The Voices

For some reason Ryan Reynolds hasn't really taken off as a movie star, but I can't really see why. He has the good looks and he has a likable personality. Maybe it has to do with GREEN LANTERN? (not the best movie, but I still enjoyed it). Well, this time teamed up with director Marjane Satrapi (PERSEPOLIS) in her English-language debut, Ryan Reynolds delivers what is probably the best performance of his career. He plays Jerry, a rather unassuming (but subtly creepy) guy who works at a faucet and fixture warehouse in a small town. Everything seems alright on the surface, but deep inside Jerry has some problems. Aside from a troubled childhood, he also hears voices inside his head, and these voices tell him to do things...bad things. I'll just say that for those looking for a lighthearted comedy, this isn't it. THE VOICES goes to some pretty dark places, but manages to balance the tone fairly evenly between comedy and shock, of which there is plenty. But most importantly, Jerry is a guy you actually care about. Despite his...issues, he really wants to do the right thing and live a normal life. Too bad that his cat Mr. Whiskers is more influential than his goodhearted dog Bosco. Across the board, all of the performances were excellent. You have Anna Kendrick and Gemma Arterton who play a couple of Jerry's coworkers, and Jacki Weaver plays his court-appointed psychiatrist. They could have been developed a little more, but this is mostly Ryan Reynold's show and boy does he deliver! From a technical standpoint, I thought the cinematography and production design lent a sort of fairy-tale quality to the film, and the color scheme which had a lot of pinks and oranges provided a nice contrast with dark subject material. As far as the gory stuff is concerned, they don't show a whole lot, instead opting for some pretty gruesome sound design. Often the power of suggestion is more effective than actually showing violent acts. And, in this case, it actually works in the film's favor because Jerry can remain just as likable when you don't actually see him kill people most of the time. If there's any weaknesses to the film, it's that it doesn't really try anything new or revolutionary in its approach to the whole "loveable serial killer" thing. Almost nothing that happens in this movie is unpredictable in some way, with one big exception which I'll leave for you to experience on your own should you choose to watch this. Overall I enjoyed this a lot, mainly because I'm drawn to oddball films like this, but also because I haven't seen Ryan Reynolds this good in, well, forever. For lovers of dark comedies, I'd say THE VOICES is a must-see.

Likable Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) stumbles innocently into the role of a killer, guided along the way by his evil talking cat and benevolent talking dog.

Reading other reviews, you will find words like "genre-bending" or "a mess", and indeed, the film is a bit uneven. The tone shifts a bit here and there, though it really is not all that bothersome and others seem to complain too loud.

Although Gemma Arterton has been great in the past, she just does not make the character of Fiona even remotely likable. She is supposed to be the love interest of Jerry, but there is just nothing about her that suggests chemistry. Anna Kendrick, on the other hand, is excellent, and it is great to see that she has been maintaining a high profile after "Up In The Air". She might have been the only actor to escape "Twilight" unscathed.

Reynolds should be praised for his range of voices (the cat sounds like Craig Ferguson and the dog sounds like Gary Busey). This could have been a weak point, but he instead elevates it to the next level. He also has the right personality to take a story that seems to combine the Son of Sam and "Master and Margarita" and make it fun.

If nothing else, there is a Chinese Elvis, and this may be the only movie able to claim that.

I won't divulge any spoilers in this brief account of "The Voices" because that would ruin any viewer's surprise. Needless to say, "The Voices" is an interesting outing for Ryan Reynolds and Anna Kendrick, and one I absolutely didn't expect. I like watching movies when you're unaware of what is to be, and "The Voices" is one of those. Thus, if you like Ryan Reynolds, and Anna Kendrick, and house pets, and maybe even karaoke, you'll find lots to love in "The Voices." Recommended.

I have a super dark sense of humor; but the movie being under "comedy" was totally incorrect. This movie is about a mentally ill - like not ha ha funny; like deeply mentally ill person. The movie was way more sad than anything. I watched the whole thing to see how it played out. I definitely will never forget this one.

Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) is a seemingly happy guy in the town of Milton. Dr. Warren (Jacki Weaver) is his court-appointed psychiatrist. He likes Fiona (Gemma Arterton) from work but she doesn't like him back. The problem is that he sees things and hear voices from animals. He's delusionally obsessed with Fiona but Lisa (Anna Kendrick) is the one who actually likes him.

Reynolds gets to play an odd guy. He has an opportunity to play a truly scary guy but he doesn't do that until the end. This is a lot of quirky black comedy but not actually funny. It could be a horror but it's not anything scary. If Reynolds plays him more quietly, he could be scarier and intensely creepy. The animals and the talking heads could also be weirder. It has some interesting quirkiness but it could be better. It has to choose to be either truly quirky like the closing credits or be an odd quirky scary horror.