The Number 23 (2007)

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer (WGA):

Fernley Phillips (written by)

Release Date:

23 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The truth will find you.

Plot:

Walter Sparrow becomes obsessed with a novel that he believes was written about him. As his obsession increases, more and more similarities seem to arise.

Plot Keywords:

Bookstore | Author | Book | Numerology | Obsession

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jim Carrey	...	Walter Sparrow / Fingerling
Virginia Madsen	...	Agatha Sparrow / Fabrizia
Logan Lerman	...	Robin Sparrow
Danny Huston	...	Isaac French / Dr. Miles Phoenix
Lynn Collins	...	Suicide Blonde / Mrs. Dobkins / Young Fingerling's Mother
Rhona Mitra	...	Laura Tollins
Michelle Arthur	...	Sybil
Mark Pellegrino	...	Kyle Flinch
Paul Butcher	...	Young Fingerling / Young Walter
David Stifel	...	Hotel Clerk
Corey Stoll	...	Sergeant Burns
Ed Lauter	...	Father Sebastian
Troy Kotsur	...	Barnaby
Walter Soo Hoo	...	Chinese Restaurant Owner
Patricia Belcher	...	Dr. Alice Mortimer

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Germany:16 | Brazil:14 | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:13 | Spain:13 | Australia:MA | Malaysia:18PL | Portugal:M/16 | Czech Republic:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Denmark:15 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | South Africa:16 | France:U (with warning) | Hong Kong:IIB | Philippines:R-13 | USA:R (certificate #43185) | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

When we first see the book "The Number 23" in the bookshop where Agatha buys it, the book is on the shelf facing out, not tucked in between any books. Because of this, 23 books are visible on the shelf behind it.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): in the movie, Walter sparrow was turning 32, their son is aged 13/14. but Walter sparrow said that he met her wife when he was 23, how could their son be 13/14?

Quotes:

[first lines]
Walter Sparrow:A week ago, the only thing I thought was out of the ordinary was that it was my birthday.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Siskel & Ebert: The Worst of 2007" (2008)

Soundtrack:

The Banality of Evil

An unconvincing thriller that proves to be more ridiculous than thrilling.

"Fate" leads Walter Sparrow to come in possession of a mysterious novel that has eerie similarities and connections to his life, all based around the number 23. As the story unfolds in real life and fiction, Sparrow must figure out his connection to the book and how the story will eventually end.

The Number 23 offers an intriguing premise that is undone by a weak execution. The film just failed on many different levels which is pretty disappointing because it held so much potential. The screenplay was probably the worst part about it. It was filled with silly sequences and laughable dialog that just killed the mood of the movie. It seemed like the screenwriter had a good idea, he just didn't know how to develop it to stretch over a ninety minute running time. The second half of the film was running low on ideas, the twist was pretty obvious and the ending was awful.

Joel Schumacher is responsible for one of the worst movies ever and he did redeem himself a little with Phone Booth and a few other films but The Number 23 reminds me that he's still capable of making a stinker. He has the movie drenched in style but he just can't get a good focus. He moves the film at a clunky and slow pace. He switches from reality to what's actually happening in the book which quickly got annoying. The actual book in the film that's titled "The Number 23" is an awful detective story and the audience gets stuck listening to Carrey narrate it which just bored me to tears. When Carrey is finally done with book, we get stuck watching him run around trying to solve the mystery. At this point, the audience has lost interest and there is no real tension. We impatiently wait for the movie to reach it's horrible ending and unconvincing explanation before celebrating that film has finally finished.

The acting was mostly average and pretty forgettable. Jim Carrey was clearly just sleepwalking through his performance and he didn't even seem to be trying. He was either completely over the top in some scenes or just very wooden. His narration was a complete bore to listen to and he put no life inside his character. Virginia Madsen did the best she could with a limited role but she needs to pick better scripts. Logan Lerman was pretty bland as was Danny Huston. Overall, The Number 23 was an awful thriller that offered more laughs than suspense or thrills. Rating 3/10