The Nines is a philosophical mind teaser with satirical fangs.
The Nines (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:58
Fresh:39
Rotten:19
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Though The Nines doesn't solidify as well as writer/director John August would hope for, Ryan Reynolds's strong performance makes each of the film's intriguing segments worth watching.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for language, some drug content and sexuality.
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:30-11-2007
Synopsis: John August, who has written such diverse films as GO, BIG FISH, CORPSE BRIDE, and CHARLIE'S ANGELS, makes his directorial debut with THE NINES, a complex, thought-provoking work divided into three... John August, who has written such diverse films as GO, BIG FISH, CORPSE BRIDE, and CHARLIE'S ANGELS, makes his directorial debut with THE NINES, a complex, thought-provoking work divided into three sections and featuring the same actors playing different roles, with the number nine always lurking in the background. In "The Prisoner," Ryan Reynolds plays Gary, a TV star who has been placed under house arrest after going crazy because his girlfriend dumped him. He is watched closely by Margaret (Melissa McCarthy, from THE GILMORE GIRLS), a publicist who seems to know more than she is letting on, and by neighbor Sarah (Hope Davis), who is instantly attracted to him. In "Reality Television," Reynolds is a director named Gavin who is shooting a TV pilot starring McCarthy (playing a version of herself), but he's getting mixed signals from studio executive Susan (Davis), all while being filmed for a television reality program. And in "Knowing," Reynolds is Gabriel, the character in the TV pilot that Gavin was shooting, with McCarthy playing his wife, Mary, and Davis as a mysterious stranger deciding whether she should help the family, whose car has broken down on a deserted mountain. Certain minute elements repeat in each part, giving clues as to what it's all really about as fantasy and reality intertwine. David Denman (THE OFFICE) and Elle Fanning also appear in each section, while Dahlia Salem (ER) and Ben Falcone (McCarthy's real-life husband) play themselves within fictional worlds. THE NINES is a fascinating exploration of art and character that, of course, runs 99 minutes. [More]
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy, Elle Fanning
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy, Elle Fanning, David Denman, Dahlia Salem
Director: John August
Director: John August
Screenwriter: John August
Producer: Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen, Dan Etheridge
Composer: Alex Wurman
Studio: Newmarket Films
Reviews for The Nines
This fascinating puzzle box of a movie is so clever it almost feels like a stunt - an attempt to keep so many balls in the air that you marvel at the filmmaker's technical facility.
The Nines is imaginative and intriguing, but not enough so to keep from alienating some viewers who will be bewildered by the film's existential overtones.
Clever and fun with compelling lead performances... Maybe it's all a message of sympathy for the fourth, unseen Reynolds before us, the one we stop thinking about who only exists after the last frame of The Nines runs through the projector.
So unspeakably bad is screenwriter John August's debut as director, so hilariously unaware is the film of its overweening pretensions that it's tempting to want to deem it a Hollywood writer's fever dream.
The sharpest, subtlest satire of a California stereotype since Evan Rachel Woods’... in the too-little-seen Pretty Persuasion.
In each segment, Reynolds (who gives the movie his all but gets little in return) finds himself haunted in some way by the titular numeral -- a feeling likely to be shared by anyone who spends about that many dollars on a ticket.
Isn't funny enough to be classified as a comedy, weird enough to attract cult attention, nor spiritual enough to be mind-blowing.
How do ridiculous films like The Nines (the latest bit of quasimystical nonsense in the Magnolia mold) constitute serious Sundance fare?
The movie never fails to be crisply written and cannily delivered, but it's way too steeped in TV-culture inside jokes for its own good, and August's attempts to suffuse the whole thing with ontological or theological meaning are ultimately pretty dumb.
Ryan Reynolds may not be a demigod (much less a full-fledged deity), but he plays one to sterling effect in The Nines.
It's that increasingly rare animal, a comedy that is engaging, funny, and smart. And since this is only August's first film, it bodes well for the future.
August's screenplay for "The Nines" is fun, confusing, provocative...And if he isn't as edgy or daring as he might be, there's much to be said for a film that's as entertaining and thought-provoking as the best episodes of The Twilight Zone.
A challenging loop of spiritual indecision within the confines of a city known for quick creations and their inevitable consequences.
This movie is metaphysical fun, and while some elements are predictable, it's an engaging mystery.
The most interesting aspect is how things from one segment appear later in another and how he's able to pull everything together in the end.
There's more than enough intelligence, intrigue and performance dazzle to make this an adventuresome gizmo for grownups.
An offbeat, unpredictable story that plays out in parallel universes.
Latest News for The Nines
September 07, 2007:
Director's Commentary: Not Just for DVDs Anymore?
If you've ever sat in a darkened theater and thought to yourself "What this movie really needs is a commentary track," CHUD has some excellent news for you. More...
August 22, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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July 23, 2007:
The Nines as a movie is ultimately everything but, to say the least. ![]()
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January 23, 2007:
Sundance: "Hounddog" Is A Dog; "The Nines" Scores High
Read on for some short reviews of films playing at Sundance: "Hounddog," starring Dakota Fanning, is a cliched stab at Southern Gothic with echoes of Faulkner, and... More...
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