In the Soup (1992) - Alexandre Rockwell & Sollace Mitchell

March 10, 1990

IN THE SOUP

Screenplay by Alexandre Rockwell & Sollace Mitchell

Synopsis by Brian Aldrich

ALDOLFO is an aspiring filmmaker with a hearing problem. He was recently fired from his waiter job. His rent is overdue and his landlords, the BAFARDI brothers, are ready to blind him. He is secretly in love with a foreign girl across the hall named ANGELICA whom he wants to star in his films. He is offered a bizarre acting job for $100 where he is taped answering questions while undressed. Finally, his financial situation becomes so hopeless that he takes a newspaper ad out in an effort to sell his script, a several hundred page epic titled "Unconditional Surrender."

Slimeball "producer" JOE answers Aldolfo's ad and invites him to his suite at the Chelsea Hotel which he shares with his Thai girlfriend, DANG, a terminally horny babe. Joe proves to know nothing about movies, but he gives Aldolfo an advance to make his film. Joe basically adopts Aldolfo, feeds and clothes the kid and keeps promising to raise the money to make the film. Joe convinces the Barfardi brothers that Aldolfo is well-connected and should be treated with respect. Aldolfo meets Joe's psycho brother, SKIPPY, and the trio set off an a number of illegal activities including auto theft and home invasion. At first, Aldofo is reluctant, but is quickly seduced by the money to be easily obtained.

Aldolfo finds out that Angelica is "married" (for the sake of a green card) to GREGOIRE, a bizarre psycho, who is an alien himself, rendering the arrangement ludicrous. Joe intervenes and forces Gregoire to pay her the $3000 he owes her. Joe also gets her to go out on a date with Aldolfo, accompanied by Dang and himself. They have a great time until Joe makes a pass at her. She flees from the party. Meanwhile, Joe and Skippy have gotten Aldolfo involved with a major drug deal "to finance his movie." Dang takes off for another rich guy, sad to not have had sex with Aldolfo. The drug deal goes down. Joe runs away with the money. Aldolfo sees Joe with Angelica and thinks he's been tricked by both of them. Aldolfo kidnaps some KID that Joe once told him was his son. Joe and Angelica show up. She says that she was with Joe to go get the money from Gregoire. Joe agrees to having left with the money, but offers it all to Aldolfo. Now, Joe really wants to make Aldolfo's movie. Aldolfo doesn't believe him and the money flies away. Angelica demands the car keys and accidentally shoots Joe. She flees. Joe asks Aldolfo to take him to the beach. Aldolfo thanks Joe for what he has taught him and his desire to make his movie is revitalized. Joe dies. Angelica shows up to comfort Aldolfo.

Summary Criticism: Usually, any film that alludes to being about filmmaking is a bore, but this strange, Cassavetes-like black comedy actually works and is funny despite its lack of commercial style and structure.

In the Soup (1992) - imdb

In the Soup (1992) - wiki