Chaos Theory (2008)

I should start by saying that I like Ryan Reynolds, I realize he is not for everybody. I have heard people complain that his characters always tend to seem arrogant, or various other complaints. To some, he is just too mainstream, or whatever. I like him. I think he is yummy, besides seeming like a pretty likeable guy. I will go out of my way to see movies that he has starred in, whether they are my kind of movie or not. This was my kind of movie to start with, I don't know how the heck I missed it in the first place, but I found the little gem on Netflix last night and I had to make it my pick of the day. I really really liked this. At first I thought it was going to be your average, everyday romantic comedy type of thing. However, within the first 15 minutes or so of the movie, I realized it was way more than that. The story (without giving too much away) revolves around a tightly wound family guy named Frank Allen (Reynolds) whose wife Susan (played by one of my not so favorite actresses Emily Mortimer) tries to mess him up a bit by moving their clock ten minutes ahead, giving him a bit more time for his morning routine, but accidentally set it ten minutes behind. Those ten minutes throw his life into a crazy tailspin, starting from him missing his ferry and continuing on a downward spiral of events that turn his life and all he knows completely upside down. I didn't expect any of it. I found it to be unpredictable and surprising in many ways. I loved Ryan in this movie. I thought he showed so much range in this role, playing crazy, confused, overwhelmed and hurt. His scenes with the little girl that played his daughter were so touching I found myself sniffling a little bit. Now, I don't love Emily Mortimer, I have no good reason for not liking her, she just isn't one of my favorites. In this movie, I tended to want to grab a headband, or barrette for her, because she always seems to be peering out from straggling bangs that need to get out of her face. I realize that this has nothing to do with the story, but man....it really got on my nerves. She does an attempt at an American accent here which isn't the worst, but could be better, and I always wonder why they bother sometimes...why not just let her be English? Anyway, the movie is told mostly in a flashback, so there is a bit of cheesiness in that telling of the story, but at the same time...the story was unique and it made me think so much about time, and about how one little twist one way or another, can change your life completely. I think about it all the time, if I hadn't seen a particular movie, on a particular night, would I even be friends with the people I am friends with? Or would it all have ended up that way anyway? If we had seen something other than Scrooged...and run into Jeff, Scott and Scott....where would we be today? I love movies that make me think a little bit, even if it has nothing to do with the movie. This was a good one. I have nothing but praise for the performances, the script and even the music. Great stuff. I would definitely recommend this one and a repeat viewing for me is not out of the question. Its one of the many instant Netflix options so if you subscribe to this service, now would be a great time to check it out!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460745/