Nines, The USA 2007 Directed by John August Running time 98 minutes Rated M

Three actors play three characters (Ryan Reynolds as Gary/Gavin/Gabrie), Hope Davis as Sarah/Susan/Sierra, and Melissa McCarthy as Margaret/Melissa/Mary with Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota and already as seasoned performer, as Noelle).in this convoluted and never entirely transparent directorial debut by screenwriter John August whose notable credits include Go, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, Corpse Bride as well as a couple of Charlie’s Angels movies Lying somewhere in the hinterland beyond Twilight Zone and a Charlie Kaufman film it loosely relates three stories which intersect but (intentionally) do not coalesce into a unified narrative. Well not one that most audience would expect. The result may be described as an intruiging account of the prison of the self…or something like that, as we follows the trials of, variously, a celebrity television actor, a television writer/producer and a video game designer in differing kinds of meltdown as their worlds come unstuck under bizarre, sanity-challenging circumstances. Drawing on his own autobiographical script, August shows himself to be a capable director whilst the cast of what is largely a three-hander are all on the money. Is there more here than meets the eye? Who knows? However, if you like cinema that leaves you with more questions than answers this should be high on your to see list. BH

DVD Extras: 2 separate commentaries, one with August and Ryan Reynolds, the other with August, editor Douglas Crise amd Melissa McCarthy; Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary); Alternate ending; Summing up The Nines, a behind-the-scenes featurette; God, a short film by August; Original theatrical trailer: English language subtitles.

Available from: Madman

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