| In the Soup | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Alexandre Rockwell |
| Written by | Tim Kissell Alexandre Rockwell |
| Produced by | Jim Stark Hank Blumenthal Chosei Funahara |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Phil Parmet |
| Edited by | Dana Congdon |
| Music by | Mader |
| Distributed by | Triton Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 |
| Box office | $256,249[1] |
In the Soup is a 1992 independent comedy directed by Alexandre Rockwell, and written by Rockwell and Sollace Mitchell (credited as Tim Kissell).[2] It stars Steve Buscemi as Aldolfo Rollo, a self-conscious screenwriter who has written an unfilmable 500-page screenplay and who is looking for a producer.
Plot
[edit] | This article's plot summary needs to be improved. (January 2026) |
Tortured by self-doubt, financial ruin, and unrequited passion for his next door neighbor, Aldolfo Rollo places an ad offering his mammoth screenplay to the highest bidder. In steps Aldolfo's "guardian angel" Joe, a fast-talking, high-rolling gangster who promises to produce the film but has his own unique ideas regarding film financing.
Cast
[edit]- Steve Buscemi as Aldolfo Rollo
- Seymour Cassel as Joe
- Jennifer Beals as Angelica Pena
- Pat Moya as Dang
- Will Patton as Skip "Skippy"
- Sully Boyar as Old Man
- Steven Randazzo as Louis Barfardi
- Francesco Messina as Frank Barfardi
- Jim Jarmusch as Monty
- Carol Kane as Barbara
- Stanley Tucci as Gregoire
- Rockets Redglare as Guy
- Elizabeth Bracco as Jackie
- Debi Mazar as Suzie
- Sam Rockwell as Paulie
- Paul Herman as E-Z Rent-A-Car Clerk
Production
[edit]Facing financial struggles as a first-time filmmaker in New York City, writer-director Alexandre Rockwell found himself in a challenging situation, admitting to being penniless and even selling his saxophone to acquire more film stock. A person named Frank responded to one of his advertisements and took a liking to him, generously offering to cover the cost of one of his movies. Rockwell "loosely based" this film on that incident.[3] In an interview, Rockwell stated he started production with $15,000.[4]
Principal photography predominantly occurred in New York City. Although shot on color film, Rockwell had no intention of releasing a color version in American theaters. Influenced by the stylized films of the 1930s and inspired by French directors François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, Rockwell deliberately opted for a high-contrast black-and-white palette. This choice aimed to impart a certain surreal quality to the images. The entire budget for the film, totaling $800,000, came from foreign investors.[4] While color prints were available for foreign distributors and home video releases, the film's theatrical release in the United States maintained its black-and-white presentation.[3]
Speaking about working with Rockwell on the film, Steve Buscemi said in 1993: "In the Soup was the first film that I had really worked with a director that closely because my character was so important to the film. Alex gave me a lot of responsibility for that character. Not that he didn’t have his ideas about this guy—which I tried to fulfill—but we were constantly discussing ideas. He’s very much an actor’s director, and a brilliant filmmaker."[5]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[6] Janet Maslin gave the film a positive review in The New York Times, describing it as "a droll, self-conscious fable with an unexpected heart of gold", praising director Rockwell for turning a "potentially myopic subject into a wild grab bag of offbeat characters and deadpan comic effects", as well as praising the cinematography and Cassel's performance.[7]
In popular culture
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The film and its history are discussed in depth in John Pierson's account of the independent American film 'scene' of the late 1980s/early 1990s, Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema.
A Kickstarter project started in July 2017 with hopes of restoring the archival print and re-releasing the film for its 25th anniversary.[8] The restored print was released by Factory 25 in 2018.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "In the Soup (1992) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (October 3, 1992). "From Art-Loving Gangster To a Menacing Hemophiliac". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "In the Soup". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Macaulay, Scott (December 1992). "BAND OF OUTSIDERS - A conversation with directors Alexandre Rockwell and Quentin Tarantino". Filmmaker Magazine.
- ^ Steve Buscemi Winter 1993 Bomb Magazine interview
- ^ "In the Soup". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (October 3, 1992). "From Art-Loving Gangster To a Menacing Hemophiliac (Published 1992)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 17, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ "In The Soup Urgent Restoration & 25th Anniversary Re-Release". Kickstarter. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "In the Soup | Tribeca Film Festival". Tribeca. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.