Do you like mind-flipping movies? I mean the ones that, when all is said and done, make you question what you've just witnessed? Not the ones in which every other scene tries to outshock the one that preceded it, I'm talking about psychological tornadoes. The Nines is three smaller stories wrapped up in one, in which the same actors play different roles but they each connect to one another. Ryan Reynolds plays a washed-up actor, a TV writer, and a video-game designer; Hope Davis plays his neighbor, a TV show runner, and a mysterious hitchhiker; Melissa McCarthy plays a PR flack, Melissa McCarthy herself, and a doting wife/mom. And it all comes back to The Nines. What are the nines, anyway? The adventurous among us may recall the movie The Number 23 with Jim Carrey. Poor guy thought he saw the number 23 all over the place, and it's the same with Reynolds and 9. Or is he the nine? I realize none of this review/summary makes an ounce of sense, but the movie does, especially when it's over. It's not one of those movies that one can fully appreciate until it's over, because that's when you realize the clues were there, somewhere, all along. The Nines is a highly existential psychological film that is driven by three strong performances, particularly by McCarthy and Davis, and since I hadn't even heard of it until a few years ago, I guess it's safe to say it underwhelmed at the box office and with critics. But it's so worthwhile.
Review of The Nines
