Not as bad as you might think...

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2005)

When this came out in 2003 it was doomed. Nobody could take the idea of Ashton Kutcher (known just for comedy) in a serious sci-fi movie. Predictably it bombed at the box office. That's too bad because this is actually a very intriguing (if disturbing) film.
Evan (played as a 13 year old by John Patrick Amedon) does not have a happy childhood. His dad is in a mental institution; his mom has to work constantly to pay the bills and is never around; one of his best friends (Tommy) is a borderline psycho and Tommy's dad is a pedophile. Evan keeps having blackouts and keeps a journal from age 7 on to maybe help him. When he reaches college age (played by Kutcher) his life is a mess...but he finds he can go back in time (by reading his journals). He goes back and tries to change everything...but things get worse and worse. Soon he's spinning through alternate realities and losing his mind...
The story itself is intriguing and it's pulled off beautifully. I'm not a science fiction fan but this movie pulled me right in. The direction really puts this across--all the different realities are shot in different film stocks so you can tell where you are and the film never stops moving. And it did make me think--would I change anything if I could back in time? The acting is (almost) uniformly great. Amy Smart plays Kayleigh--Evan's girlfriend (sometimes). She has to play different variations on her character. Not an easy task but she pulls it off. Also William Lee Scott (playing Tommy) has to do the same and also does well. As for Kutcher--he isn't terrible but he's really not up for the role. He was OK but he needs to be more than that to put this across completely. He doesn't destroy the movie--he just lessens the impact. And Amedon deserves credit for playing Evan at 13--very well done.
This movie is disturbing. There are quite explicit dialogue about child abuse and Tommy's behavior as a child (brought on by his sick dad) is downright horrifying. This is NOT a movie for kids. It does have a happy ending--sort of. I'm giving this an 8--I might have given it a 10 with a better actor in the lead.
Recommended--just with reservations about Kutcher.