Plot
A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.
Release Year: 2007
Rating: 6.5/10 (18,278 voted)
Critic's Score: 52/100
Director:
John August
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy
Storyline Gary, an actor who plays a cop on television, uses too much lighter fluid when he burns his ex-girlfriend's things, then he drinks and drives, uses crack, and crashes his car. He sobers up in jail and is placed under house arrest and the watchful eye of a publicist, the cheery and tough-minded Margaret. She moves him into the empty house of a writer who's away in Canada on a shoot. Gary meets Sarah, an attractive and seemingly-willing neighbor. His friendship with Margaret blooms and strange things happen: he finds notes he doesn't remember writing, he hears noises, and he seems to bump into himself in the kitchen. Two remaining chapters reveal what's going on.
Cast: Ryan Reynolds
-
Gary
/
Gavin
/
Gabriel
Melissa McCarthy
-
Margaret
/
Melissa
/
Mary
Hope Davis
-
Sarah
/
Susan
/
Sierra
Elle Fanning
-
Noelle
David Denman
-
Parole Officer
/
Agitated Man
Octavia Spencer
-
Streetwalker
Ben Falcone
-
Himself
Dahlia Salem
-
Herself
John Gatins
-
Himself
Andy Fielder
-
Moderator
Jodi Sellards
-
Piano Player
Greg Baine
-
Delivery Guy
Martin Yu
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Focus Group Participant #1
Gregg Naaman
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Focus Group Participant #2
Lorene Scafaria
-
Game Night Guest
Filming Locations: Cafe Susina - 7122 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA
Opening Weekend: $29,172
(USA)
(2 September 2007)
(2 Screens)
Gross: $62,745
(USA)
(7 October 2007)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
There are nine mousetraps on the floor when Gary steps on one of them.
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
When Gary puts the disk into the player piano and watches the hammers strike the strings, the music does not remotely follow the sequence of the hammers - lower notes are struck by the hammers when higher notes are heard and several notes are heard completely off time with the striking of the hammers.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Gary:
Hey, do you sell crack?
[drug dealer looks confused]
Gary:
No, it's cool. I only play a cop on TV.
User Review
A predictable 9 for The Nines
Rating: 9/10
I wrote this without reading any of the other reviews, mostly cos i
didn't want them to influence my own, and partly cos i'm lazy. This was
a very interesting film that left some to the imagination and a lot to
interpretation (but not too much).
The film consists of 3 stories: the first about a house-arrested
destructive TV star, the second a TV show writer with a new show in the
works and the third a computer game creator stuck in the woods with his
family. All three are played expertly by Ryan Reynolds. He is supported
by two women, Hope Davis and Melissa McCarthy, who are also very good
at enforcing the bizarre yet irresistible vision of John August, who
has a good track record of writing screenplays, most notably with Tim
Burton (it's worth ignoring the Charlie's Angels jobs though). The
three leads play different parts in each. That alone should prepare you
for the world he has created in The Nines.
It is difficult to talk of the story without giving too much away, John
August has found a great concept and worked it brilliantly into a
interpretable screenplay and image. The world he has created seems very
real, with characters that operate in abnormal situations, but ones in
which i think we all can relate, given our excessive access to reality
TV and celebrity.
The direction is good, you know from the very start that the green
woollen wristband holds significance, and the witty, experienced,
inflective screen writing is a joy (though at times August gives a
little more away than is necessary).
The film is a fantasy and the nines are a mystery, both collaborating
in a way that captures the imagination. The three stories intersect and
overlap with themes that confuse and inspire, which will leave many
audiences pondering for awhile. But it is not as confusing as it may
appear as the plot unfolds fairly intricately to those paying
attention. All of the stories hold explanations, and the last explains
it all.
I saw this with a friend who i wasn't expecting to enjoy it, but
surprisingly they did. I giggled, guffawed and gasped, while we
exchanged plot ideas and interpretations, throughout. Sometimes it
became a little dry, but on the whole this a very well thought out
drama mystery thriller with an excellent philosophy.
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