The Nines (2007)

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:

Television | Actor | House | Publicist | Neighbor

Awards:

2 nominations

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 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Destination Films

Trivia:

The TV show-runner character of Gavin is based on writer/director John August.

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 "MacGyver" (1985)

Soundtrack:

Monokini Ou Bikini

Interesting idea but ultimately disappointing

The Nines has some fantastic ideas and some really rather good performances (Melissa McCarthy is a constant joy throughout and Ryan Reynolds shows an impressive diversity for his acting league) however, after a promising start, loses its way as the story progresses.

A film of three distinct parts in a Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) style, The Nines deals with some seriously deep themes including philosophy, theology and betrayal. However, unlike Eternal Sunshine, the direction of John August (writer of Go and Big Fish) seems too straight and, dare I say it, Teen-like for such a film where a better choice of helm would have seem to be someone like David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks) or maybe Darren Aronofski (Pi, The Fountain). As it is the film progressively gets weirder and weirder and with it surrealism jars with the previous tone to the point it feels preposterous.

Worth a watch and nice to see someone try something new but ultimately disappointing.