, it has an amazing array of supporting actors. This includes the director Jim Jarmusch (in an acting role), Jennifer Beals, Stanley Tucci, Carol Kane and Sam Rockwell in addition to Cassel and Buscemi. Obviously the filmmakers knew people.

So is it any good? Well, it certainly never is dull as the film is jam-packed full of weird and quirky folks. You just can't ignore them--and they are captivating and it looks, at times, like a Fellini film (he was known for the 'faces' co-starring in his movies). Weird beyond belief the more you watch! The only one who came off poorly, surprisingly, was Tucci, as his accent sounded very strange. The rest were strange but entertaining....as was the entire film! My recommendation is to watch it but turn off your brain...otherwise you're bound to wonder WHAT you are seeing!

"In the Soup" is a nice little gem of a movie. If you liked Steve Buscemi in "Ghost World" you should like him here because he is basically playing the same perpetually dour and befuddled character. And if you liked "Ghost World" in general you should like "In the Soup" because they have a similar theme and storyline. They both focus on a character being taught how to live by the example of another character. "In the Soup" does not have "Ghost Story's" ironic twist (where the teacher is the one who actually learns how to live). It is more straightforward and not as clever but is still light years more intelligent than most mainstream films.

Buscemi's character needs a producer for his 500-page screenplay with quirky features like beginning with a 20 minute black leader (just a blank screen) to introduce his lead character's blindness. He intends to cast his neighbor (and unrequited love interest) Jennifer Beals who barely acknowledges his existence although he sleeps with her shoe under his pillow. Buscemi gets "in the soup" when he hooks up with a gangster who wants to produce the film. Seymour Cassell plays the gangster with an infectious gusto that deservedly won Sundance Festival's Best Actor Award. All three performances are excellent, as is a brief appearance by Carol Kane as the co-producer of an access TV show featuring nude interviews (The Naked Truth).

If all this sounds to you like it could be fun you are this film's target audience.

Shooting in black-and-white on a tight budget Director Alexandre Rockwell has put together a funny feature with a lot of charm. The production values are first-class. More importantly he has told a worthwhile story and communicated useful lessons to apply to the process of living.

Sometimes you're kind of reluctant to watch a movie because you don't really expect anything of it, but then you end up being so pleasantly surprised! I had that experience with "In the Soup". This film truly is a little gem as mentioned before. This strange, offbeat movie grew on me with every scene I watched. Steve Buscemi is brilliantly funny as script-writer and 'wannabe' director Adolpho. Seymour Cassel is great as well but I definitely shouldn't forget to mention Jennifer Beals.. my god, how this woman made me laugh! She was pitch perfect for her role as Buscemi's cranky Latin-American neighbor Angelica, his secret love interest who he wants to star in his movie. I can highly recommend this movie, if you're a Buscemi fan, it's a "must-see" !

Thanks for Amazon and their: people who bought this... also bought "In the Soup",

I ordered it. I am a fan of Steve Buscemi, so "hey you got no complaints".

What a delightful surprise this movie turned out to be. The lovely Jennifer Beals has aged so gracefully (she looks even better here than in Flashdance; more rounded out character too) and Seymour Cassel should have been nominated for an Oscar in this, I believe, mostly ignored movie. Can't even find a Roger Ebert review of it, and he usually has a nose for unusual, but good movies.

Speaking of noses, Cassel is a delight who delights in existing from day to day, always ready for an adventure, a surprise, or a bit of crime and a bit of a ca-noodle. Poor Buscemi, who is a dreamer with a script for the "great American movie" and hasn't had much of a life, is at first thrilled to meet the potential film financier (Cassel), then becomes a bit frightened of him and in the end realizes he grew as a person and made some friends and possibly can make a more simplified version of his movie after all.

Don't want to give much more away. The lovely black and white vignettes, following each other quickly give you a taste of life in a squalid part of New York. It is European in execution, a bit film-noir-ish, but unique, entertaining, and touching.

The singing rent collectors are a hoot-!

Don't miss it!