A Teoria do Caos

The surprising thing about Chaos Theory was the way it was rather staid "date flick" fare, but would occasionally punch through the safety barrier and say something wickedly true and profoundly, deeply passionate and beautiful.

It's a great story about truth and connection, and how sometimes connection needs to be reinstated and preserved even in the face of the failure to fully disclose the truth.

To get a little technical, there were times when I was especially appreciative of the writing. Really great, grabs-you-and-won't-let-go screen writing is rare these days; how weird to find it in a flick like this; but there you have it! Kudos! The writing in the scene leading up to Buddy sitting on the go-'round ride in the playground with Susan had me in tears; right up there with the classics.

You may have noticed a hint of a qualification in the foregoing, and that's because there were those other de rigueur features of the standard date flick I didn't appreciate so much. Didn't care for a lot of the song selections; kind of country-trite. If it weren't for the supremely humanizing bits of writing mentioned above, I feel some of the characters would have come across a bit hollow, and they otherwise sometimes teeter on the edge of falling into that pit.

But... OK: The writing, directing, acting, editing, most of the narrative pacing work just fine and shed real light on love and life.

See this flick! Heck: Take a date!

When I first came across this movie, I was expecting some a sort of personal epiphany that drives the main character to some higher state of being. Essentially a rise-to-nirvana style film. Instead I found something much more appealing and deeply human in this film. There's no bad guy, just a family and a friend who's lives are marked with ups and downs.

Without giving anything away, the movie is about love, but not in finding or keeping it. What starts as a misunderstanding between husband and wife develops quickly into a very intense situation. On a deeper level, the plot raises questions about how simply fate (order) and chance (chaos) bring together and break apart two people. Even further, in the long-run, which force wins out? destiny or circumstance?

This movie is a very pleasant departure from Hollywood and something well worth checking into.

7.5/10

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.

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