Written September 6, 2007
REALLY intriguing (but a bit of a cheeseball ending)
Extremely well-written, John August should be commended for another thrilling, tri-segmented plot a la GO. Ryan Reynolds is the true surprise, carrying the film on his shoulders in a manner (having only seen him in VAN WILDER and JUST FRIENDS) that I did NOT expect. Melissa McCarthy was excellent -- her publicist character was particularly great -- and Hope Davis as the Development VP in the second part was absolutely terrific. Clearly inspired by real people.
Ultimately, I think the film suffers from a botched resolution. Like SUNSHINE (from earlier this year), I felt like all of the potential simply loses steam towards the end of the film. I guess it's just all wrapped up a little too neatly for me -- particularly the final scene with Melissa McCarthy and Elle Fanning making pancakes.
Cheeseball.
But overall, THE NINES is such a refreshing break from the poorly written/acted/directed summer blockbusters (ahem, TRANSFORMERS) that this is a must go in my book.
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