Chaos Theory
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: April 11, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
11
Negative:
3
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The performances and Marcos Siega’s direction put a pleasing sheen on the material. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
By creating likable characters and putting them in situations that seem plausible, if a bit of a stretch, the film succeeds where others of its genre fail. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
When you watch Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, there's often a sense that you're not just watching him perform in a movie, you're watching the next stage of his unfolding career plan. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
"Maybe" was watchable and blandly pleasant; "Theory" is a smidgen better than that, if not the cruelly funny farce the movie's best impulses and its own trailer would have you believe. Read full review
60
VarietyDennis Harvey
The lead performers, the brighter fillips in Daniel Taplitz’s screenplay and Marcos Siega’s (“Pretty Persuasion”) assured direction make this a pleasing item overall. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick Pinkerton
Reynolds, called to 180 from anal nebbish to feral beast, is beautifully committed, but he gets no help on the other side of the camera. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Atonal romantic comedy. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
With a title like Chaos Theory, one might expect a little runaway energy or a dash of wild spirit under the antics, but there's little punchy anarchy in this controlled experiment. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
The comic scenes can be arch or shrill, but director Marcos Siega (Pretty Persuasion) does better when the story turns somber and the emotions feel genuine. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesMark Olsen
Not exactly bad, but it disappointingly never really discovers the movie that it wants to be. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
Peddles the usual carpe diem movie bunk. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
The picture continuously shuffles moods like tunes on an iPod without ever making any lasting commitments. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
The big reason Chaos Theory doesn't work is that the gears are visibly grinding away, cranking out neat little ironies and life lessons without any liberating surprises. Read full review
40
The New York TimesLaura Kern
A predictable romantic dramedy that isn’t particularly tender, moving or amusing, Chaos Theory suffers first and foremost from featuring the least engaging couple to headline a movie in some time. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
The kind of movie designed more for a has-been than a potential leading man, this slapdash dramatic comedy fits the now-established pattern perfectly: Your (Ryan Reynolds) committed performance is the sole reason to see it. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Chaos Theory stumbles from one contrived circumstance to the next, and there's not a moment in this entire mess that conveys any sort of genuine human emotion or reaction. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
In Chaos Theory, Reynolds's performance is taut, crabby and tense. And his beard and glasses, which intensify those already narrow eyes, suggest a mad bomb-builder rather than a hapless soul with whom we can identify. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle Smith
The audience, if any, for Chaos Theory is going to be hit with a little puff of celluloid flatulence. The movie won't linger in the air, but that doesn't make it any less embarrassing. Read full review
More From This Movie

44 Critic Reviews

7.1 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL