Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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250 of 266 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Splendid Little Film that Challenges the Mind and Forges New Ground, February 2, 2008
THE NINES is a film that may seem like a tough story to follow, but the concept and the 'autobiographical' script by the gifted John August are so fine that once seen, this film demands re-visiting. It is tremendously entertaining, blessed with a superb cast, and offers food for thought far beyond the running time of the film. For this viewer it falls into the 'brilliant' category.
More of an existential exercise than a traditional movie tale, THE NINES has the courage to challenge our concept of that is the real world, what is fantasy, what exists beyond our concept of our 'space' here on planet Earth, and just how significant is the current obsession with television reality shows and videogames on the way we are stuck in the present. John August explores these issues by interweaving three stories, using the same actors to change vantages and personalities to raise questions and pose problems for the audience to attempt to resolve. It works.
Part I ('The Prisoner') views the life of a famous television personality Gary (Ryan Reynolds) who naïvely takes on a 'crack' trip that results in a house arrest controlled by a jovial officer Margaret (Melissa McCarthy) and whose only outlet is a neighbor Sarah (Hope Davis) with whom he has a seductive affinity: while both women appear real, events occur that make their existence questionable to the crack-addled Gary. In Part II, 'Reality Television', Gavin (Reynolds) is a television writer attempting to get his pilot film accepted by executive boss Susan (Davis), but falls into troubled times when he is told his best friend Melissa (McCarthy) must be dropped from the project. In Part III, 'Knowing', Gabriel (Reynolds) is a gentle videogame creator, happily married to Mary (McCarthy) with a daughter Noelle (Elle Fanning) who has been weaving in and out of the film as different characters, gets stuck in a forest and in attempting to seek help encounters Sierra (Davis), a strange woman who finally approaches the possibilities of Gabriel's 'mission on earth'. The title of the movie becomes apparent when Sierra informs Gabriel that while God is a 10, human beings are only 7s, koala bears are 8s because they control the environment, and Gabriel is a 9 - an extraterrestrial being in a human incarnation to test the goodness of the earth. How this information affects Gabriel and how the story is resolved is yet more of the intellectual exercise and joy of THE NINES.
Ryan Reynolds is extraordinarily fine in his three roles: he is a far better actor than the usual films he makes would indicate. Hope Davis and Melissa McCarthy are as always reliably excellent. But the magic of this film comes form the mind and direction of John August who thankfully gives the audience much to ponder. It is a gem of a film. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, February 08
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fun, metaphysical puzzler, January 30, 2008
NOTE: Some of the reviews here (like the one below by Grady) spoil the movie by basically giving you a plot synopsis, including the epiphany towards the end. Read some of the reviews here with caution.
John August is someone who impressed me back in 1999 with a witty script for the zany ensemble piece entitled Go. Directed by a up-and-coming director by the name of Doug Liman (Bourne Identity, Swingers), Go offered a straight-forward story that was constantly twisted due to a change of perspective as we saw the story from different characters. The way it weaved in and out made the movie a lot more interesting that it probably should have been.
Now, we have The Nines, not only written by John August but also directed by him, and it shares a few similarities with his big debut, Go. However, it's infinitely more intriguing, intelligent and frustrating than Go could ever be. The Nines is comprised of three short stories featuring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy and Hope Davis playing different characters.
The first film has Reynolds playing a blockbuster actor who is in house arrest, with McCarthy playing a publicist and Davis the next door neighbor. As the scenario continues, Reynolds' character becomes convinced the house is haunted. The second film has Reynolds as an effeminate TV screenwriter who is being followed around by a reality TV camera as they film his progress to make a pilot. During this, McCarthy plays Reynolds' best friend while Davis is a TV exec. The final scenario has Reynolds, a high profile video game designer, married to McCarthy. Their car breaks down in a forest and when Reynolds goes to find help, discovers Davis.
The way the film works is that each episode builds on each other, presenting a different perspective while also sharing common themes. The way the puzzle pieces fit together and the epiphany towards the end of the film creates a startling new take on the film as a whole. August does a terrific job of creating common themes and a central thread that goes between each episode and even when it's over and you still aren't quite sure what happened, you never feel cheated.
It's a very heady film that's more intelligent than a lot of films that share similar themes. While I can't reference the particular films without going into heavy spoiler territory, I will say that The Nines touches on religion, philosophy, technology, reality and how everything intersects. It also seems intent on discussing life as a whole and the entire concept of creation and creators. It's no coincidence that all of the scenarios are based on people living a certain kind of reality that is more "reelity" than "reality."
The weight of the film rests on the shoulders of the terrific cast. Reynolds, in particular, shows that he's more than Mr. Van Wilder and plays three starkly different characters with aplomb that belies his earlier roots in teen comedy. This is by far his best role and it was amazing watching him in these three roles. Meanwhile, The Nines also shares an actress with Go: Melissa McCarthy. She steals the show and is a ray of light in every scene she's in. Hope Davis is always enjoyable, and her characters play a very interesting role in the story as a whole, but, for me, McCarthy is tops.
The Nines is a film you'll want to watch with people who you can have an intelligent conversation with. It's a complicated film that, unlike so many today, doesn't provide you with all the answers. Even when the resolution occurs, you won't have all the pieces in your hands. Watching the included short film is as close as you'll come to an answer. So, the best bet is to watch it with people who will want to talk about it, because The Nines is definitely a talking-about film.
I'd definitely recommend it to fans of metaphysical puzzles and movies that don't provide easy answers. An intelligent, thoughtful and entertaining film.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cool film, but awkward at times, January 30, 2008
(Minor spoilers)
What an interesting movie! I have to admit, I almost didn't make it through the whole thing. About fifteen minutes in, I was thinking "Oh boy, here we go into David Lynch territory." But I'm glad I stuck around. I'm not one to overanalyze films, so I'm not going to get carried away with putting the pieces together and finding the movie's "message". To me, it's just an interesting piece of fantasy, like something the great author Jonathan Carroll might write.
Unfortunately, there are occasional missteps along the way, even a few major ones. A musical number? Even in the film's bizarre universe, that totally seemed out of place. A couple other moments fell a bit flat too, but certainly not enough to ruin the experience.
I really liked the contrast of straightforward, realistic storytelling against creepy surrealism. And the acting! Ryan Reynolds is terrific, but Melissa McCarthy manages to steal the show.
It's not perfect, but The Nines is a very welcome departure from the usual Hollywood fare.
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