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IMDbPro

The Butterfly Effect

  • 20042004
  • RR
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
494K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,101
95
Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
A man travels through time to try and save a woman in this trailer for the supernatural thriller
Play trailer2:10
2 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaSci-FiThriller
Evan Treborn suffers blackouts during significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life by reading his j... Read allEvan Treborn suffers blackouts during significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life by reading his journal.Evan Treborn suffers blackouts during significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life by reading his journal.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
494K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,101
95
    • Eric Bress
    • J. Mackye Gruber
    • J. Mackye Gruber
    • Eric Bress
  • Stars
    • Ashton Kutcher
    • Amy Smart
    • Melora Walters
    • Eric Bress
    • J. Mackye Gruber
    • J. Mackye Gruber
    • Eric Bress
  • Stars
    • Ashton Kutcher
    • Amy Smart
    • Melora Walters
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.2KUser reviews
    • 176Critic reviews
    • 30Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    The Butterfly Effect
    Trailer 2:10
    Watch The Butterfly Effect
    The Butterfly Effect
    Trailer 2:16
    Watch The Butterfly Effect

    Photos252

    Ashton Kutcher and William Lee Scott in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Logan Lerman in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Ashton Kutcher in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Melora Walters and Logan Lerman in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Ashton Kutcher and Ethan Suplee in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Melora Walters and Ashton Kutcher in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Amy Smart in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Ashton Kutcher and Elden Henson in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart in The Butterfly Effect (2004)
    Eric Stoltz in The Butterfly Effect (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ashton Kutcher
    Ashton Kutcher
    • Evan
    Amy Smart
    Amy Smart
    • Kayleigh
    Melora Walters
    Melora Walters
    • Andrea
    Elden Henson
    Elden Henson
    • Lenny
    William Lee Scott
    William Lee Scott
    • Tommy
    John Patrick Amedori
    John Patrick Amedori
    • Evan at 13
    Irina Gorovaia
    Irina Gorovaia
    • Kayleigh at 13
    • (as Irene Gorovaia)
    Kevin G. Schmidt
    Kevin G. Schmidt
    • Lenny at 13
    Jesse James
    Jesse James
    • Tommy at 13
    Logan Lerman
    Logan Lerman
    • Evan at 7
    Sarah Widdows
    • Kayleigh at 7
    Jake Kaese
    • Lenny at 7
    Cameron Bright
    Cameron Bright
    • Tommy at 7
    Eric Stoltz
    Eric Stoltz
    • Mr. Miller
    Callum Keith Rennie
    Callum Keith Rennie
    • Jason
    Lorena Gale
    Lorena Gale
    • Mrs. Boswell
    Nathaniel DeVeaux
    • Dr. Redfield
    • (as Nathaniel Deveaux)
    John Tierney
    • Priest
      • Eric Bress
      • J. Mackye Gruber
      • J. Mackye Gruber
      • Eric Bress
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      All of the prison scenes were filmed in a real prison (Washington State) with real prisoners.
    • Goofs
      In the credits at the end, there is a name next to a character for "Evan at 3". Nowhere in either of the two cuts is an actor portraying Evan at three years old.
    • Quotes

      Jason Treborn: You can't change who people are without destroying who they were.

    • Crazy credits
      The title, "The Butterfly Effect," is superimposed over a depiction of a butterfly beating its wings, which is itself superimposed upon an X-ray profile of a human brain.
    • Alternate versions
      The director's cut contains a few new scenes:
      • Evan discovering that his grandfather had the same gift, and also was considered crazy, like his father
      • Evan and Andrea go to a palm reader that tells Evan he has no lifeline
      • Andrea telling Evan she was pregnant twice before he was born.
      • A scene in the prison where the prisoners publicly read Evan's journals.
      • A scene in the prison where the other prisoners come to rape Evan one night.
      • An extended hospital scene where Evan is visiting sick Andrea.
      • An alternate ending.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Butterfly Effect: Deleted and Alternate Scenes (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      When Animals Attack
      Written by Chris King, Dave Wadsworth, Ric Roccapriore, Keith Kaplan and Howard Karp

      Performed by Even Rude

      Courtesy of PWNETD Music

    User reviews1.2K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Wow. What a film
    Okay, so after years of just hearing about this film and not seeing it (I have no excuses) I finally put it on. And wow, it's an absolutely fantastic film.

    Ill start by giving my reason why I haven't watched for so long and that's because I was told it was really complicated and confusing. And I'll be honest, 10 minutes into this film I was completely out of whack. I had absolutely no idea what's happening. But after around half an hour or so it becomes really apparent what's happening and the story just becomes more and more interesting. So if you're worried about complexity of the plot. Don't, you'll be fine.

    The ending as well I liked. You honestly don't know how this film will end, I was 10 minutes from the film ending and I still didn't know what was going to go down. But it's done really nicely and closes off any unanswered questions. Watching films like Donny Darko you end up confused by the end and have several questions whereas this doesn't have this and I prefer that. (Donny Darko is great by the way, I was just giving an example).

    Beyond that I thought the acting was really good, the managed to pull off good character development and the changes of memory were quite obvious so there wasn't any overlapping or confusion on what you were watching.

    It's just overall an absolutely fantastic film and I highly recommend watching this if you haven't done so already.
    helpful•27
    1
    • danielmanson
    • Dec 5, 2020

    FAQ9

    • Why does his cellmate see the stigmata appear when Evan stabs through his hands? Surely he would always have had the scars as long as anyone else is concerned.
    • Is "The Butterfly Effect" based on a book?
    • What is the "Butterfly Effect"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 23, 2004 (United States)
      • United States
      • Canada
      • Official Facebook
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Monroe Correctional Complex - 16700 177th Avenue SE, Monroe, Washington, USA
    • Production companies
      • BenderSpink
      • FilmEngine
      • Katalyst Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 53 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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