Thursday, January 22, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Film: Hack to the future

Talentless Ashton Kutcher can't shoulder The Butterfly Effect's time-warping burdens

By Tammy McMahan

Chaos theory has strangely captivating, confounding aspects. One of the theory's propositions, the "butterfly effect," holds that something as seemingly inconsequential as the flapping of a butterfly's wings in China might manifest in complex, unpredictable results like a hurricane in Florida.

Like the concept, Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber's film The Butterfly Effect is a mindbender about reality's nature. But this dark, convoluted work--in which a man tries exorcising traumatic memories by traveling back in time to alter the course of events--suffers mightily because of Ashton Kutcher's inadequacy in shouldering the heavy burdens of his character, Evan Treborn.

Evan's childhood was a succession of tragedies. His insane, institutionalized father (Callum Keith Rennie) violently attacks the 8-year-old (Logan Lerman) during a visit. His overworked mother (Melora Walters) inadvertently places him in the care of a predatory friend, George (Eric Stoltz), who also abuses his own children Kayleigh (Sarah Widdows) and Tommy (Cameron Crigger). The boy's memories of these events are sketchy since he habitually blacks out during painful interludes. Although he keeps journals in an attempt to recapture them, Evan's condition doesn't improve and the darkness around him continues to swirl.

As a teen (John Patrick Amedori), Evan is terrorized by Tommy (Jesse James), whose malevolence knows no bounds. He's haunted by a prank that goes horribly awry and emotionally scars another friend, Lenny (Kevin Schmidt).

Years later, Evan (Kutcher, Kelso on "That '70s Show") is a successful college student but a psychically disconnected soul. He revisits Kayleigh (Amy Smart) and Lenny (Elden Henson), finding them lost and broken. Tommy's black-hearted presence is also made known. The jarring reunions prompt Evan to reopen his long-closed journals and, either by an inexplicable twist of fate or sheer force of will, he goes back in time to confront George.

Returning to the present, he finds reality apparently changed for the better, but disasters soon erupt. Evan repeatedly goes back in time to set things right, only to find that his manipulations simultaneously bring happiness and wreak havoc. With each temporal trip, Evan's sanity disintegrates further, as he desperately seeks the "butterfly effect" that will heal the fractured past.

The relationship of history and destiny to humankind's attempts to alter them has been addressed in countless films, including Altered States, Somewhere in Time, Memento and Darren Aronofsky's ¹. And given the likely taste of Kutcher fans, Bress and Gruber (who co-wrote Final Destination 2) make a bold, distinctive mark with this time travel morality tale. Their directorial debut is a study of darkness--mental breakdowns, pedophilia and brutal violence--themes that give the film a measure of gravity and depth.

But Kutcher partially thwarts the filmmakers' intent by doing his best "Kelso tries out for a dramatic role" impersonation. While Evan is cracking under the weight of navigating the worlds he's created, Ashton's fumbling tentativeness and over-the-top mannerisms strongly suggest he can't handle the part. Demi Moore's paramour simply cannot express Evan's infinitely complex torments and sensitivities.

Kutcher's incompetence is all the more evident when he interacts with Smart. She's an acting lightweight, but she convincingly relates despair, joy and empathy in her various incarnations. Another honorable mention goes to James, who, as the teenage Tommy, is teeth-shatter terrifying. As Evan's corpulent, goth sex-machine roommate, Ethan Suplee is fascinating if nothing else. But the adult Lennys and Tommys found in the various alternate universes are broadly, blandly outlined and uninterestingly played (by Henson and William Lee Scott, respectively).

Although this story might have been wholly gripping, and as enigmatic as chaos theory, a deficient lead and lackluster support are broken-winged butterflies that diminish it.
"Well, I asked for a grande double mocha skinny iced latte, and the guy gave me a wedgie."