The Nines (2007)

The Nines: Directed by John August. With Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, Hope Davis, Elle Fanning. A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.

“The Nines tells three short stories, the first of about an actor who is under house arrest after flipping over his car, the second is about a writer whou0026#39;s pilot TV show is in jeopardy and the last deals with a video game designer lost in the woods after his car breaks down. All three stories are told with the same actors.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen I first heard about The Nines, everyone was raving about how original it was and how it was like nothing they have ever seen before. So obviously it peeked my interest. After finally watching the film, I can see where it gets itu0026#39;s praise, but donu0026#39;t fully understand why itu0026#39;s getting so much of it. Yes, The Nines is original and keeps you guessing until the very end, but the pay off isnu0026#39;t as good as the rest of the film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is John Augustu0026#39;s directorial debut, if you donu0026#39;t know who August is, heu0026#39;s the writer of such films like Big Fish, Corpse Bride and Go. The Nines is another impressive entry to his already good resume. It seems that August was confident enough to tackle this big project. I applaud him ambitions. He didnu0026#39;t fail by any means, but he didnu0026#39;t blow me away either. It is always a love hate relationship when the writer is the director. When it works, you get Pulp Fiction, when it doesnu0026#39;t you get Blade Trinity. When the writer is the director, he knows exactly what he wants, he knows the characters inside out and how to bring everything together. The Nines doesnu0026#39;t seem to fall into either category, it seems to sit on the fence.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRyan Reynolds proves again that he has more range then people give him credit for. He might have painted himself into a corner with Van Wilder and Waiting, but he seems to be slowly breaking free of it. He showed range at the very end of Smoking Aces and in the recent rom com Definitely Maybe. With The Nines he again proves why he is underestimated and will bring greater things in the future. Reynolds plays the lead in all three shorts. We see him as a crack addicted actor, gay writer and family man video game designer. While he doesnu0026#39;t blow you away with his performance, he does manage to capture you and bring you along for the ride from start to finish.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHope Davis appears here in a supporting role, again playing three different characters in all three shorts. She manages to get so much across the screen by doing so little. A look here or move there and you know exactly what she is thinking. Melissa McCarthy plays herself in one segment, I think she had the hardest job. She has to be bubbly, scared, mean and informative.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe three segments are all shot differently. The first segment, titled The Prisoner, showcases bright reds and yellows and was shot on 16mm. The second segment, titles reality television is shot on video. The entire segment plays out like a reality TV show as we follow Gavin (reynolds) and his troubles in trying to get his pilot on air. The third and final segment, titled Knowing, is darker and shot on 35mm. The third segment has the same title as the pilot that Gavin in the second segment is writing. Even the same events take place. Without giving too much away, all three segment interconnect with each other. But not exactly in a way you want or think.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you are confused after watching the film, join the club. I knew what happened and sort of got some things, but had to read up on it to see what others thought to finally connect the dots. The films does a very good job of teasing the viewer with bits of information and bringing them along asking questions left right and centre. As the film concludes you sit there wondering if you are satisfied or not. I still do not know really. I like the idea behind the film and the presentation was nice, but the way they dragged us along seemed like it would amount to something bigger, something deeper, something more then what we are ultimately given.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film doesnu0026#39;t answer everything and it doesnu0026#39;t need to. Itu0026#39;s a film that leaves itu0026#39;s answers up to the viewer, to make whatever assumptions they want. But even this isnu0026#39;t satisfying enough. I guess because all the hype I head prior, I expected more. If you go into it not knowing anything about it, you will be pleasantly surprised.”