The Nines - A Grand Failure
John August has never directed a feature film before, although he has authored several notable productions including Big Fish (Tim Burton, 2003) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Tim Burton, 2005). The Nines marks the first time August has helmed his own material and his inexperience is evident. Despite conjuring an interesting premise the director has failed dramatically with leaden and unsubtle direction that quickly undermines all of the story's vaguely intriguing elements. The Nines explores the world of Gary / Gavin / Gabriel (all played by Ryan Reynolds) in three separate segments that focus on notions of reality and control. In each segment Reynolds' character interacts with both Melissa McCarthy and Hope Davis (who each play three characters) as they help him make sense of his confusing circumstances. The heady existential themes involve theories of God, creation, writing and gaming (as in video games). August has attempted to tackle some big ideas and failed spectacularly.
The Nines is broken into a trio of separate but interconnected stories. The same actors play different characters in each section with many similarities of theme appearing in the three segments. When we first meet Gary (Reynolds), a TV-actor, he is incinerating the clothes and effects of his ex-girlfriend. He burns his house down and gets into a car-accident while inebriated. Gary is eventually sentenced to house-arrest. Under these conditions he is cared for by his publicity agent, Margaret (McCarthy), and he flirts with his neighbour, Sarah (Davis). The interactions of these three characters culminate in circumstances that will threaten Gary's existence. At a moment of crisis the action dramatically shifts to Gavin (Reynolds, again), a television writer trying to get a pilot episode off the ground. Further existential happenings take place until; again, Gary's understanding of his immediate world is turned upside down. This leads to a final segment set in the scrubland of California. Gabriel (yes, Reynolds) and his wife Mary (McCarthy) are stranded in the forest with a car that won't start. While searching for help Gabriel stumbles upon Sierra (Davis). She demonstrates to him that his notions of existence and identity are more than he may have imagined.
Of the three characters Reynolds plays it is Gavin who is the most developed and convincing. The second segment of The Nines in which we follow Gavin's trial and tribulations as he produces his maiden television series hints at a kind of satire of the entertainment industry. Significantly, this section of the film eschews much of the laboured existentialism present in the first and third sections of the film. Here the focus is on the writer as creator; Gavin is so attached to his characters and their world that he becomes obsessed with realising their existence. When interference comes from the network executives headed by Susan (Davis), Gavin soon loses his grip on reality as the world he shaped is transformed against his will. There is a true sense of authenticity to this segment with McCarthy (a real-life TV actor, seen in Gilmore Girls) ostensibly playing herself and Reynolds' performance ringing true. The realism in this section adds emotion and plays more plausibly than any other part of the film.
Ultimately the middle sections slim virtues are manifestly outweighed by the The Nines manifold failings. The direction is responsible for the majority of the film's flaws. August has tried every trick in the book to enliven his material - jump cuts, odd angles, a free-wheeling camera - but this approach comes on too strong and proves distracting. When Sarah breaks into song at one stage in the film's first segment the drama is fatally ruptured and the affected action is jarringly inappropriate. Furthermore, the dialogue tends to be expositional rather than organic. This again is the effect of the poor direction which should take responsibility for guiding the story. These are moments of misjudgement but the premise itself is thinly drawn and vaguely conceived. The Nines may have been championed for its philosophical querying of existence if it had invested any intelligence in its queries. Donnie Darko's (2002) examined time travel and parallel realities in a manner not too dissimilar to August’s film. Yet, The Nines is not up to the standard of Donnie Darko which controlled its fascinating ideas in a contained and credible narrative. Ultimately, The Nines is a let down at every level – writing, acting and direction.
The Nines is broken into a trio of separate but interconnected stories. The same actors play different characters in each section with many similarities of theme appearing in the three segments. When we first meet Gary (Reynolds), a TV-actor, he is incinerating the clothes and effects of his ex-girlfriend. He burns his house down and gets into a car-accident while inebriated. Gary is eventually sentenced to house-arrest. Under these conditions he is cared for by his publicity agent, Margaret (McCarthy), and he flirts with his neighbour, Sarah (Davis). The interactions of these three characters culminate in circumstances that will threaten Gary's existence. At a moment of crisis the action dramatically shifts to Gavin (Reynolds, again), a television writer trying to get a pilot episode off the ground. Further existential happenings take place until; again, Gary's understanding of his immediate world is turned upside down. This leads to a final segment set in the scrubland of California. Gabriel (yes, Reynolds) and his wife Mary (McCarthy) are stranded in the forest with a car that won't start. While searching for help Gabriel stumbles upon Sierra (Davis). She demonstrates to him that his notions of existence and identity are more than he may have imagined.
Of the three characters Reynolds plays it is Gavin who is the most developed and convincing. The second segment of The Nines in which we follow Gavin's trial and tribulations as he produces his maiden television series hints at a kind of satire of the entertainment industry. Significantly, this section of the film eschews much of the laboured existentialism present in the first and third sections of the film. Here the focus is on the writer as creator; Gavin is so attached to his characters and their world that he becomes obsessed with realising their existence. When interference comes from the network executives headed by Susan (Davis), Gavin soon loses his grip on reality as the world he shaped is transformed against his will. There is a true sense of authenticity to this segment with McCarthy (a real-life TV actor, seen in Gilmore Girls) ostensibly playing herself and Reynolds' performance ringing true. The realism in this section adds emotion and plays more plausibly than any other part of the film.
Ultimately the middle sections slim virtues are manifestly outweighed by the The Nines manifold failings. The direction is responsible for the majority of the film's flaws. August has tried every trick in the book to enliven his material - jump cuts, odd angles, a free-wheeling camera - but this approach comes on too strong and proves distracting. When Sarah breaks into song at one stage in the film's first segment the drama is fatally ruptured and the affected action is jarringly inappropriate. Furthermore, the dialogue tends to be expositional rather than organic. This again is the effect of the poor direction which should take responsibility for guiding the story. These are moments of misjudgement but the premise itself is thinly drawn and vaguely conceived. The Nines may have been championed for its philosophical querying of existence if it had invested any intelligence in its queries. Donnie Darko's (2002) examined time travel and parallel realities in a manner not too dissimilar to August’s film. Yet, The Nines is not up to the standard of Donnie Darko which controlled its fascinating ideas in a contained and credible narrative. Ultimately, The Nines is a let down at every level – writing, acting and direction.
The Nines Poster
