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| 'Chaos Theory’ is definitely, maybe too familiar, already | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Craig Outhier, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| March 12, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Indeed, “Chaos Theory” is curiously reminiscent of “Definitely, Maybe,” the current romantic comedy that also stars Reynolds and also employs a turn-back-the-clock framing device. That’s the first thing you notice about “Chaos Theory.” The second is what a load of contrived, moralizing baloney it is. In the rush to reinvent himself as a leading man in the style of Tom Hanks, Reynolds has found a project not only redundant for him personally, but wholly ill-equipped to exploit his emerging dramatic skills. Reynolds — only a quarter-generation removed from his star-making turn in the college romp “Van Wilder” (2002) — dons a beard and a plucked hairline to play Frank, a gravel-throated 40-something who intercepts his nervous son-in-law-to-be just as the kid is about to go AWOL from his wedding. Evidently, Frank feels the groom’s pain: “Love ... it feels right one moment ... queasy the next.” To coax the lad back to altar, Frank sits him down and regales him with the story of his greatest marital trial, when — as an obsessively organized corporate efficiency expert with a restless, vaguely disapproving wife (Emily Mortimer from “The Pink Panther”) and an adoring 8-year-old daughter (Matreya Fedor) — he blundered into a series of mishaps that caused the wife to doubt his fidelity. Which in turn unearths a long-buried secret that shatters Frank’s fatherly world. Which in turn propels him into an early midlife crisis that director Marcos Siega (“Underclassman”) and screenwriter Daniel Taplitz (“Breakin’ All the Rules”) dopily write off as fantasy fulfillment. He gets in a bar fight. He buys a Harley. He has one-night stands. It feels like bargain-rack “American Beauty.” Will the ordeal push Frank’s wife back into the arms of Buddy (Stuart Townsend from “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”), a Porsche-driving playboy whom Frank inexplicably regards as his best friend? Who cares? The filmmakers pay lip service to the importance of family, fatherhood and forgiveness, but conjure none of the finer, complementary emotions. Distrust, yes. A faint hint of misogyny, yes. But never the love. In any case, it’s a damn strange story to be sharing with your future son-in-law. In “Definitely, Maybe,” the conceit worked because it was part of a narrative puzzle. Here, the filmmakers employ it simply to make a half-humored tale of existential crisis seem more interesting and momentous than it actually is. So, Mr. Reynolds, is it safe to say that you’re done with your fatherly-flashback phase? We really need to stop meeting this way. We really do. REVIEW ‘Chaos Theory’ Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend Behind the scenes: Directed by Marcos Siega, from a script by Daniel Taplitz Rated: PG-13 (mature thematic material, sexual content and profanity), 86 minutes — Grade: C- Contact Craig Outhier by email, or phone (480) 898-5683 |
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