Kutcher finally plays serious in ‘The Butterfly Effect’

Ashley Busch / Reviewer

Ashton Kutcher, known for his comedic role as Kelso on Fox’s “That ‘70s Show” and as a fun-loving prankster of the stars on MTV’s “Punk’d,” makes his dramatic debut in this month’s “The Butterfly Effect.” He stars opposite Amy Smart, known from the movies “Road Trip” and “Varsity Blues,” Elden Henson (“Under the Tuscan Sun,” “The Mighty Ducks” trilogy), and Ethan Suplee (“Remember the Titans,” “Blow”). Other actors in the film include William Lee Scott, Eric Stoltz and Melora Walters.

Kutcher took on the role of executive producer for the movie. Written and directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, “The Butterfly Effect” is about a man who has the power to go into the past and attempt to reshape his future and the lives of those around him.

The title represents the chaos theory and explores how one little thing changed can create monumental changes in the long run.

I went in expecting to see the Ashton Kutcher that I continually see on MTV and Fox, or at least even a hint of the comedy that always makes me laugh, and was surprisingly impressed that that side of him was not present in the film. This is a serious, dramatic role for him. But he played it very well. The film was intense, dealing with the darker side of the human persona. The visuals were amazing and I sat on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. The plot was a wild ride, but started slowing down toward the end because something was always going wrong. Overall, I was impressed and the movie was worth paying to see.

The movie opens up in the past, showing Evan Treborn (Kutcher) as a child and various events that he has shared with his friends Kayleigh (Smart), Lenny (Henson) and Kayleigh’s brother Tommy (Lee Scott) throughout his childhood years. In those events, which provide different aspects of trauma to him and others, he experiences increments of time where he blacks out and cannot remember what occurred. Beginning at the age of 7, he is told to keep a journal and to write in it daily to help his memory.

The blackouts continue, however, and, at the age of 13, his mother (Walters) moves him to another town and away from Kayleigh. The movie then fast forwards to the present where Evan is 20 and in college. He begins reliving his childhood memories in their entirety and even finds that he can change the memories and reshape the present.

Startled by what he can finally remember, he goes back to the town of his childhood and visits Kayleigh to question her about the authenticity of his memories. The confrontation does not go over smoothly and Kayleigh commits suicide because she no longer wants to deal with the memories of her past. Evan then decides that he will go back into the past to create a better present and future for all of his friends. But every time Evan tries to change the past, something goes wrong with the people that he cares about and it does not turn out the way he wants it.

How many times does the “butterfly” have to “affect” his life in order for everything to be how he wants it? I’m sure not telling you here.

You’ll have to wait to the end just like everyone else.