Chaos Theory

Jesse Allen (Elisabeth Harnois) is getting married but her groom Ed (Mike Erwin) has cold feet. He finds out that she was with somebody else when they broke up. Her father Frank (Ryan Reynolds) finds him sneaking out the back door and sits him down for a talk. He tells him about his life with his wife Susan (Emily Mortimer), womanizing best friend Buddy Endrow (Stuart Townsend) and Paula Crowe (Sarah Chalke).

There is a slight comedic tone in the movie that is ill-fitting. The story struggles to get going. The characters are not that appealing. The misunderstanding is ridiculously stupid. It feels like a silly sitcom. When Frank goes crazy, the movie gets better. If only the movie can figure out how to get there without the silly setup.

Ryan Reynolds did a good job, but unfortunately I couldn't sympathize with his character (Frank). The core of the story isn't' original and it could have been executed better. It felt like some events were completely unscripted and developed (badly) during the filming... and I don't mean spontaneous and nice improvisation. We barely know Frank's wife and (especially) daughter which makes really impossible (in my opinion) to completely understand his emotional trip and feelings. Note that the relation with them is what the whole movie story is about ;) So... if you really come across it, than give it a shot. Otherwise I would rather suggest to watch Definitely, Maybe (2008) - same lead actor, same release year, similar content/story, but definitely a more emotionally engaging movie.

I can't believe this one flew under my radar for almost two years. Chaos Theory is one of those rare gems in between, you never hear it being talked about but has also built quite a fanbase. Chaos Theory is a quirky, surprising little gem with a great script and an impressive vision. Directed by Marcos Siega (Pretty Persuasion), the movie works on both ends. It has enough comedy to give a chuckle or two and exact amount of drama for the love sick. Ryan Reynolds, whether you love him or hate him, is always the impressive actor and this is by far one of his best on screen performance. Emily Mortimer is always terrific and the elusive Stuart Townsend graces us with his charisma and almost-never-seen talent. This is a rarity of a gem with a great cast and a perfect blend of heartwarming drama and spot-on comedic timing.

However, its never gonna get the wide audience that it deserves mainly because the stars aren't exactly top draws in the box office which is just sad really because the wider audience would rather just watch a dude dressed as a lady in a fatsuit (I'm looking at you Tyler Perry) than real good quality film-making.

Greetings again from the darkness. A quirky, surprising little gem from writer Daniel Taplitz and director Marcos Siega ("Pretty Persuasion"). Not in the traditional Hollywood mode, this one takes us on a very unusual path towards self-actualization.

Ryan Reynolds delivers by far his best screen performance as the OCD dad who seems to have the perfect family, job and life. The trouble is, he runs it through endless lists, often burdening his wife (the always terrific Emily Mortimer) with helping him maintain his "to do" schedule. After a most unusual spouse selection process, Mortimer, becomes disenchanted with the structure ... that is, until it is swept away in a moment of misunderstanding.

Can't give away too much here other than to say Reynolds heads towards an awakening through a bizarre series of events that leads him to a life-changing moment that involves a rowboat and his "friend" Stuart Townsend (also excellent). The story does not follow the traditional story arc, yet we are always invested in the main characters ... trying to urge them to make smart decisions! It's actually a great deal of fun.

This one probably won't reach a wide audience since none of the cast are huge draws, and neither the writer or director are big names. That's too bad because this is quality story telling, acting and overall film-making.

Chaos Theory is an enjoyable little film that tells the story of Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) who's a professional speaker that gives lectures on time management,and his life is perfectly ordered and scheduled.One day his wife sets his clock forward 10 minutes thinking that she had just done the opposite and Frank's day is thrown off.First he arrives late to an out-of-town lecture and then his life starts to unravels in ways he never expected.Along the way he makes several interesting discoveries about his family and comes to the conclusion that being so obsessive, so organized and so uptight did nothing for his life. Smart and well thought, Chaos Theory is enjoyable throughout although it never reaches greatness.There are a few interesting ideas and a lot of potential and the movie could definitely have been taken to another level but still, its a solid movie.The film is very well balanced; it delivers some laughs at the right time,but also has a very serious and dramatic side as well.The soundtrack is was surprisingly very good and its composed mainly by independent bands. Ryan Reynolds is tremendous as the lead character,Frank, and completely believable.He's the driving force of the movie and a pleasure to watch.Stuart Townsend and Emily Mortimer did good too as the best friend and the wife respectively . All in all,Chaos Theory is only slightly above average but still worth seeing.

7/10