This week, things get a little bleak. I’ve been into the indie scene more and more recently, and that brought me across this wonderfully horrific trailer for the dark comedy “The Voices.”
This star-studded indie boasts a cast of A-list proportions, lead by Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver. Naturally, I was skeptical of anything that has Ryan Reynolds at the forefront, but I gave this one a chance, and I was pleasantly surprised!
The first thing we notice is that Reynolds’ character Jerry is a social outcast, but in a quirky, lovable kind of way. This was instantly a nice change of pace for Reynolds as an actor since I feel that we typically see him playing douchey characters. Jerry leads a pretty boring life from the looks of it, with the same routines we’re all used to, consisting of a clock in, clock out, nine-to-five job and…pets. One dog. One cat. For one man. Hm.
Jerry is also seeing a psychologist, Dr. Warren (Weaver) who asks Jerry if he hears voices. Cut to scenes of Jerry having full blown conversations with his dog Bosco and cat Mr. Whiskers (both voiced by Reynolds himself). The pets tell Jerry to do horrible things, thus brining about the darkness in this dark comedy. Jerry is apparently some sort of chick magnet, with the likes of hotties Fiona (Arterton) and Lisa (Kendrick) simultaneously swooning over him. Well, that doesn’t last long before they both get the axe and next thing we know, Reynolds is a killer at the demands of Bosco and Mr. Whiskers.
The trailer is well-timed and hits the marks at the right times. It’s pretty hysterical, even though you might feel slightly uneasy for laughing at such dark material. However, Reynolds looks to be in rare form, meaning he doesn’t play a character that completely makes me hate him. Even though he’s a murderer, Jerry seems so innocent and out of control that you can’t help but feel bad for him. Reynolds is also showing off some new talents in the voiceover departments. The voices of Bosco and Mr. Whiskers alone are enough to make you laugh out loud, on top of the combination of characters, it all makes for an original and exciting idea!
What do you guys think? Are the voices telling you to wait for Redbox for this one? Well, it’s already in theatres, so check it out!