Chaos Theory

Frank Allen, played by Ryan Reynolds, makes a living teaching time management, and his life runs on a clock to the minute. Every morning he follows a rigid routine, every task slotted and timed. After his wife Susan, played by Emily Mortimer, secretly advances his clock by ten minutes as a prank, his meticulous schedule collapses. Frustrated that order has brought him only stress, Frank abandons rigid control and tries a new method: he writes simple choices on index cards, picks one at random, and carries it out. The experiment upends his day, testing his marriage, his job, and his devotion to his seven-year-old daughter Jesse as the world tilts.

Directed by Marcos Siega and written by Daniel Taplitz, Chaos Theory arrived in 2007 as a light romantic comedy built around a single provocative premise. The film uses quick dialogue and pragmatic humor to explore randomness in life for viewers.

Critics offered mixed verdicts on the premise, noting that swapping control for chance can spark sharp dialogue while sometimes stalling under its own weight. Reynolds and Mortimer supply lively chemistry that keeps the romance feeling sincere. A few viewers appreciate the playful risk, while others wish for sharper pacing.

Overall the film has little lasting imprint on pop culture. It rarely yields quotable lines or iconic scenes, and its offbeat premise remains a curiosity for fans of mid 2000s romcoms rather than a widespread influence. It is mostly remembered by fans of the concept.