The wife and I were looking for something to watch the other evening and came across an odd little movie called The Voices starring Ryan Reynolds. We figured we’d give it a shot.
Warning! Spoilers ahead.
If you intend to watch this film at some point, you may want to skip the rest of this as I talk about a lot of things that happen in the movie.
Reynolds plays Jerry, a likeable guy who is an ordinary Joe. He wants to be happy, like everyone else. He has a crush on one of the girls in the accounting department at the mill he works at.
It is apparent from the beginning that Jerry has a few problems. He’s talking to his psychiatrist and she’s telling him how important it is for him to take his medications. He goes home and has conversations with his dog, who is very supportive, and his cat, who taunts Jerry and tells him that taking his meds is bad for him.
We want to see Jerry get the girl, because who doesn’t love a good underdog gets the girl story? He’s awkward, and the girl tries standing him up, but through a series of odd consequences, they end up driving together on a rainy night. They end up at the house where Jerry grew up, and we get flashbacks of Jerry’s abusive father.
Fiona, the girl is sympathetic, but as Jerry is driving her home, she gets upset and jumps out of the car, in the middle of the woods, and runs from Jerry. Jerry follows. Fiona trips, and Jerry running after her also trips, and ends up stabbing her accidentally. At least we assume it is accidental, until he starts profusely apologizing and stabbing her again each time he says “I’m sorry.” Ultimately he ends up cutting off her head and putting it in his refrigerator.
So, in addition to having conversations with his dog and cat, Jerry also starts having conversations with Fiona’s severed head.
She eggs Jerry on to go out and kill more people because she’s alone all day while he’s at work and doesn’t have anyone to talk to. You can probably guess what happens in the rest of the movie.
The movie is like watching a slow-motion car wreck. It just keeps getting creepier and yet you’ve invested too much into it to turn it off.
Is it a good movie? Well, depends on how you define a good movie. Reynolds does an excellent job acting. He’s likeable, but also twisted. As I’ve said, the movie keeps getting stranger and creepier as it goes along, and that carries you through the movie. It is a well made movie, and it sticks in your mind after you’ve watched it. Did I like it? I’m not sure. It is just so creepy that I don’t think it is one I’d watch again, but I think it was worth watching at least once.
If nothing else, it has a happy but creepy end credit sequence with an earworm that won’t get out of your head.
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