The Voices - Ryan Reynolds (1 Viewer)

Working from a screenplay by Paranormal Activity 2 scribe Michael R. Perry, Satrapi juxtaposes candy-colored 1950s surrealism with macabre ghoulishness, overwhelming audiences with Norman Rockwell-like perfection one moment, then shocking them with a gruesome crime scene straight out of Seven the next. The film even breaks into a spirited song-and-dance on a couple of occasions, further highlighting the incongruities between Jerry's disparate mental states.

Throughout it all, the one constant is Reynolds, whose performance as a mentally-disturbed and emotionally-fragile loner constantly at odds with his fractured psyche brings to mind Psycho's Norman Bates. Displaying impressive range, Reynolds bounces from drama to comedy, romance to horror, all at the drop of a hat, even lending his voice to Bosco and Mr. Whiskers, whom he bestows with a slow Southern drawl and a cranky Scottish brogue. He even manages to make his character truly relatable, which is no small feat, considering the extremely dark places the film goes to in its later acts.

As for Kendrick, Arterton and Weaver: they each bring remarkable depth and charisma to their roles, despite the relative brevity of their screen time. Ultimately though, one has to wonder how much of a draw this cast will be for moviegoers. Because despite the mainstream talent behind it, the movie itself — with its dark undertones and quirky execution — has niche appeal written all over it.

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