Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Chaos Theory

Play trailer Poster for Chaos Theory PG-13 Released Apr 11, 2008 1h 28m Comedy Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
30% Tomatometer 60 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Celebrated author and efficiency expert Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) has always lived in step with a well-planned series of lists and timetables. His wife (Emily Mortimer) decides to play a joke on him and sets his clock back 10 minutes, but the consequences are far greater than expected. As Frank's well-ordered existence unravels, he opens up to the randomness of life.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Ryan Reynolds and Emily Mortimer do what they can, but ultimately Chaos Theory is an overly conventional dramedy.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (60) Critics Reviews
Stephen Garrett Time Out Rated: 2/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Dennis Harvey Variety The lead performers, the brighter fillips in Daniel Taplitz's screenplay and Marcos Siega's assured direction make this a pleasing item overall. Oct 18, 2008 Full Review John Anderson Newsday If actor Ryan Reynolds isn't careful, he's going to parlay his good looks and engaging presence into a full-time job as a game-show host. Rated: 2/4 Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Doesn't have enough humor to be a well-rounded comedy, nor does it have enough tragedy to be an adequately heavy-hitting drama. Rated: 3/10 Nov 28, 2020 Full Review Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews Rated: C+ Jan 24, 2012 Full Review Cole Abaius Film School Rejects Rated: A Jan 24, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
Midd P New title: "How to gaslight a sucker into marrying a cheater because you didn't want to be the only one (and your not-daughter has already made a fame for herself)." At least Ed won't be raising some other man's child... probably. All ships have ups and dows, relation-ships included. Go down enough an the ship sinks. Sometimes you get a fool of a "captain" that wants to go down with the ship because he'd rather sink himself than the costs already incurred in a commitment. If you actually love someone, even if you need a break from them, the downs never include "f*ck around, see what/who else is there". The only lesson to be had from this film is: Don't be Frank. Ever. All art criticism and whatever aside, only watch this if you want to see a man painfully take spoonful after spoonful of poop and smile, knowing all the while that the only reason you're getting to know anything of it is because he's trying to convince another guy that this is the right thing to do to himself. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/24 Full Review olivia h the movie had a nice concept, but ultimately flopped due to it being rather dry with no humor OR serious moments. yet it calls itself a "dramady." Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/23/24 Full Review alkis k no good lesson in this movie Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Did not finish @10 mins Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Great watch, will watch again, and do recommend. There is nothing like watching a good actor pretending to lose their mind, and Ryan Reynolds is a great actor, as far as I'm concerned. While I actually like both sides of his personality dilemma, the story is actually written in a way that you can feel bad for him, and he becomes humanized through it. I don't think the wife character is a bad person, but she's written in a way that makes the situation understandable. The whole movie has a thick atmosphere to it, it draws you in, and I forget I'm watching a movie for quite a bit of it. It might seem a bit contrived, but the story is masterful in a very unique, chaotic way. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Frances H I loved this flick that reminds us what makes people family is love and being there for each other. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/02/20 Full Review Read all reviews
Chaos Theory

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Lars and the Real Girl 81% 84% Lars and the Real Girl Watchlist (500) Days of Summer 86% 84% (500) Days of Summer Watchlist TRAILER for (500) Days of Summer Catch and Release 23% 55% Catch and Release Watchlist Elizabethtown 27% 66% Elizabethtown Watchlist TRAILER for Elizabethtown Definitely, Maybe 71% 72% Definitely, Maybe Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Celebrated author and efficiency expert Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) has always lived in step with a well-planned series of lists and timetables. His wife (Emily Mortimer) decides to play a joke on him and sets his clock back 10 minutes, but the consequences are far greater than expected. As Frank's well-ordered existence unravels, he opens up to the randomness of life.
Director
Marcos Siega
Producer
Frederic Golchan, Erica Westheimer
Screenwriter
Daniel Taplitz
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Lone Star
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Content|Mature Thematic Material|Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 11, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$238.0K
Runtime
1h 28m
Most Popular at Home Now