Director: John August
Writer: John August
Producers: Dan Jinks, Dan Etheridge, Bruce Cohen
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy, Elle Fanning
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 99 min.

Regardless of how many films I watch, I can never get over the initial shock of seeing a good, even great film that seems to have been buried. Such is the case with John August’s The Nines. The film was given a tiny distribution at the end of August and at its height, it played on 5 screens. I will concede that the film isn’t really easy to market, or even explain for that matter, but still. We get much more convoluted crappy stuff hit the 1,000+ screens but I’m digressing from the point at hand here: a great, unseen film ripe for discovery on DVD.

It starts with an actor having a breakdown. You get the sense that this guy is a recognizable TV star who just loses it. First it’s the accidental burning down of his house which leads to drinking and driving, buying crack, picking up a hooker to teach him how to use it and ultimately, the self destruction ends with a car crash and Gary, the actor, getting hauled off to jail. Released on bail, he’s given six weeks of house arrest which are monitored by the deliriously energetic PR lady, Margaret. And that’s just the first story.

After watching this, I thought my head was going to explode. August manages to construct one of the smartest scripts I’ve seen in a while. This is no Juno, full of cliché’s and kidspeak, but it does have its own rhythm. Some folks will find the pop culture references that come up occasionally, particularly in Part 2, as being too smart or trying too hard, but they work within the context of the individual stories. What impresses me most is that I didn’t feel manipulated by the story. When the final scene unfolds, the clues that have been peppered throughout make sense and I even shook my head a little that I didn’t put it together sooner.

As for August’s direction, I’m not sure what else to call it but a potpourri of styles. I love his mix of traditional techniques and odd camera angles, not to mention the brilliant use of the reality TV feel in the second part.

Smart scripts deserve good actors and rather surprisingly considering the types of films in his past, Ryan Reynolds does an excellent job of embodying the different characters. Though they all share a story arch of bad endings, the characters are all very different and Reynolds manages to give each one enough personality that one doesn’t feel like a rehash of another. This is the first time I’ve seen Melissa McCarthy but I’m very impressed with her presence and the bubbly personality that shines through and the chemistry between her and Reynolds feels real, almost like they’ve been friends for ever. As for Hope Davis, well, she’s Hope Davis and as per her usual, she’s excellent.

Jesse Hassenger at Filmcritic.com said it best with “It’s like watching three interlocking “Twilight Zone” episodes” and I agree that in a way, that’s exactly what The Nines feels like but there’s enough material and scope to nicely fill the 99 minute running time.

I’m looking forward another opportunity to sit down with this film, once on its own and again with the director’s commentary, and I urge you to add it to the rental/purchase list (the film is available on DVD tomorrow). August’s debut feature is well deserving of a second and third viewing and I’m excited to see what else he has up his sleeve. I just hope he takes the time from writing more scripts for others to work another project to direct. Until then, I’ll be waiting patiently.

Links:
IMDb profile – full cast and crew
Official Site
Flixster Profile for The Nines