What the Heck Is ‘The Butterfly Effect’?

I love the concept of The Butterfly Effect. The idea that even the smallest of our actions can affect our futures greatly is fascinating. This film could have explored this idea in a cinematic way, but instead, it chose to confuse its audience with what kind of movie it was, overshadowing what’s a really cool concept.

Maybe it’s because I have a hard time taking Ashton Kutcher seriously. Maybe the subject matter is just too intense. A combination of elements made it so I truly don’t know how to classify this movie. It’s comedic at times, but not funny enough to be a lighthearted comedy. There are dramatic moments, but they are always undermined by some of the stupidest scenes I’ve ever seen.

What was everyone thinking on this movie?

Some Pretty Heavy Stuff

The Butterfly Effect gets really dark really quickly. Our main character, Evan Treborn (Kutcher), has repressed memories of sexual abuse, violent events, and psychopathic friends. As the film progresses, we explore each of these events in more detail, which only serves to drive Evan insane.

Like I said, trying to imagine the guy from That 70s Show being dramatic in any way is hard. Kutcher isn’t believable enough to make me forget all the other comedic roles he’s been in over the years. He has too goofy a demeanor and is too quick to smile to make me believe that he could pull off something more dramatic.

Plus, this is some heavy subject matter. The Butterfly Effect hits you over the head with all its trauma all at once. It’s morbid instead of dramatic, and I don’t want to keep reliving it the way Evan has to in order to change his future. It’s just painful and edgy just to be edgy.

Well, That Was Dumb

I found myself saying “That was pretty stupid,” after quite a few scenes. The one that stands out the most and prompted me to write about it was this scene right here:

I’ve rewatched this video more times than I’d like to admit. It’s just so ridiculously and unintentionally funny. What a weird thing to say; why did she offer him a granola bar thinking it would make him feel better? Why didn’t she hand it to him in a way that she knew he would be able to easily grab it? If she’s been living with him and his disability all these years, why is she acting like this is the first time she’s noticed?

This was followed by a reveal that our psychopathic character is an ultra-religious guy in this timeline, which I found hilarious. The 180 turn from all other timelines where he ends up a violent criminal was so jarring that instead of finding it fascinating, I found it funny. Evan tries to end this timeline by killing himself, which brought the lighthearted mood crashing down, right when I was starting to enjoy it. This movie wasn’t going to let me have anything, was it?

Manufactured Drama

The Butterfly Effect is actually more dramatic than it needed to be because our main character is so stupid. Maybe I’m the only one, but I saw so many different ways out of this that didn’t involve Evan leaving Kayleigh’s (Amy Smart) life forever. There is definitely a timeline where the two of them are together and happy, but Evan is too blind to see it.

He didn’t need to go back in time and destroy the explosive that killed the woman and baby when they were younger. He needed to get to just before the woman and baby arrived, take the explosive (which we know wasn’t going to explode until after the woman and baby arrived), and put it out. It was as simple as that. Then he would make peace with Kayleigh’s psychopath brother, Tommy (William Lee Scott), and give more support to his insecure friend, Lenny (Elden Henson), and everything would have been okay.

He gave up too quickly on his plans and really should have been more like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day — just trying and trying again to affect the outcome. Now that’s a movie that knows if it’s a comedy or a drama. Unlike The Butterfly Effect which throws you in the deep end of human drama and then gives us Ashton Kutcher as an airheaded frat boy.

You Can’t Have It Both Ways

There are very few movies that can toe the line between comedy and drama well. Steel Magnolias comes to mind; that’s a film that knows it’s going to break people’s hearts but also leave them laughing through the tears. The Butterfly Effect just left me crying from an indiscernible emotion that I can best describe as frustration.

The fact that Evan ends up as a single businessman who schedules dinner plans with his mother is laughable. Are we supposed to be proud of him? Or are we supposed to roll our eyes at how quickly he gave up on his future? Either way, it’s both not very funny and not very emotionally effective.

The Butterfly Effect needed to pick a side. Trying to ride the fence between comedy and drama just didn’t work out in this case. The only thing I’m going to remember from this movie years down the road is that ridiculous granola bar scene.

Follow MovieBabble on Twitter @MovieBabble_ and Kali Tuttle @tuttle_kali2.

Thank you for reading! What are your thoughts on The Butterfly Effect? Comment down below!

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to MovieBabble via email to stay up to date on our latest work.

Join MovieBabble on Patreon so that new content will always be possible.