The Nines (Special Edition)

A Splendid Little Film that Challenges the Mind and Forges New Ground
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...

A fun, metaphysical puzzler
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...

Cool film, but awkward at times
(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...

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