The Nines (2007)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

John August

Writer (WGA):

John August (written by)

Release Date:

30 November 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Y9u never kn9w when y9ur number is up

Plot:

A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.

Plot Keywords:

TV Series Pilot | Dream Reality | Male Female Relationship | Gay Character | Reference To IMDb

Awards:

1 nomination

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 Boy
Martin Yu	...	Focus Group Participant #1
Gregg Naaman	...	Focus Group Participant #2
Lorene Scafaria	...	Game Night Guest

Also Known As:

Untitled John August Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some drug content and sexuality.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Cafe Susina - 7122 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Destination Films

Trivia:

The house where the Gary character stays and the Gavin character lives is 'John August''s actual house.

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.

Movie Connections:

References "Star Trek" (1966)

Soundtrack:

Romantico Bosanova

Not As Good As a Panda. You'll Understand After You See It.

I will begin with the admission that this is not a boring film. It succeeds in holding one's interest, as it might be one of the very least predictable movies I can recall. Essentially, without giving anything away, although you won't be missing much, it's divided into three vignettes. The first one acquaints us with a distressed Hollywood actor, Gary, under house arrest living in another person's house because he burned down his own. While confined, he is taken care of by both a chubby P.R. 'handler' and the sexy single mom next door, who may or may not be interested in him sexually. Over this time, Gary becomes convinced that he is being haunted by the number nine.

Then comes the next segment while we are reeling with curiosity. It follows a gay television writer, Gavin, played by Ryan Reynolds, who played Gary before, trying to get his pilot made. We raise an eyebrow when we find that the house he lives in is the house Gary later stays in. Hm. At some stage in the course of post-production, a television executive pushes for Gavin to ditch the unconventional (chubby) lead actress of his project, played by the same actress who played the PR rep before.

And then in the third act, a video game designer, again Ryan Reynolds and again a name beginning with "Ga," is lost when his car breaks down, a situation shown in Gavin's pilot. He leaves his wife and daughter with the stranded vehicle and meets a mysterious woman. By the time this act reaches its revelation, the wide-eyed look of curiosity on your face becomes an empty expression, a time void for your muscles, as the big surprise that binds these bizarre fragments and concludes. You will have been led on a wild goose chase and once you catch the goose, the filmmaker, John August, has been pandering to his own wishful fantasies of spiritual grandeur, under the oh-so-impressive guise of a film that explores the concept of simulated reality.

In any case, the film has no atmosphere, the cast surrounding Reynolds has no charisma in spite of decent deliveries, and when it's over, one only wants to forget about it. The only props I give are for its aforementioned success with its lack of probable expectations, even if it's all for the least satisfying pay-off. Imagine Sharon Stone flirting with you, playing footsie, offering you a ride home, putting her hand on your lap, then going to her place and finding that she enticed you there only to show off her collection of china patterns. On a smaller scale, that is what you will experience if you see The Nines.