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The premise is intriguing, but it's placed in the service of an overwrought and tasteless thriller. Read critic reviews

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The Butterfly Effect Photos

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Movie Info

College student Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is afflicted with headaches so painful that he frequently blacks out. While unconscious, Evan is able to travel back in time to difficult moments in his childhood. He can also alter the past for friends, like Kayleigh (Amy Smart), who was molested by her father (Eric Stoltz). But changing the past can drastically alter the present, and Evan finds himself in nightmarish alternate realities, including one where he's locked away in prison.
  • Rating:
    R (Language|Brief Drug Use|Sexual Content|Violence)
  • Genre:
    mystery & thriller
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
  • Producer:
    Chris Bender, A.J. Dix, J.C. Spink, Anthony Rhulen
  • Writer:
    Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $57.7M
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Katalyst Films, Blackout Entertainment, Benderspink, Film Engine
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround, DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

Ashton Kutcher
Evan Treborn
Amy Smart
Kayleigh Miller
Eric Stoltz
George Miller
William Lee Scott
Tommy Miller
Elden Henson
Lenny Kagan
Logan Lerman
Evan Treborn at 7
Irene Gorovaia
Kayleigh Miller at 13
Jesse James
Tommy Miller at 13
Ethan Suplee
Thumper
Melora Walters
Andrea Treborn
John Patrick Amedori
Evan Treborn at 13
Kevin G. Schmidt
Lenny Kagan at 13
Eric Bress
Director
J. Mackye Gruber
Director
Eric Bress
Writer
J. Mackye Gruber
Writer
Chris Bender
Producer
A.J. Dix
Producer
J.C. Spink
Producer
Anthony Rhulen
Producer
William Shively
Executive Producer
Jason Goldberg
Executive Producer
Matthew F. Leonetti
Director of Photography
Peter Amundson
Film Editor
Douglas Higgins
Production Designer
Carla Hetland
Costume Designer
Michael Suby
Composer
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Critic Reviews for The Butterfly Effect

All Critics (172) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (115)

View All Critic Reviews (172)

Audience Reviews for The Butterfly Effect

  • Oct 21, 2013
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img]
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Mar 22, 2013
    Donnie Darko for dummies and prudes. I couldn't handle the extreme sexual and sadism content running through it within every character throughout the otherwise unique concept of flashback time-travel to change the outcome of the present (in negative ways that is) and Kutcher cannot act right with a freakout.
    Max G Super Reviewer
  • Sep 12, 2012
    A college student discovers he can go back in time and alter past events, but every change he makes brings about tragic unintended consequences in the new present. Pretty much "DONNIE DARKO for Dummies."
    Greg S Super Reviewer
  • May 07, 2012
    This only slightly touches on the real intriguing aspects of the butterfly effect. If they were to dive into head first you'd be looking at a really long movie, but it would be a definitive version. This movie confuses itself sometimes and doesn't make sense in other scenes. I liked the movie a little more at movies as it had a different ending than what became the directors cut. The central issue is the target audience, and the cast choices. The filmmakers turned this into a teenage based target film and that is one of the biggest flaws of the film. The intrigue of chaos theory was more interesting than this film and that's the real problem with this film. It's long and badly structured into this simple story about the girl and his friends. 19/03/2020
    Brendan N Super Reviewer
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