What is it about Ryan Reynolds that can just about ruin a movie, but
at the same time, be the the only thing that can save a movie from
being a disaster of celluloid?
And while The Nines
is hardly a perfect movie (or even a half-decent one either) I still
can't for the life of me decide whether Reynolds is a help or a
hinderence.
This is indie-film making at it's peak: big name Hollywood writer (John August, the man behind most of Tim Burtons post-2003
flicks) who is trying his hand at directing on a TV show budget, with a
few B to C Grade celebrity friends thrown into the mix (who are either
involved in the project because of a 'favour to a friend' or for some
indie film cred. You know - the old "Money isn't important - I just
loved the script so much".
It seems (at least from the viewers perspective) that The Nines
is more likely than not a "favour" movie - because the script itself
isn't that crash hot (especially when you consider thw quality of
August's previous films like Big Fish Corpse Bride, Go! and... cough... Charlies Angels 2).
Addmittedly - The Nines
is a complex, thought-provoking little flick. The story is essentially
divided into three sections, featuring the same actors playing
different roles (the big question is: are they connected or mutally
exclusive?) with the number nine always lurking in the background.
In
the opening sequence Reynolds plays Gary, a TV star (not unlike Robert
Downey Jnr) who has been placed under house arrest after going crazy
because his girlfriend dumped him (and unknownigly set fire to his home
while on a rather humerous crack binge). He is watched closely by
Margaret (The Gilmore Girls'
Melissa McCarthy), a publicist who seems to know more than she is
letting on, and by neighbor Sarah (Hope Davis), who is instantly
attracted to him.
The second story follows Reynolds as a
director named Gavin (who is interestingly enough, based on
August himself) who is shooting a TV pilot starring McCarthy (playing a
version of herself), but he's getting mixed signals from studio
executive Susan (Davis), all while being filmed for a television
reality program.
The final tale Reynolds plays Gabriel (the
character in the TV pilot that Gavin was shooting in the prior story,
with McCarthy playing his wife and Davis as a mysterious stranger
deciding whether she should help the family, whose car has broken down
on a deserted mountain).
While Reynolds tries hard throughout
- giving essentially two performaces in a three character ark - there
is that niggling feeling that he's kind of ruining the experience for
everyone (and at the same time - saving it from it being completley
unwatchable). And after a lot of thinking (and rewatching other
Reynolds films like Van Wilder and the new comedy Definatley Maybe)
I've come to the conclusion that Ryan Reynolds problem is simple: he
simply doesn't make you forget you're watching a movie. Tom Cruise was
able to make us forget all his ridiculous personal-life baggage while
we were all engrossed in his characters in M:I:3 and War of the Worlds, and sadly, Reynolds can't make us forget we're watching an actor (even when he has three chances to do so in one film).
There's
lots of clues dropped cleverly throughout which will keep you thinking
for a chunk of time after the credits have rolled, and it certainly
takes a keen eye to pick up on everything. The major problem that
exists here is that no matter how clever August tries to get with his
script, the final product ultimately comes off looking like a
star-studded episode of Goosebumps or Nickelodeon's early 90s spooky stories series Are You Afraid of the Dark?
John August urges the audience to "Look for the 9's", but sadly all his directorial debut can muster up is a 6 at best....
EXTRAS
Plenty of extras included here - which is pretty cool considering the flick was shot on a tiny budget and in under 25 days.
There are plenty of deleted scenes, commentaries, storyboard comparisons and featurettes.
However, the real drawcard here is the short written and directed by August (and starring Melissa McCarthy) called God.
This clever and extremely funny piece explores the great concept of a
girl who is best friends with God who calls her on the phone. Well
worth checking out!
One for the Reynolds fans, and for those who like to have their brains worked a little harder than a Nic Cage movie can offer...
