watching movies one cup at a time

This movie was very under the radar. It’s a small independent film released toward the end of the year and it just came out on DVD. I didn’t have high expectations but was pleasantly surprised at how good it turned out to be. I really liked this movie a lot and recommend you give it a chance next time you’re at the video store.

The film stars Ryan Reynolds as the central character. And the story is broken up into 3 distinct sections, with the same actors playing a different role in each story. The 3 stories are connected in a very original and interesting way. It’s not some virtual reality mumbo-jumbo or anything computer related like I thought it might be. Instead it’s a very personal and moving story that poses some big ideas about God and the universe. This story is as high-concept as Southland Tales (probably moreso) but it doesn’t get so self-absorbed in esoteric weirdness like Southland Tales did. The Nines keeps things down-to-earth while at the same time illuminating ideas as big as existence itself.

Ryan Reynolds does a great job in this. I often overlook him because of complete garbage like Van Wilder and Blade 3. But I gotta hand it to him, he nailed it in this one. If an actor can get an intelligent script, they can really shine and show the world they can do more than flex their ab muscles and make boob-jokes. As I have said before, I judge an actor by the quality of their range. This film gave the actors the great opportunity to stretch out into 3 completely different characters. And Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, and Hope Davis all do a phenomenal job of transforming themselves within each section.

I won’t spoil the ending on this one because I really think you should rent it. The writer and director John August pulled off a great film definitely worth checking out.