In the Soup is one of the greatest American comedies in the past 20 years. It also won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic in 1992 (does this even matter?). Steve Buscemi stars as Adolfo Rollo, a loser trying to make a pretentious art film. He puts an ad out looking to sell his 500 page film script and a crazy Jewish gangster by the name of Joe responds. Joe brings Adolfo on a ride of thievery and crime.
Joe is a sociopath out to makes tons of money at the expensive of Adolfo‘s weak personality (to raise for the film?). Joe is charismatic, cunning, and conspiratorial. He would probably even been good friends with Meyer Lansky. Adolfo makes for an easy target with his lack of assertiveness and confidence. Adolfo helps bring out the “man” in Joe to some extent.
My only complaint with In the Soup is that it was shot in black and white. There was no reason for this as it doesn’t add to its independent “credibility.” I assume it was an economic choice which is reasonable. The only comedies that work in black and white are Jim Jarmusch’s Down By Law and Stranger Than Paradise. Coffee and Cigarettes was a pretentious and pointless piece of shit.
In the Soup is truly a heartwarming film and a humanistic film. Rarely do I find these qualities in films and especially in regard to American comedies. Hack comedy director Todd Phillips makes me almost hope that a nuclear apocalypse will wipe out humanity as he is evidence that the human race is in terrible danger. In the Soup almost makes me want to atone for my sins.
-Ty E
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