The Voices – Movie Review (4/5)

The Voices is a horror-comedy that works really well! You’ll laugh, jump, learn, and be creeped out. All while being entertained by the cast with Ryan Reynolds as the stand-out star of The Voices.

You will definitely be getting a very different kind of thriller and horror-comedy, when you watch The Voices. But that’s a good thing and I found several scenes staying with me long after the movie was over. At the very heart of it, this is a movie about mental illness, and how to deal with it… or actually, how it can take over your entire life in a terrible way, when you refuse to deal with it.

In The Voices, we’re follwing the life of  Jerry (Ryan Reynolds), who’s living in his own little world. But the question quickly becomes; How much of his world is real and how much of what we see is actually only in his head?!

Reynolds’ perfect comic timing combined with his ability to act his heart out, is the combination required for this character. And he nails it! Jerry is a total sweetheart, and just the kindest and most helpful person, but you can tell something more is lurking right under the surface.

Ryan Reynolds and a brilliant supporting cast

There can be no doubt that this is Ryan Reynolds’ movie. Besides playing Jerry, he voices all the animals (yes, he talks to his pets and they talk back to him), so he really is the majority of the movie.

However, the supporting cast is definitely doing their part as well. Especially Gemma Arterton – who was amazing in The Disappearance of Alice Creed – is doing a perfect job here. Also, both Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Up In The Air) and Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) are spot-on in their scenes.

Director Marjane Satrapi

The Voices was directed by Marjane Satrapi – who had a pretty significant break-through with her autobiographical animated movie Persopolis back in 2007.

When you have an Iranian woman directing an American produced horror movie, the result can only be different from the norm. Which is a good thing!

And then there’s the added bonus of a script by Michael R. Perry, who co-wrote the script for Paranormal Activity 2. Also, he worked on various TV shows such as The Dead Zone, The Guardian, and New York Blues. He even won an Emmy for his work on the latter back in 1997.

A horror-comedy about a serious matter

There’s a very distinct tone throughout the movie and it works extremely well in mixing the horror and comedy. Even while also giving us a very serious story about the challenges of mental illness. 

The Voices works because you never quite know what to expect. But you certainly know something is very wrong when the main character is talking to his pets; One is a big clumsy dog and the other a cat with a Scottish accent. The two pets are basically the embodiment of the angel and devil sitting on his shoulders.

You find yourself being slightly off balance while watching this, which means you have to surrender completely to the premise of the movie. Always a win in my book!

The Voices is out on DVD, Blu-Ray and On Demand

Details

Director: Marjane Satrapi
Writer: Michael R. Perry
Cast:  Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick