Verena and I recently saw The Nines, a movie by John August. And here is what we thought:
- The plot was excellent, and so was the writing. I’m not going to tell you anything about it, though, because that would spoil half the fun.
- Well, I’ll say one thing, because it might get overlooked sometimes. Yes, the movie has a very complex plot. Yes, the movie is occasionally “strange”, though it all ultimately makes sense. And yes, I thought that in the end it was quite touching. But it’s also very, very funny. This is a good thing.
- Ryan Reynolds is absolutely excellent. He was already quite good in Smokin’ Aces – another underrated movie, that one – but here he is amazing. I hope he’ll get to do more acting of this caliber.
- Hope Davis is also excellent, but then Hope Davis is always excellent, even when her parts sometimes aren’t. She also gets to play a wider range here, which is great.
- Melissa McCarthy, of whom I wasn’t really aware before (I haven’t seen Gilmore Girls, though a friend of mine adores it), is also stunningly good.
- She is also, to use a simple word for it, fat. A fat woman in a movie with an actual part? And one that isn’t just comic relief? Awesome. (I am so tired of clichéd parts for women.)
- Elle Fanning also gives a very nice performance. Yay for directing children like people instead of simply making them avatars of cuteness (most films) or creepiness (lately, every single horror film).
- Everything else about the movie is also fine. It looks good. It sounds good. It makes you think. It makes you laugh. What else do you want?
That’s it. I’m not telling you more. Get it. See it.
