Chaos Theory - Review

Chaos Theory

Yes, I am a fan of Ryan Reynolds. He usually plays a swave and slick young chap who has a heart of gold for everyone he meets. His character's lives are usually lackadaisical but filled with excitement that makes you want that kind of life. To take an old adage, women love him and men want to be him. I am one of those guys. His characters are wrought with what I think cool is. He's not a jerk to anyone and he's got some of the best lines around.

I say "usually" because the character he plays in this movie antithesis of the characters he usually plays.

Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) plans his life using a series of lists. Everything he ever does is structured and plotted before it's done. His wife (Emily Mortimer) and daughter (Matreya Fedor) are the love of his life, but his wife makes his structured life hard one day by accidentally setting the clock ten minutes back making him late for his ferry. This little moment upsets Frank's life as he knows it. What Frank goes through after this small hiccup in his routine causes him to question not only how he is running his life but also the love he has for his wife, his friends, and even the daughter he's been raising.

Grade - C+

This really isn't the kind of role I usually see Reynolds in, and while I'm not one to say that a person should stick to one type of character, this one seems drastically different than the ones he tends to play. No one is really bad in this movie, but the writing could have been a bit tighter. The message of the story is that sometimes, you've just got to go where life takes you and hold on to your friends and family for support. Yet, coming away from this movie does not make me feel as if I need to reexamine my life to see what changes I could make. Also, the story is kind of slow paced and not told as well as it could have been.

For example, one of Frank's friends, Buddy (Stuart Townsend) is suppose to be there to show Frank what a wonderful life he does have, even though he hasn't planned all the things that has happened to him out. Yet, the character gets tossed back and forth from the jerk to the friend haphazardly that you can miss the point of who he is and what he's trying to do.

Overall, this isn't a bad picture and I'd even sit through it again. However, I'll look forward to Reynold's playing the slick guy with the great lines again.

School Of Life - A Patrick Movie Review

School Of Life

I am a big fan of Ryan Reynolds. The roles that he takes on, whether in comedies or thrills, are almost always perfect for him. If you're one of the few people who didn't watch National Lampoon's: Van Wilder you really should. The role he takes in this movie is kind of the same character but a bit more serious subject...and also...no Tara Reid trying to act in this movie!

A lot of the synopsizes you'll find online will give you a description that is not at all what the movie is about. So here's a real one. Matt Warner (played by David Paymer) is a teacher trying to live in the shadow of his father (a great cameo by John Astin) who was a favored teacher at the middle school they both taught at. After his father dies, Mr. D (Reynolds) comes to take over his father's old teaching position. Warner wants to prove to his son, his school, and to himself that he can continue the tradition of a Warner being teacher of the year for almost 45 years in a row. However, the younger Mr. D is quickly beloved by the school for treating the students like actual people and making learning fun. Warner goes to many lengths to try and hold onto hope that he, and not Mr. D., will be teacher of the year.

Grade - B-

To try and give you a better picture of what this movie is, imagine Dead Poets Society meet Van Wilder. It's got comedy, it's got a lot of inspirational, heartfelt messages, and it has Ryan Reynolds being so gosh darn charming. I am completely serious when I say that I wish I could be as smooth as Reynold is. I don't know if he has a thing for these inspirational characters who are oh-so-smooth or if he is like that in real life. I do know, however, that he makes it hard for me not to have a little man-crush on him.

As the story progresses you get to see what drives Mr. D. to inspire students the way he does. You also see the quirky ways Warner bumbles his attempts to become teacher of the year. While the way the kids react in the movie isn't all that believable, I can put aside actuality and appreciate the movie's attempt to show a "what it could be like" scenario. The last quarter of the movie is very charming and endearing. It's also interesting to note that while Reynolds carries the charm through the first half of the movie, Paymer's character carries it through the rest of the movie. The ending, has a beautiful touch to it.