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

The house where Gary stays and Gavin lives is John August's actual house.

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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 EverQuest (1999)

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Soundtracks

Comet Samba
Written by Darrin Feder and David Sherman
Performed by Cabaret Diosa
Courtesy of Cabaret Diosa

User Reviews

Interesting idea but ultimately disappointing

The Nines has some fantastic ideas and some really rather good performances (Melissa McCarthy is a constant joy throughout and Ryan Reynolds shows an impressive diversity for his acting league) however, after a promising start, loses its way as the story progresses.

A film of three distinct parts in a Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) style, The Nines deals with some seriously deep themes including philosophy, theology and betrayal. However, unlike Eternal Sunshine, the direction of John August (writer of Go and Big Fish) seems too straight and, dare I say it, Teen-like for such a film where a better choice of helm would have seem to be someone like David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks) or maybe Darren Aronofski (Pi, The Fountain). As it is the film progressively gets weirder and weirder and with it surrealism jars with the previous tone to the point it feels preposterous.

Worth a watch and nice to see someone try something new but ultimately disappointing.