The Nines (2007)

A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.

Director:

John August

Writer:

John August

Stars:

Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Reynolds	...	Gary / Gavin Taylor / Gabriel
Melissa McCarthy	...	Margaret / Melissa McCarthy / Mary
Hope Davis	...	Sarah / Susan Howard / Sierra
Elle Fanning	...	Noelle
David Denman	...	Parole Officer / Agitated Man
Octavia Spencer	...	Streetwalker / Pedestrian
Ben Falcone	...	Ben Falcone
Dahlia Salem	...	Dahlia Salem
John Gatins	...	John Gatins
Andy Fielder	...	Andy Fielder
Jodi Sellards	...	Piano Player
Greg Baine	...	Delivery Guy
Martin Yu	...	Focus Group Participant #1
Gregg Naaman	...	Focus Group Participant #2
Lorene Scafaria	...	Game Night Guest

Storyline

Gary, an actor who plays a cop on television, uses too much lighter fluid when he burns his ex-girlfriend's things, then he drinks and drives, uses crack, and crashes his car. He sobers up in jail and is placed under house arrest and the watchful eye of a publicist, the cheery and tough-minded Margaret. She moves him into the empty house of a writer who's away in Canada on a shoot. Gary meets Sarah, an attractive and seemingly-willing neighbor. His friendship with Margaret blooms and strange things happen: he finds notes he doesn't remember writing, he hears noises, and he seems to bump into himself in the kitchen. Two remaining chapters reveal what's going on.

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Plot Keywords:

house arrest | screenwriter | fictional tv show | actress playing multiple roles | actor playing multiple roles | 

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Taglines:

Y9u never kn9w when y9ur number is up

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some drug content and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English American Sign Language Spanish Latin

Release Date:

30 November 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

Untitled John August Project

Filming Locations:

Cafe Susina - 7122 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,172, 2 September 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$62,745, 7 October 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Destination Films, Jinks/Cohen Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Much of the content in the second part ("Reality Television") is heavily influenced by writer/director John August's experience working on the failed television series D.C. (2000).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gary: Hey, do you sell crack?
[drug dealer looks confused]
Gary: No, it's cool. I only play a cop on TV.

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Connections

References ER (1994)

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Soundtracks

You Keep Me Hangin' On
Written by Lamont Dozier (as Lamont Herbet Dozier), Brian Holland, and Eddie Holland (as Edward Holland Jr.)
Performed by The Ferris Wheel
Courtesy of Sanctuary Records Group

User Reviews

See The Nines

The film is divided in to three acts: "The Prisoner" tells of a troubled actor, Gary, under house arrest living in another person's house because he burned down his own. While living in the house he is befriended by both a P.R. 'handler', Margaret, and the single mom next door, Sarah, who may or may not be interested in him romantically. Over the course of his house arrest, Gary becomes convinced that he is being haunted by the number nine.

"Reality Television" tells of a television writer, Gavin, trying to get his pilot made. The house he lives in is the house Gary later stays in. During the process of post production and the 'upfronts', a television executive, Susan, pushes for Gary to ditch the unconventional lead actress of his project, Melissa. This segment was somewhat inspired by writer/director John August's own experiences in the television industry.

"Knowing" tells of an acclaimed video game designer, Gabriel, who is lost when his car breaks down, a situation shown in Gavin's pilot. Gabriel leaves his wife and daughter with the stranded vehicle and meets up with Sierra, a mysterious woman.

"The Nines" is a film definitely worth watching, just for the weirdness of it and how thought-provoking and unlike any film you've ever seen. It's in the vein of, let's say, "Being John Malkovich" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." This is the film where you won't stop thinking about it and that you'll talk about it with the people who have seen it.

It's not a film that you'll forget after the credits start rolling. Now that you get the point, it's time to talk about the movie. Even so, it's hard to describe this movie in words. When you ask people if this movie is good or not, they'll either like it or not, but it's hard to explain their reason and it's hard to explain why I love this.

The performance by the three main characters from the three stories, Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, and Hope Davis, were all fantastic, having themselves to change their personality so much. It's pretty amazing. But of course, the movie will arise more questions than answering them. It's like "Donnie Darko," per se. This should be a cult hit, even though it isn't right now.

This is a really weird film and it's hard to explain anything, as you can tell. All I can say is watch it because the way the stories are told, the thought put into all of this, and the strong performances are already some reasons to watch it.