The Butterfly Effect (2004)

Directors: Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Melora Walters, Amy Smart, Elden Henson, William Lee Scott, John Patrick Amedori, Irene Gorovaia, Kevin G. Schmidt, Jesse James, Logan Lerman, Sarah Widdows, Jake Kaese, Cameron Bright, Eric Stoltz, Ethan Suplee

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Change one thing, Change everything.

Plot: Evan Treborn grows up in a small town with his single, working mother and his friends. He suffers from memory blackouts where he suddenly finds himself somewhere else, confused. Evan's friends and mother hardly believe him, thinking he makes it up just to get out of trouble. As Evan grows up he has fewer of these blackouts until he seems to have recovered. Since the age of seven he has written a diary of his blackout moments so he can remember what happens. One day at college he starts to read one of his old diaries, and suddenly a flashback hits him like a brick!

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? No.

NICE!  I'd heard this was a decent movie but I stayed away from it because of Ashton Kutcher.  He does a fine job in this.  I'm stunned.  The dude's got chops.  It must have been a young actor's treat for the main players to play a character but in different ways depending on Evan's (Kutcher) current place.  At first the sudden shifts in the story are bizarre but it doesn't take long to figure out what's going on.  Then it's a matter of how is he going to change it now.  Then there's the ending.  I like how it's left open for interpretation.  There's a valid argument for either viewpoint.  Fine score by Michael Suby but I was disappointed that the credits began with a stupid pop song.  Continuing the orchestral score would have worked even better.  I didn't even recognize Ethan Suplee but I did recognize his voice.  Boy has he lost a lot of weight since then.