The Nines Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Y9u never kn9w when y9ur number is up
A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.
| Ryan Reynolds | Gary/Gavin/Gabriel |
| Hope Davis | Sarah/Susan/Sierra |
| Melissa McCarthy | Margaret/Melissa/Mary |
| Elle Fanning | Noelle |
| Dahlia Salem | Herself |
| David Denman | Parole Officer/Agitated Man |
| Octavia Spencer | Streetwalker/Woman on Sidewalk |
| Ben Falcone | Himself |
| Sean Andrews | Officer Cooper |
| Greg Baine | |
| Nicholas Garren | Russian Drug Dealer |
| Martin Yu | Focus Group Complainer |
| Malia Herrick | Check-in girl |
| Ellen Treanor | Christine Walsh |
| John August |
8.20 out of 10 (539 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Look For The Nines
posted on 28 Aug 2009I started watching this movie after looking it up on IMDb. The plot summary said: A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed video game designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.I thought it sounded interesting, but never did i expect it would be such a thoughtful, intelligent and awe-inspiring experience.At first, I'll be honest, I didn't understand it. It was extremely random and didn't seem to make much sense. It seemed like Ryan Reynolds' character might be a little insane or something, as he played these three different personalities, whose only connection was the people in their lives. But as the movie progressed and I learned more about what 'the nines' actually are, it starts to dawn on you that this movie has a very unique twist.When the whole thing comes together and the big secret is revealed, everything else in the film falls into place. It is very rare for that to happen in a film, especially in such an effective way, and it is a product of fantastic writing. To have the audience realize what the whole movie has been about at that one revealing moment is a great achievement. And it is accomplished in this movie.So don't worry if you have trouble understanding what is going on at first. When you do find out what the movie is about, I guarantee you will experience an "oh i get it now!" kind of feeling.This movie is sensational and subtle at the same time and i recommend it to anyone who wants to have their minds blown!
outrageously rubbish
posted on 27 Jul 2009I have never felt the need to write / post anything on the internet however, i deem it to be my civic duty to inform and try and help as many people not make the same mistake that my girlfriend and i made while picking a film to watch. Having just watched 'The nines', Im left feeling upset that i invested, just over an hour and a half of my Sunday afternoon watching and scratching my head over a ludicrously over- complicated piece of nonsense that goes nowhere fast and then has the cheek to be described as a 'Intense psychological thriller'. I do not wish to sound rude or negative but this film is very poor and even on a basic level it just doesn't cut the mustard.
playing nine pins
posted on 25 Jul 2009I'd never heard of "The Nines" when I started watching it. Now, I'm not sure what to think of it. Portraying three interconnected stories set in Los Angeles - and all starring the same people - it seems to be saying something about happenstance...but I don't know for certain. I can't say what the overall gist is supposed to be. But I do think that the movie is worth checking out. Seeing what happens in the middle segment, one gets a sense of just how cutthroat the entertainment world must be (is it just me, or does nobody focus on that more than the entertainment world?).Anyway, worth seeing, but don't be surprised if it totally blows your mind. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, Hope Davis and Elle Fanning.
More Than I Expected
posted on 21 Jul 2009I have just finished watching 'The Nines' and felt compelled to rate it. The Nines is a movie that is well...very hard to describe. It has behind it a wonderful storyline with unbelievable detail right form the start. Ryan Reynolds in this movie is amazing. Played his parts wonderfully and supported by a great cast. Very good directorial This type of movie has many genres and is difficult to pick just one and i love this about it. Though a warning for this movie... you should only really watch with people serious about film...as it will just ruin the whole atmosphere of the film if you watch it with people who aren't. 10/10 Perfect.Amazing and would happily watch it again...and again. I fully recommend this movie to you.
Inspired and worthy of a series
posted on 11 Jul 2009This film vanished without a trace in 2007, and given the lack of publicity for the DVD, it's only because i was intrigued by an iTunes trailer i bothered tracking it down. Thank goodness i did because it was well worth a look. Ryan Reynolds gave a terrific performance, and was so good, i had to look hard to check he was playing the second of three characters. The rest of the cast, especially Melissa McCarthy, were superb, and the complex plot kept me hooked until the end. One of those movies that benefits from a second look, but with such a great idea, it would be good to see it stretched out as a TV series. A good soundtrack too. Check it out.
