The Butterfly Effect (2004)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

Eric Bress
J. Mackye Gruber

Writers (WGA):

J. Mackye Gruber (written by) &
Eric Bress (written by)

Release Date:

23 January 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Change one thing, Change everything.

Plot:

A young man blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life.

Plot Keywords:

Blackout | Memory | Flashback | Child Pornography | Paranormal

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Ashton Kutcher	...	Evan
Melora Walters	...	Andrea
Amy Smart	...	Kayleigh
Elden Henson	...	Lenny
William Lee Scott	...	Tommy
John Patrick Amedori	...	Evan at 13
Irene Gorovaia	...	Kayleigh at 13
Kevin G. Schmidt	...	Lenny at 13
Jesse James	...	Tommy at 13
Logan Lerman	...	Evan at 7
Sarah Widdows	...	Kayleigh at 7
Jake Kaese	...	Lenny at 7
Cameron Bright	...	Tommy at 7
Eric Stoltz	...	Mr. Miller
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Jason

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug use. (also director's cut)

Runtime:

113 min | 120 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Brazil:14 | South Korea:18 | USA:R (No. 39664) | Canada:18A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG (edited for re-rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

BenderSpink

Trivia:

In the film, Melora Walters and Ashton Kutcher play mother and son. In real life, Walters is only ten years older than Kutcher.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The date on Tommy's tombstone stated he died April 1995. However, the movie they saw days before his "death", Se7en (1995), was not released until September 1995.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[reading aloud as he writes a note]
Evan: If anyone finds this, it means my plan didn't work and I'm already dead. But if I can somehow go back to the beginning of all of this, I might be able to save her.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Heroes: Chapter Seven 'Once Upon a Time in Texas' (#4.8)" (2009/II)

Soundtrack:

The Midnight Creep

a real surprise

I saw this intriguing film last night & was quite amaze at how much I enjoyed it.

The lead actor Ashton Kutcher, has made a name or himself on a Television show & a few films in comedic roles.

In THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, he gives a superb dramatic turn, I can foresee a big future for this young actor. Very few actors have excelled in both comedies & dramas. To name only 2, GLENN FORD & JACK LEMMON.

The female lead is played by Amy Smart, this is a multi part performance & she too is excellent. I have heard her name but cant place her in any film, Mark my word,We will see much more of her,

The rest of the cast are actors I did not recognize excerpt fort Eric Stolz, who plays Amy's father, The all are excellent.

The entire production is first rate all the way through.

This is a very complicated story of imagination, some real events & pure fantasy.

The last film of this type that impressed me this much was DONNIE DARKO. In fact both films would make a fantastic double bill,BUT it would be hard to sleep the night you saw both.

Like Donnie Darko, this is psychedelic fantasy, science fiction,horror story. This type film is rare & very hard to succeed.

The Butterfly Effect succeeds on all counts.

rating ***1/2 /4 points 90/100 IMDb 8