A film you think about long after it has ended

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2005)

I agree with the other user who commented that the critics missed the boat on this one. I read some of the external reviews from the links on this site. Most of the critics seem to have wanted to give the film a bad review because they dislike Ashton Kutcher, who played the lead character, Evan. Peter Travers from Rolling Stone was particularly vicious in his review. I rented the movie with some reservations because I had read about some of the disturbing scenes at the beginning. I came into it, however, with no preconceived prejudice against Ashton Kutcher. The premise of the film was interesting to me, so I decided to see it and I'm glad I did. Although the incidents that took place in Evan's childhood were very disturbing, there was actually no on screen violence. The movie held my attention from beginning to end. With each change he made to past events, it was interesting to see what impact that had on future events. As for Ashton Kutcher, he did an outstanding job in this film. He had quite a range of emotions and behaved differently in each scenario. He was completely convincing in every scene. I found it interesting that one critic said he couldn't handle a dramatic role the way comedian Bill Murray could. I like Bill Murray, but this role was certainly more challenging than Bill Murray's one note deadbeat performance in "Lost in Translation". Amy Smart was also excellent in her various incarnations, from socialite sorority girl, to downtrodden waitress to down and out crack whore. I strongly recommend this movie. It will make you think about how "The Butterfly Effect" could have influenced events in your own life.