See The Nines
posted on 29 Jun 2009The film is divided in to three acts: "The Prisoner" tells of a troubled actor, Gary, under house arrest living in another person's house because he burned down his own. While living in the house he is befriended by both a P.R. 'handler', Margaret, and the single mom next door, Sarah, who may or may not be interested in him romantically. Over the course of his house arrest, Gary becomes convinced that he is being haunted by the number nine."Reality Television" tells of a television writer, Gavin, trying to get his pilot made. The house he lives in is the house Gary later stays in. During the process of post production and the 'upfronts', a television executive, Susan, pushes for Gary to ditch the unconventional lead actress of his project, Melissa. This segment was somewhat inspired by writer/director John August's own experiences in the television industry."Knowing" tells of an acclaimed video game designer, Gabriel, who is lost when his car breaks down, a situation shown in Gavin's pilot. Gabriel leaves his wife and daughter with the stranded vehicle and meets up with Sierra, a mysterious woman."The Nines" is a film definitely worth watching, just for the weirdness of it and how thought-provoking and unlike any film you've ever seen. It's in the vein of, let's say, "Being John Malkovich" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." This is the film where you won't stop thinking about it and that you'll talk about it with the people who have seen it.It's not a film that you'll forget after the credits start rolling. Now that you get the point, it's time to talk about the movie. Even so, it's hard to describe this movie in words. When you ask people if this movie is good or not, they'll either like it or not, but it's hard to explain their reason and it's hard to explain why I love this.The performance by the three main characters from the three stories, Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, and Hope Davis, were all fantastic, having themselves to change their personality so much. It's pretty amazing. But of course, the movie will arise more questions than answering them. It's like "Donnie Darko," per se. This should be a cult hit, even though it isn't right now.This is a really weird film and it's hard to explain anything, as you can tell. All I can say is watch it because the way the stories are told, the thought put into all of this, and the strong performances are already some reasons to watch it.
Terrible!
posted on 09 Jun 2009I agree with the others that thought this movie was absolutely terrible. This movie doesn't even deserve a one. Boring, stupid, confusing, retarded all come to mind when watching this very poor movie.What a complete waste of time. How could they say its a thriller? Nothing thrilling about this... if you watch it, have a comfy pillow ready, cuz you are bound to fall asleep during all the meaningless dialogue.Absolute trash....Wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. I wouldn't even recommend that they rent it, unless they want to use the DVD as a coaster.
it's not metaphysics
posted on 09 Jun 2009-- possible spoilers --Seeing all the comments, I was just wondering if I'm the only one seeing this film differently. In my mind, there's a much simpler perspective to this film than the 'metaphysical' one. I think it is all about writing. The protagonist is the Writer, and what we see is a clever unfolding of the creative process. Writers tend to fully live and inhabit the world they are creating, at least at the time of the creative process. If you watch the film through this perspective, all the references and happenings fall into place. The god-like protagonist, his relationships with the characters - especially the painful parting -, etc, etc. Having said that, it's a great film, and even its indecisive filming tone falls nicely into place when you finally get to realize what is it that you're watching.
