In the Soup

In the Soup was a part of the 1992 Sundance selection, one of the various efforts engulfed by the wave of the audacious debuts of Tarantino and Rodriguez, and yet it is the freshly resourceful, deeply personal film that either of them have yet to make even now. It is a comedy about a self-conscious screenwriter named Adolfo, played by the ubiquitous Steve Buscemi, who has written an unfilmable 500-page screenplay and is looking for a producer. Wherever Alexandre Rockwell's career has gone since this much-overlooked flick, there is a great deal of clarity here. As an aspiring filmmaker at the time I see it, I can understand a lot more about Adolfo's vision as an aspiring filmmaker than what is actually said. Such a convoluted vision Buscemi has that is relieved and clarified by his experiences.

Such experiences include the appearance of Seymour Cassel's Joe, a fast-talking shyster who promises to produce the film but has his own unique ideas regarding film financing. There are so many realistic scenes between an obsessive, complicated artisan and a simple street guy, intensified by the specific external realities of theirs which clash. There is so much more about Adolfo's emotional state during his exploits with Joe than what he narrates, "Instead of making my movie, I was living in his." Whatever Joe and his intentions may or may not turn out to be, Adolfo now, rather than cloistering in his sketchy NYC apartment synthesizing the styles and thematic elements of his cinema idols, he actually has something personal and profound to say and to write.

A low-budget indie feature debut, originally shot in color but released in black and white, it does not play out like an art film. The story is simple, earnest, real. Even when Buscemi narrates and explains in dialogue his ambitious cinematic visions, it is his character who handles this, not the outer film. There are no airs to the dialogue, and many of the peripheral characters are for comic effect. Will Patton seals the deal on Buscemi's interpretation of Joe and his occupation. Stanley Tucci is hilarious as his neighbor Beals' emotional Hispanic husband. And it's refreshingly funny to see Sam Rockwell as a retarded kid with a helmet.

Reservoir Dogs was an auspicious debut to match, and though El Mariachi hardly compares to the Tarantino film's writing or star power Rodriguez opened almost as many eyes for its generation to the potential of completely autonomous ultra-shoestring-budget indie film-making as Cassavetes did 35 years earlier. So, I am not partially or rationally surprised that Rockwell's In the Soup was lost under the sudden and violent windstorm phenomenon of those other two simultaneous selections, nor do I think that it's nearly as easy for personal filmmakers to remain consistent with critics and audiences as action filmmakers with more common filmgoers' appeal. Nonetheless, this down-to-earth little gem hopefully holds its own over time.

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!

What a refreshing movie! Fans of oddball movies should definitely put this on the to-watch list. Aside from a hilarious cameo by Jim Jaramusch and Carol Kane, Steve Buscemi and Seymour Cassell team play the roles of wanna-be filmmaker and questionable money man like they were born to. Shot in glorious black and white, the film makes a half-hearted serious turn at the end but it is too late to really make a difference in the movie. Also watch for Will Patton's turn as yet another bizarre person.

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" !

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!