The one movie Jesse Eisenberg would watch forever: “It’s just the greatest thing”
Actors have been directing movies since the birth of cinema, with some going on to become way more successful and revered behind the camera than in front of it. A modern example of someone on the path to that status is Jesse Eisenberg.
Having impressed with his debut feature, When You Finish Saving the World, the star truly broke out with his 2024 film A Real Pain. This buddy comedy/Holocaust drama (not two genres you ever expected to see work together) scored rave reviews across the board, particularly for Eisenberg’s direction and writing. He got an Oscar-winning performance out of Kieran Culkin, and everyone is very excited to see what he does next.
It’s not surprising that Eisenberg is so adept at directing, given how many great filmmakers he’s acted for. His performance as Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s The Social Network – a role that will reportedly be played by Jeremy Strong in the planned sequel – opened a lot of people’s eyes to his dramatic potential. He’s starred in films for Noah Baumbach, Louis Leterrier, and Woody Allen, and who could forget his turn as Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder’s DC films? As much as we’d all like to…
One of his lesser-seen collaborations was with British comedian Richard Ayoade. Eisenberg appeared in Ayoade’s 2013 film, The Double, based on the novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This was the funnyman’s second feature as a director, but it was his first movie that convinced his leading man to sign up.
“Richard Ayoade, the director of The Double, made this beautiful movie called Submarine,” Eisenberg told The Academy in an interview about his favourite films. “It’s similarly earnest in an extreme way that is both funny and emotionally textured and rich. Films like that are what I like more than anything else, and Submarine might be my favourite movie ever made. I’ve watched it more times than any other movie. I think it’s just the greatest thing. The style, humor, and acting in it are just so incredible”.
Released in 2010, Submarine is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne. It stars Craig Roberts as Oliver, a 15-year-old boy living in a small Welsh village. He navigates all sorts of issues, including the breakdown of his parents’ marriage and a blossoming yet unconventional relationship with Jordana (Yasmine Paige), seemingly the girl of his dreams.
Submarine is a beautiful film, with an equally beautiful soundtrack by Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. Based on what Eisenberg has shown us with his own work, this is precisely the kind of story he cares about. It’s small and driven by very relatable, very human characters, but with enough weirdness to avoid being trite. There are lots of similarities to A Real Pain, from the dysfunctional family dynamic to the meandering nature of the plot. Both stars were also originally pigeonholed as comedians only before proving commentators wrong.
It’s one thing to be an admirer of somebody’s work, but something else entirely to be involved in their very next project. The fact that Ayoade got the support of someone like Eisenberg is such a wonderful endorsement of his talent. Fingers crossed he directs something else again soon – he really is good at it.
