Chaos Theory (2008)

The story of an obsessively organized efficiency expert whose life unravels in unexpected ways when fate forces him to explore the serendipitous nature of love and forgiveness.

Director:

Marcos Siega

Writer:

Daniel Taplitz

Stars:

Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Reynolds	...	Frank Allen
Emily Mortimer	...	Susan
Stuart Townsend	...	Buddy Endrow
Sarah Chalke	...	Paula Crowe
Mike Erwin	...	Ed
Constance Zimmer	...	Peg the Teacher
Matreya Fedor	...	Jesse Allen (7 years)
Elisabeth Harnois	...	Jesse Allen
Chris William Martin	...	Damon
Jovanna Huguet	...	Maid of Honor
Christopher Jacot	...	Best Man
Alessandro Juliani	...	Ken
Lisa Calder	...	Sherri
Ty Olsson	...	Evil Ferryman
Jocelyne Loewen	...	Pregnant Nancy

Storyline

At his daughter's wedding, time-management specialist Frank Allen corners the reluctant groom and tells him a long story: about the night his wife chose him, and then, about eight years later, when a missed ferry, a corporate groupie, a panicked expectant mother, and a medical test brought Frank's marriage to a crisis. In the midst of the crisis were Frank, his wife Susan, their daughter Jesse, and Frank's best friend, the feckless Buddy. Things come to a head at a lake when Frank, armed with a shotgun, decides to cross something permanently from one of his time-management lists. Is there ever room for whim and chaos?

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Plot Keywords:

medical test | list | lake | ferry | best friend | 

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Taglines:

He planned his life like clockwork. Now things are going cuckoo.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 2008 (Russia)

Also Known As:

A Teoria do Caos

Filming Locations:

Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$23,880 (USA) (11 April 2008)

Gross:

$237,958 (USA) (18 April 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Lone Star Film Group, Land Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ryan Reynolds plays Elisabeth Harnois's father despite being less than three years older than her (945 days to be specific). Emily Mortimer, who plays Elisabeth Harnois's mother, is less than eight years older than her in real life.

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Goofs

Ryan complains that his wife sets his clocks forward to give him more time but then says it actually gives him less time. Moving a clock forward would make Ryan arrive places ten minutes EARLY, so the wife is right and Ryan (and the writers) are wrong. e.g. His watch would say 9:00 when it was really 8:50.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jesse Allen: [to Maid of Honor, while wearing wedding dress] Give it to me straight: virginal bride or slut in white?

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Episode dated 12 April 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Livin' Thing
Written by Jeff Lynne
Performed by Electric Light Orchestra
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Truth ... The beating of the human heart

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.