The Butterfly Effect
Short description
Evan Treborn grew up unable to recall stretches of his childhood, blackouts that coincided with disturbing events. As a college student he finds that reading the diaries he kept as a boy sends him back into his younger self, letting him relive those missing moments and alter what happened. He tries to repair the damage done to the people closest to him, among them his childhood friend Kayleigh, but each intervention reshapes the present in ways he did not intend, and the consequences mount with every attempt to set things right.
The science fiction thriller was released in 2004 and marked the directing debut of Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, who also wrote the screenplay; Bress went on to direct Ghosts of War in 2020. Ashton Kutcher leads as Evan, with Amy Smart as Kayleigh, Melora Walters, Elden Henson, William Lee Scott and Eric Stoltz in supporting roles. Made for about 13 million dollars, it took in roughly 96 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget.
Audiences rate it 7.6 out of 10 on both IMDb, across more than 554,000 votes, and TMDB. That sits well above the critics' rating of 4.9 out of 10 from 169 reviews, a gap that suggests the film found a more favourable response among viewers than among reviewers.
What's left behind the scenes
- There are several versions of the ending, in ascending order of "happiness": Director's Cut. Evan kills himself in his mother's womb, tightening the umbilical cord around his neck. It was considered the main one until a test screening, where the audience was horrified, and the creators decided to show a different ending. Official theatrical release. The main characters look around in turn and go their separate ways. Open ending. Evan turns around and follows Kelly. Happy ending. Turning around simultaneously, Kelly and Evan meet.
- The film is dedicated to the memory of Amanda Moses.
- At the cinema, children are watching the film "Se7en" (1995).
- As a nod to Ray Bradbury, one can note the "Bradbury University" pennant on the wall in Evan's room.
- Actor Elden Henson, who played Lenny, initially participated in filming scenes that occurred later in the timeline, where his character marries Kaylie and cares for the disabled Evan. This was done to give Elden time to gain around 20 pounds for filming other scenes, in which his character descends into madness. The actor needed only a month to gain the necessary weight.
- The film's title was taken from the title of one of the chapters of the so-called "Chaos Theory," which explores the question, "Can the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?"
- In preparation for his role, Ashton Kutcher devoted considerable time to studying psychology, emotional and psychological trauma, and chaos theory.
- The film's release was postponed several times. It was originally slated for release in April 2003, then in September of the same year, but did not premiere until January 22, 2004.
- Several posters of the iconic American punk band Blink-182 can be spotted in one of the film's scenes.
- In early versions of the script, the main character was named Chris Treborn. Later, the main character's name was changed to Evan. If you move the first letter of the surname to the end of the name, then when translated into Russian, this verbal construction (Event Reborn) will sound like 'Event Reborn' or 'Reshaping Events'.
- Evan's diary covers are very similar to the diary covers of John Doe, the protagonist of the thriller 'Se7en'.
- One of the paintings hanging above Evan's bed in his dorm room is a reproduction of Salvador Dalí's "Dream" (1937).
- The role of Kaylie could have gone to Elle Larter.
- Joshua Jackson and Sean William Scott auditioned for the role of Evan.
- Filming began on June 3, 2002, in Vancouver with a budget of $13 million and wrapped on July 31 of the same year.
- Many people read the screenplay, but there weren't many who wanted to bring what they read to the screen. The situation changed only after the screenplay fell into the hands of Ashton Kutcher. The actor was so impressed with what he read that he agreed to become one of the producers and allocate some of his own money to launch the project.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
