Chaos Theory (2007)

Director:

Marcos Siega

Writer (WGA):

Daniel Taplitz (written by)

Release Date:

26 October 2007 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

This man will bring order to the universe...or not.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Broken Glass | Bed Scene | New Year's Resolution | Cigarette Smoking | Hospital Scene

Cast

Ryan Reynolds	...	Frank Allen
Emily Mortimer	...	Susan Allen
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	...	Simon / Best Man
Alessandro Juliani	...	Ken
Lisa Calder	...	Sherri
Ty Olsson	...	Evil Ferryman
Jocelyne Loewen	...	Pregnant Nancy
Patricia Idlette	...	Nurse
Denalda Williams	...	Head Nurse
David Berner	...	Frank's Doctor
Christine Chatelain	...	Tracey
Linnea Sharples	...	Teacher #1
Simon Chin	...	Target of Frank's Attack
Sarah Edmondson	...	Tequilla Girl
Christina Twidale	...	Girl #1 at Bar
Cassandra Brianne Hearle	...	Girl #2 at Bar
Kevin Foley	...	Flower Delivery Boy
Donavon Stinson	...	Nevin
Daryl Shuttleworth	...	Officer Fields
Laurie Murdoch	...	Judge at Wedding

Directed by
Marcos Siega

Writing credits (WGA)
Daniel Taplitz		(written by)

Produced by
Michael Andreen	....	executive producer
Mark Gill	....	executive producer
Liz Glotzer	....	executive producer
Frederic Golchan	....	producer
Barbara Kelly	....	co-producer
Martin Shafer	....	executive producer
Erica Westheimer	....	producer
Fred Westheimer	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Gilad Benamram

Cinematography by
Ramsey Nickell		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Nicholas Erasmus

Casting by
Rick Montgomery
Chadwick Struck

Production Design by
Sandy Cochrane

Art Direction by
Margot Ready

Set Decoration by
Peter Lando

Costume Design by
Tish Monaghan

Makeup Department
Greg Cannom	....	special makeup designer
Stan Edmonds	....	makeup department head
Will Huff	....	special makeup effects artist
Jim Knell	....	production photographer: Captive Audience Productions
Harvey Lowry	....	director of operations: makeup effects department
Liah Saldaña	....	special effects makeup coordinator
Brian Sipe	....	special makeup supervisor
Wendy Snowdon	....	assistant makeup artist
Keith VanderLaan	....	makeup effects supervisor: Captive Audience Productions
James Parr	....	operations manager (uncredited)

Production Management
Ravi D. Mehta	....	executive in charge of production
Julia Neville	....	production manager
Jamey Pryde	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Barry	....	first assistant director
Paul Burger	....	second assistant director
Philip Nee Nee	....	third assistant director
Jody Ryan	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Sean Goojha	....	art department coordinator
Frank Haddad	....	head greensman
Sally Hudson	....	lead graphic designer
Colin Meacham	....	on-set dresser
Eric Partridge	....	assistant property master
Andrew Reid	....	assistant decorator
Nevin Swain	....	property master

Sound Department
Robert Althoff	....	sound re-recordist
Christopher S. Aud	....	supervising sound editor
Steve Bissinger	....	sound effects editor
Stephanie Brown	....	first assistant sound editor
Marc Fishman	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Jobe	....	foley mixer
James Kusan	....	sound mixer
Tony Lamberti	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Magill	....	dialogue editor
Jeff Malham	....	re-recording engineer
Mark L. Mangino	....	dialogue editor
Michael W. Mitchell	....	sound effects editor
Mark Noda	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Alex Burdett	....	special effects supervisor
Kai Hirvonen	....	special effects assistant
Liah Saldaña	....	assistant special effects makeup coordinator

Visual Effects by
Jennifer Law-Stump	....	digital effects artist: Pacific Title Digital
Madhava Reddy	....	digital intermediate

Stunts
Simon Burnett	....	stunt double: Ryan Reynolds
Clint Carleton	....	stunt double: Stuart Townsend
Jon Kralt	....	stunt coordinator
Clay Virtue	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Chris Banting	....	dolly operator: "a" camera
Gareth Farfan	....	rigger
Trevor Holbrook	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Dave Joshi	....	digital video assist operator
Saubrie Mohamed	....	best boy electric
Zane Mohamed	....	lighting technician
Paul T. Murakami	....	daily grip
Craig Nix	....	crane operator: Technocrane
Leon Serginson	....	leadman grip
Bryce Shaw	....	rigging grip
Christian Stevens	....	camera trainee (uncredited)

Casting Department
Chadwick Struck	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Luisa Dalmagro	....	set costumer
Judith Feller	....	truck costumer
Alison Fraser	....	assistant costume designer
Michelle Hunter	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Randall James Bol	....	post-production coordinator
Chris DeLaGuardia	....	color timer
Anna Josenhans	....	assistant editor
Abazar Khayami	....	post-production assistant

Music Department
Laurent Apffel	....	assistant to composer
Robert Puff	....	music librarian
Sherry Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Donald Chase	....	driver: cast

Other crew
Micheal Bahta	....	second assistant production coordinator
Monty Bannister	....	location manager
Jackie Bissley	....	unit publicist
Sophie Brodovitch	....	clearance coordinator
Mandy Butler	....	production accountant
Jason Collier	....	assistant location manager
David Costello	....	production assistant
Sean Finnan	....	trainee assistant location manager
Katie Forss	....	payroll accountant
Elise Gaylie	....	assistant: Ryan Reynolds
Kasandra Greene-Griebel	....	production coordinator
Mark Jacyszyn	....	production supervisor: Captive Audience Prod.
Samantha Kelley	....	production assistant
Tina H. Kim	....	production assistant
Karin Korchinski	....	first assistant production coordinator
Dan Kuzmenko	....	assistant location manager
Bliss McDonald	....	production coordinator
Claudia Morgado Escanilla	....	script supervisor
Morgan Schechter	....	assistant to director
Chris Smith	....	key production assistant
Warner Loughlin	....	acting coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Land Films
• WIP
• Castle Rock Entertainment
• Lone Star Film Group

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Blue Sky Media (2007) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• Paradise Group (2008) (Russia) (all media)

Other Companies

• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Land Films

Goofs:

Continuity: The length of Frank's cigarette changes in his scene with Buddy in the motel room.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References "Mister Ed" (1961)

Soundtrack:

Electric Harmony

REVIEW -- Finally a romantic comedy for the rest of us!

I'm not a big romantic comedy fan so I went to Chaos Theory with low expectations. Which is why I was shocked to find myself not only laughing (instead of eye-rolling) but also experiencing a certain moisture in the ocular region.

Yes it is a comedy -- most anal, hyper organized guy totally losing it vintage Steve Martin style with a post-modern twist when he discovers his perfect life is not what it seems. But it's also a story about a guy losing himself, his wife, his daughter, his best friend and everything through a freakish but medically accurate twist of fate and fighting his way back to find himself.

The directing has an indie feel which I much prefer over the overly processed studio fare -- lots of long takes that really draw you into the characters. Ryan Reynolds is hilarious -- great physical comedy but also achieves a whole new level of sincerity. Emily Mortimer has some great spastic moments -- and, in a departure from her usual twinkle toes persona, isn't afraid to show her grumpy side. By the end of the movie, I really felt like I knew these guys. I also really enjoyed the humor -- which had a lot of those "Oh God, I've been there" moments even when the story was ratcheting up to outrageousness.

Go to see it for the shot of buck-naked Ryan Reynolds skidding across the hockey rink if nothing else!