A Splendid Little Film the Challenges the Mind and Forges New Ground
posted on 03 Jun 2009THE NINES is a film that may seem like a tough story to follow, but the concept and the 'autobiographical' script by the gifted John August are so fine that once seen, this film demands re-visiting. It is tremendously entertaining, blessed with a superb cast, and offers food for thought far beyond the running time of the film. For this viewer it falls into the 'brilliant' category.More of an existential exercise than a traditional movie tale, THE NINES has the courage to challenge our concept of that is the real world, what is fantasy, what exists beyond our concept of our 'space' here on planet Earth, and just how significant is the current obsession with television reality shows and videogames on the way we are stuck in the present. John August explores these issues by interweaving three stories, using the same actors to change vantages and personalities to raise questions and pose problems for the audience to attempt to resolve. It works.Part I ('The Prisoner') views the life of a famous television personality Gary (Ryan Reynolds) who naïvely takes on a 'crack' trip that results in a house arrest controlled by a jovial officer Margaret (Melissa McCarthy) and whose only outlet is a neighbor Sarah (Hope Davis) with whom he has a seductive affinity: while both women appear real, events occur that make their existence questionable to the crack-addled Gary. In Part II, 'Reality Television', Gavin (Reynolds) is a television writer attempting to get his pilot film accepted by executive boss Susan (Davis), but falls into troubled times when he is told his best friend Melissa (McCarthy) must be dropped from the project. In Part III, 'Knowing', Gabriel (Reynolds) is a gentle video game creator, happily married to Mary (McCarthy) with a daughter Noelle (Elle Fanning) who has been weaving in and out of the film as different characters, gets stuck in a forest and in attempting to seek help encounters Sierra (Davis), a strange woman who finally approaches the possibilities of Gabriel's 'mission on earth'. The title of the movie becomes apparent when Sierra informs Gabriel that while God is a 10, human beings are only 7s, koala bears are 8s because they control the environment, and Gabriel is a 9 - an extraterrestrial being in a human incarnation to test the goodness of the earth. How this information affects Gabriel and how the story is resolved is yet more of the intellectual exercise and joy of THE NINES.Ryan Reynolds is extraordinarily fine in his three roles: he is a far better actor than the usual films he makes would indicate. Hope Davis and Melissa McCarthy are as always reliably excellent. But the magic of this film comes form the mind and direction of John August who thankfully gives the audience much to ponder. It is a gem of a film. Highly Recommended.Grady Harp
McCheesy's take on "The Nines"
posted on 30 May 2009I always knew Ryan Reynolds was a God.But in this one, he plays God (like a literal, actual God) into three parts. There's Gary, a TV star who is under house arrest after he accidentally sets his house on fire. And then there's Gavin, a TV writer struggling to keep his show "Knowing" on the air. Finally, we have Gabriel. A character in Gavin's TV show trying to get a signal from his phone after his car broke down.Trust me, all is not it seems with this film. Its all so complicated it even challenges the complicated-ness and intricacy of the hit TV show "Lost". But from what I understand, Ryan Reynolds is a multi-dimensional being literally playing a God who can create worlds and play different characters. Despite the fact that the plot gives "Lost" a run for his money, it actually kinda clicked with me.Maybe it was Ryan Reynolds' acting or maybe the flow of the story. I liked it a lot. John August, who is best known as a screenwriter, weaves these three tales in a harrowing epic in galactic proportions.
God will find a way ...
posted on 30 May 2009SPOILER ALERT I dare say that, like me, you avoid 'Christian' movies like the plague. Bible-thumping film producers are obviously aware of this because the makers of this one have come up with, I concede, a rather clever little wheeze for getting us to watch a Christian themed story. Namely you get all your Christian buddies to vote for the film like crazy on this website to ensure it gets a high rating. Then you avoid any overt religious references in the film till the final few minutes where the whole storyline is resolved by revealing that the main character is the son of God who created the world 4000 years ago and loves everybody.The film was so boring that the only reason I kept watching was that big IMDb rating. I figured it had to start getting good sometime soon. It didn't. And when the punchline was delivered I felt so cheated I wanted to throw a brick through the TV screen.In future I'll know not to trust IMDb ratings when the number of voters is so low.Here endeth the lesson.
Bizarrely cool
posted on 26 May 2009There's a very neat story in this movie, and it's one of those movies where you have to put reality on pause and just enjoy the ride. At first it's a bit confusing and somewhat eerie, which is always good to see in a movie, it's nice to have to wait for an answer sometimes and put things together, instead of just be given an answer to everything.The acting is pretty good with a few funny quotes in it. There was one part that stood out to me that wasn't really necessary, a little song routine. But it was pretty minimal in the great scheme of the whole movie.Hope people will check this movie out, it might not be the best movie out there, but it's definitely worth a rent.
After watching it, my Koala bear created a hurricane...
posted on 24 May 2009... even stronger than Ivan.All kidding aside, this is a movie that starts with great expectations and totally fails to deliver on them!I'm sure that in the heads of the writer/director and of the producers it created an image of a very exciting and interesting story, but unfortunately it was imagined and was not materialized in the film.The idea of supernaturals beings is treated terribly mishandled and the ending will disappoint almost everybody.I'm curious what the test audience had to say about it? The characters were nice, but how can anybody find the lack of a story acceptable?
