THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT is a frustrating film that, while laughably bad, is
based on an intriguing premise. Something like a bad version of BEDAZZLED
but with nightmares instead of wishes and with Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart
(ROAD TRIP) replacing the much better lovebirds, Brendan Fraser and Frances
O'Connor; the story concerns a guy named Evan Treborn (Kutcher) who suffers
severe blackouts.
During these times in his own personal black hole, bad, really bad things
happen to Evan and his buddies: Kayleigh, Lenny and Tommy. (John Patrick
Amedori plays Evan at age 13 and Logan Lerman plays him at age 8. Smart
plays the grownup Kayleigh.) When Evan wakes -- with a bad headache -- he
sees the disasters which have just occurred and for which he is frequently
blamed. The movie's overcooked plot and it's penchant for sudden loud
noises will undoubtedly give you headaches too.
The story gets more convoluted still when Evan realizes that, by reading in
his old journals and concentrating on the past, he can go back in time and
"fix" the problems of his childhood. Since one of these problems caused the
death of a friend, there is motivation for his time travel. (His father,
whose permanent home is the loony bin, suffers the same affliction as his
son, but this whole part of the story line is a narrative dead end.)
Yes, you guessed it! Altering the past messes up the present in truly
horrible ways. Even Tommy, the demented little kid whom we witness hitting
people hard with lead pipes and burning a dog alive, changes in each
iteration, as does his sister Kayleigh, a homely girl who appears destined
to work at a dead-end job at the local diner.
Every time you're just about ready to give up completely on this schlocky
movie with its ridiculous lines and sloppy logic, it up and does something
worthwhile that sucks you back in. But, not to worry, you'll soon be
laughing at it, and I do mean "at" it again. It may come as no surprise
when I tell you the credentials of the filmmakers. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT is
written and directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, whose only other
credits are as the writers of FINAL DESTINATION 2. This second effort of
theirs is much better than their first but that isn't exactly a huge
compliment.
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT runs 1:53. The film is rated R for "violence, sexual
content, language and brief drug use" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
Copyright © 2004 Steve Rhodes
out of 4
