Ryan Reynolds stars as an uptight family man whose careful life is suddenly thrown into upheaval in this quirky romantic comedy. Directed by Marco Siega (PRETTY PERSUASION), the film opens with Frank (Reynolds) counseling his daughter's fiancé (Mike Erwin) about the highs and lows of married life. The film quickly fades into flashback, and we see Frank as a tightly wound young man who has his life organized down to the minute. Frank has a beautiful wife, Susan (Emily Mortimer), and daughter, Jesse (Matreya Fedor), and he travels around delivering motivational speeches on time efficiency. When Susan accidentally throws off one of Frank's carefully planned days, he falls victim to a bizarre contagion of mishaps and inadvertently learns a life-altering secret that forever changes how he views himself and his loved ones. He then sets off on a whimsical odyssey, and vows to get rid of his rigid plans and live his life with wild abandon. But when he faces a fork in the road, he must decide between his newfound freedom and his old life with his family.
Reynolds gives a charming performance as the angst-ridden Frank, and delivers many laughs with his portrayal of a man slowly losing his grip. While it's fun to watch the story take so many surprisingly twists and turns, the crazy plot occasionally forces the viewer to swallow some pretty big misunderstandings and miscommunications. CHAOS THEORY also weaves back and forth between romantic comedy, black comedy, and serious drama, which results in a rather uneven tone. But those issues aside, the film still features strong performances and sharp dialogue, making for an unusual and entertaining love story.