Music Review: Chaos Theory - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

It’s ironic that the lyrics of The Damwells’ opening song “Golden Days” urge “baby, please don’t rush; keep the tempo slow” as this folksy and nostalgic, yet irresistible soft rock number stands for attributes which are the polar opposite of Chaos Theory’s lead character, Frank. While actor Ryan Reynolds’ Frank is an efficiency expert who lives by catchphrases such as “a specific list is a happy list,” it’s Frank’s supportive yet justifiably exasperated wife Susan (Emily Mortimer) who seems to take The Damwells’ advice to heart. This is especially apparent when, shortly after the film begins, in order to get her husband to slow down, Susan mistakenly changes a clock the wrong way. Thus, instead of giving him more time to relax, her thoughtful yet erroneous action throw his life off-balance and the day ends with a series of misunderstandings and chance encounters. Trainer Frank

Now with his path thrown completely out of whack, Frank embraces the idea of chaos and tells his best friend Buddy (Stuart Townsend) that he’s “decided never to decide another thing again,” and to this end, he writes down everything he’d like to do on a series of cards, choosing one at random to guide his actions, which propels the rest of the film’s plot as you can see in the trailer.Former music video director turned feature filmmaker Marcos Siega has proven in the past that he knows the right way to incorporate music into his work and the eclectic offerings available on the soundtrack to his latest film Chaos Theory are no exception. Although he reteams with his Pretty Persuasion scorer, the talented Israeli composer Gilad Benamram for Theory’s sixteen original works which are available on the compact disc, he opens with seven pop songs sure to grab hold of the listener.

And therefore it’s no wonder that he opts to begin with the strongest track by The Damnwells, who also contribute three other songs, including the sweet, yet forgettable, “Say” and “Graceless.” However, the group’s romantic and lyrically impressive “Tonight and Forever” makes a fitting closure to the album’s vocal inclusions before listeners venture further into Benamram’s score to relish in his extraordinarily colorful and sophisticated, playful selections. Yet, it’s The Damwells that get the biggest boost off the contemporary tracks upfront, especially as Wikipedia reported, they came into the spotlight when the now engaged Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson appeared together as a couple at one of their concerts last fall. My favorite mainstream track was the extraordinary “Be Gentle With Me,” by indie UK artists, The Boy Least Likely To (which you can hear on their MySpace Page).

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Article Author: Jen Johans

Jen is a life-long film buff frequently dubbed a "Walking Movie Encyclopedia.” While earning a degree in Film Studies, she joined AFI and IFP. A three-time national award-winning writer, Jen also runs her site Film Intuition as well as its Review …

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