Thought Provoking
posted on 20 May 2009Here's what I came away with: The universe is nothing more than a story running through God's mind. We are characters that it has dreamed into existence, and we exist solely at it's whim, just as a writer creates characters, moves them around, changes plots until he/she has come away with something satisfactory. God decided to inject itself into this particular story, as it sometimes does. Hope Davis' character felt to me like God's subconscious, telling it to leave the story, that it ends up causing more trouble than not when it involves itself in the plot (indictment on the various prophets that have come and gone and maybe on organized religion as a whole?). I'll admit that I haven't taken the time to explore all the possible metaphors or even to substantiate the ones that I've drawn, but it just all came together for me personally in the final scene when the universe unraveled (yet again, for the umpteenth gazillion time, one presumes) and then burst forth again as a new story line in God's mind. And I thought to myself, before I even realized/remembered the song from the first scene, "Is that all there is?".This movie touched me very deeply. I thought it articulated some difficult/heavy concepts in a really subtle, honest way, and I while I felt that the entire film was very well cast, I thought that Ryan Reynolds was brilliant (never thought I'd attach that adjective to his name).
The Nines Keeps You Guessing Till The Very End
posted on 02 May 2009The Nines tells three short stories, the first of about an actor who is under house arrest after flipping over his car, the second is about a writer who's pilot TV show is in jeopardy and the last deals with a video game designer lost in the woods after his car breaks down. All three stories are told with the same actors.When I first heard about The Nines, everyone was raving about how original it was and how it was like nothing they have ever seen before. So obviously it peeked my interest. After finally watching the film, I can see where it gets it's praise, but don't fully understand why it's getting so much of it. Yes, The Nines is original and keeps you guessing until the very end, but the pay off isn't as good as the rest of the film.This is John August's directorial debut, if you don't know who August is, he's the writer of such films like Big Fish, Corpse Bride and Go. The Nines is another impressive entry to his already good resume. It seems that August was confident enough to tackle this big project. I applaud him ambitions. He didn't fail by any means, but he didn't blow me away either. It is always a love hate relationship when the writer is the director. When it works, you get Pulp Fiction, when it doesn't you get Blade Trinity. When the writer is the director, he knows exactly what he wants, he knows the characters inside out and how to bring everything together. The Nines doesn't seem to fall into either category, it seems to sit on the fence.Ryan Reynolds proves again that he has more range then people give him credit for. He might have painted himself into a corner with Van Wilder and Waiting, but he seems to be slowly breaking free of it. He showed range at the very end of Smoking Aces and in the recent rom com Definitely Maybe. With The Nines he again proves why he is underestimated and will bring greater things in the future. Reynolds plays the lead in all three shorts. We see him as a crack addicted actor, gay writer and family man video game designer. While he doesn't blow you away with his performance, he does manage to capture you and bring you along for the ride from start to finish.Hope Davis appears here in a supporting role, again playing three different characters in all three shorts. She manages to get so much across the screen by doing so little. A look here or move there and you know exactly what she is thinking. Melissa McCarthy plays herself in one segment, I think she had the hardest job. She has to be bubbly, scared, mean and informative.The three segments are all shot differently. The first segment, titled The Prisoner, showcases bright reds and yellows and was shot on 16mm. The second segment, titles reality television is shot on video. The entire segment plays out like a reality TV show as we follow Gavin (reynolds) and his troubles in trying to get his pilot on air. The third and final segment, titled Knowing, is darker and shot on 35mm. The third segment has the same title as the pilot that Gavin in the second segment is writing. Even the same events take place. Without giving too much away, all three segment interconnect with each other. But not exactly in a way you want or think.If you are confused after watching the film, join the club. I knew what happened and sort of got some things, but had to read up on it to see what others thought to finally connect the dots. The films does a very good job of teasing the viewer with bits of information and bringing them along asking questions left right and centre. As the film concludes you sit there wondering if you are satisfied or not. I still do not know really. I like the idea behind the film and the presentation was nice, but the way they dragged us along seemed like it would amount to something bigger, something deeper, something more then what we are ultimately given.The film doesn't answer everything and it doesn't need to. It's a film that leaves it's answers up to the viewer, to make whatever assumptions they want. But even this isn't satisfying enough. I guess because all the hype I head prior, I expected more. If you go into it not knowing anything about it, you will be pleasantly surprised.
