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

1 nomination.

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 Burke	...	Maid of Honor (as Jovanna Huguet)
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:

betrayal by a friend | betrayal | girl wears a bra and panties | woman wears lingerie | character asks where's the back exit | 

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Taglines:

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

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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

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

Referenced in iZombie: Physician, Heal Thy Selfie (2016)

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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

Enjoyable

Chaos Theory is an enjoyable little film that tells the story of Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) who's a professional speaker that gives lectures on time management,and his life is perfectly ordered and scheduled.One day his wife sets his clock forward 10 minutes thinking that she had just done the opposite and Frank's day is thrown off.First he arrives late to an out-of-town lecture and then his life starts to unravels in ways he never expected.Along the way he makes several interesting discoveries about his family and comes to the conclusion that being so obsessive, so organized and so uptight did nothing for his life. Smart and well thought, Chaos Theory is enjoyable throughout although it never reaches greatness.There are a few interesting ideas and a lot of potential and the movie could definitely have been taken to another level but still, its a solid movie.The film is very well balanced; it delivers some laughs at the right time,but also has a very serious and dramatic side as well.The soundtrack is was surprisingly very good and its composed mainly by independent bands. Ryan Reynolds is tremendous as the lead character,Frank, and completely believable.He's the driving force of the movie and a pleasure to watch.Stuart Townsend and Emily Mortimer did good too as the best friend and the wife respectively . All in all,Chaos Theory is only slightly above average but still worth seeing.

7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 2008 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Chaos Theory

Filming Locations:

Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Gross USA:

$240,476

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$338,440

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