Cold SoulsMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 69 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 OK for kids 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Darkly funny, twisty-cool existential tragicomedy, loaded with smart notions and filmed like a surrealist dream. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Barthes takes her notion and runs with it, and Giamatti and Strathairn follow fearlessly. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    You'll laugh till it hurts at Cold Souls. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    The low-key satire would have benefited from more of a back story to Giamatti's character and a clearer sense of his relationship with his wife. But what we do get is compelling in the way of an indelible, dreamy short story. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Giamatti is aptly cast, playing his own persona with awkward anxiety and suitably skewed humor. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    If not always coherent, at least compelling. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    In this attractive, smart-enough, finally un-brave movie Ms. Barthes peeks at the dark comedy of the soul only to beat a quick, pre-emptive retreat. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times |

    Somewhere between the rabbit-hole absurdist comedy of Charlie Kaufman and a navel-gazing Woody Allen film is the somberly humorous indie Cold Souls. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Justin Chang

    An amusing slice of existential whimsy with an Eastern European bent, Cold Souls posits a world in which humans can have their souls extracted and implanted in each others' bodies. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Only a temporarily compelling conflict for a feature-length film. Read full review

View more reviews for Cold Souls on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 15+ Fanciful tale is fun for grownups; won't appeal to kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that although this indie comedy about the soul transplant business is imaginative, it probably won't have much appeal for kids or young teens. It's grown-up material, and the humor comes from taking our culture's incessant soul-searching and self-involvement to a new level of absurdity. Expect some swearing (mostly mild, though there's one "what the f--k?") and smoking. There are also two scenes with brief female nudity (models in a drawing class and a poster designed to elicit a humorous response).
  • Families can talk about what it means to "suspend your disbelief." How do the filmmakers make the idea of transplanting souls seem not only possible but ordinary? Did having Paul Giamatti go by his real name make it more believable?
  • What is the movie saying about "technology for technology's sake"? Can you think of any real-life technologies that seem as far-fetched as the soul-transplant business?
  • Why is the visual of a soul as a chickpea or garbanzo bean funny? Since the "soul" is usually considered to have enormous importance, do you think the fact that it was so tiny underlined the movie's ironic tone?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: The movie's main take-away is that it's more important to want what you have rather than to have what you want. That said, the folks behind the soul-transplant business (which represents any "cool" cutting-edge new technology) go about their work with little understanding of its potential impact and danger.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: The hero is portrayed as honest, loyal, and smart, though somewhat overly self-involved. One businessman is shown to be corrupt, while another is shown to be naive and corruptible. One soul-trafficking character evolves from an unconscious self-promoter to someone who sees the error of her ways and takes responsibility for her actions.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: A dog bares its teeth at the main character.
  • sex false3 Sex: A Life Drawing class features nude female models in artistic poses; there's also a brief glance at a female nude poster. Mild cuddling between husband and wife in bed.
  • language false3 Language: Intermittent cursing includes "for Christ's sake," "for God's sake," "schmuck," "hell," "crap," and one "what the f--k?"
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some characters smoke (particularly during scenes set in Russia). The main character also pours himself one stiff drink.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

3.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

News flash: actors happily sell their souls Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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