Review of Ryan Reynolds' Dark Comedy THE VOICES - Sundance '14
Ryan Reynolds plays a likable psychopath in his latest film project, The Voices. I knew this movie was going to be a dark comedy going in, but I didn't know just how dark it would be. It goes into some very black places, but at the same time you can't help laughing because it's seriously funny as hell. There's definitely a lot of uncomfortable laughter. Reynolds plays such a great character in this movie. He has to show a lot of range and be funny, dramatic, and psycho, and he pulls it off seamlessly. This could very well be one of Reynolds' best performances to date.
Reynolds plays a man named Jerry who is shaped into an extremely crazy individual due to some very traumatic experiences growing up. He lives a quiet life and works at a bathtub factory in a small town called Milton. From the outside he looks like your typical young bachelor, but he's far from typical. He owns a dog named Bosco and a cat named Mr. Whiskers that he talks to constantly about life, and even takes advice from them. Mr. Whiskers is kind of the hilarious comic relief In the movie and is trying to make Jerry do bad things. Bosco, on the other hand, is Jerry's voice of reason.
Things start to get out of control in Jerry's life when he takes steps up to try to go out on a date with his office crush Fiona, an attractive English girl from England. During a series of unfortunate events, a side comes out in Jerry that he starts to embrace, and it doesn't help that his cat is egging him on. This is just the of a very bizarre and twisted tale.
The film also stars Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick, who end up getting pulled into the madness of Jerry. The Voices isn't for everyone, as it's extremely bloody and very disturbing, but in the best possible way, especially if you kind of have a demented mind. While I was watching the movie, I couldn't help but think of Reynolds' character being a funnier, more twisted version of Norman Bates from Psycho.
The movie is extremely entertaining, but it is also so wrong on so many levels. If you think you can enjoy watching an insanely black comedy full of bloody scenes that a normal person might not want to see, them I'm sure you'll like the movie!
Official Synopsis:
The Voices deviously disorients the viewer by severely shifting tones throughout the film. Ryan Reynolds deftly handles the quirky role of Jerry and proves that, whether it be "buried" in a box (as he was in the Park City at Midnight film of the same name in 2010) or speaking with animals, he doesn’t shy away from unconventional roles. Director Marjane Satrapi, who burst onto the international film scene with Persepolis, makes her Sundance Film Festival debut with an intoxicating trip into a deranged world that is sure to shock and delight.