So good!
posted on 02 May 2009The Nines is wonderful. Echoing the other reviews, it is difficult to discuss the plot without giving too much away. Basically, it is made up of three parts of what I consider to be the same story. The connections between the three stories are gradually revealed in often eerie ways. The twist precedes the last part of the film, which further develops the new information the viewer has been given. The Gnostic undertones make this a film that many traditional Christians might consider offensive or blasphemous, but with that caveat aside, this is really something that makes you think.The acting here is amazing. Each emotion seems very real and can be felt by the viewer. The writing is superb and witty. The Nines is at once funny, trippy, creepy, sad, musical, and most importantly, mind-blowing. My only complaint is that the second part, though necessary, kind of presents a bit of a lull at times. By the time the third part rolls around, though, this is more than forgiven. This is a new favorite of mine, and is recommended to any fan of original, cerebral movies.
Big Waste of Time
posted on 30 Apr 2009I did not care for this boring uninspired film. If you are not a woman or over the age of 16, and not gay; you will almost assuredly not like this movie. At the start I thought it was interesting, even as the scenes transitioned and the plot started trickling, I still was game. It was when the main concept was revealed and the setting switches for the first time that I understood the lack of polish this movie received. There was nothing put out there to infer, by yourself, the direction the plot would take, and thats because such a story was excreted from the laziest pen pusher of the most conglomerated Hollywood hacks. Either that or it was written by a college student that watch hitchhiker's guide one to many times and smoked some bad stuff or perhaps it was written by ryan himself. lol. Also how does Ryan Reynolds continues finding work as a drama actor or anything other than comedy? Anyone? Bottom line watching this drivel makes me suspicious of movies whose plots I know nothing about, Can you believe this.... thing got almost a 7 average score?
The Nines is a computer game movie base on The Sims 2
posted on 26 Apr 2009First of all I have not watch this movie yet.There have been words spreading in the Sims 2 players community of a Sims 2 movie coming to theater for some time now, with great expectation from the hardcore fans like myself, while at the same time, many also think it will turn out a very bad movie. Well, if you play the game, you'll understand why people would perceived it to be a bad movie, because they do not see the potential of creating a good script with a game where the player controls the life of the "pixel characters".However, looking at the comments here on internet movie database, it just may have turn out to be a good movie after all.I have only watched the trailer, there's one tiny detailed that confirm for me that The Nines is in fact based on The Sims 2 Game, the prism thing floating on top of the people head is a classic Sims 2 trade mark. Green means you are happy, white/platinum if you die while having the platinum on top of your head means you've had a good life.So since no one has mention this I thought I share this with everyone here about the nines being based on The Sims 2 game.
"Look for the nines"
posted on 20 Apr 2009The premise is wonderful and challenging to many of our preconceived notions. The performances are wonderful. Both Ryan Reynolds and Hope Davis portray each of their characters believably and beautifully. Melissa McCarthy is extraordinary, but occasionally seems to stumble on screen, though only momentarily.However, this film, with all its greatness spills over into pretension. This wouldn't matter except for there are fundamental elements that feel underdeveloped. The end is adequate but seems less of a interpretive conclusion than a rushed, somewhat mumbled explanation. But that very well could have been the point.
A swing and a miss
posted on 30 Aug 2009The movie tries hard to make a grand metaphysical statement, but crams it into the last 15 minutes with the barest explanation. My wife and I were left scratching our heads. We both liked "Mulholland Drive," with which "The Nines" shares some similarities (multiple story lines, disorienting shifts of perception, realities that may exist in a character's head). But "The Nines" aims higher than the Lynch film, trying to make a sweeping statement about reality and even the soul. Unfortunately, it falls flat. I wouldn't call the movie a complete waste of time. There are some engaging performances, particularly the blond supporting actress (whose name escapes me). The movie was only 1 hour and 39 minutes. I would rather the director have spent another 10-15 minutes exploring the "surprise" he drops at the film's end. Or perhaps the concept was half-baked to start with.