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The Nines

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

Director John August made an auspicious splash into the film industry as screenwriter for the film, "Go", then followed it up with a couple of big budget flicks: "Charie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Charie's Angel." These were the"Big Fish" that landed him his first feature film, "The Nine," which tackles an exisistential hypothesis through the interconnection of three stories that are entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.

In part one, "The Prisoner," a self-destructive TV star(Ryan Reynolds) has a brush with the law after a drinking binge in which he burned down his own house, Now, he's stuck in house arrest, his only contact limited to a perky publicist, Margaret (Melissa McCarthy) and a temporary neighbor (Hope Davis) whose sexually charged approach gets him distracted. Soon stifled with complacency, he encounters some odd things, all involving a reference to the number nine.

In the second part, "Reality," an insomniac television writer, Gavin (also played by Ryan Reynolds) is in the middle of getting a new supernatural drama series off the ground. He writes one of the show's characters specifically for his friend Melissa (played also by Melissa McCarthy who is portrayed as her real-life character in the successful "Gilmore Girls."  But the idea gets sidetracked when  a TV exec (also played by Hope Davis) gets her point across.

In the third segment, "Knowing," a videogame designer Gabriel(Reynolds), experiences a car breakdown in the hills with his wife (Melissa). Hubby goes to find help and instead finds a backpacker, Sierra (Davis) who offers more than assistance, giving her own mind-blowing observation of Gabriel's life.

Director August toys with all the media in general, challenging himself to place a philosophical idea beneath everything. Actor Ryan Reynolds channels his ability to the meatier roles in better circumstances than slapstick-comedy role. Melissa works equally well as a sassy woman imbued with sentimentality, and Davis gives a solid and sharp performance in every scene. The question of "Why are we here?" always brings a conflict of interest, and spiritual issues can be just as provocative.

Written and directed by John August
Director of photography:Nancy Schreiber
Edited by Douglas Crise
Music by Alex Wurman
Produced by Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen and Dan Etheridge
Released by Newmarket Films.
Running time: 99 minutes.

Cast: Ryan Reynolds (Gary/Gavin/Gabriel)
Hope Davis (Sarah/Susan/Sierra)
Melissa McCarthy (Margaret/Melissa/Mary),
and Elle Fanning (Noelle).