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| Sarah Gadon & Jamie Dornan (r) star in The 9th Life of Louis Drax |
Wacko Boy
Rotten Tomatoes Plot: After surviving eight near-death accidents throughout his unlucky life, Louis Drax (Aiden Longworth) plunges off a steep cliff on his ninth birthday. While police investigate the cause of Louis' near-fatal fall and the whereabouts of his violent father Peter (Aaron Paul) acclaimed neurologist Dr. Allan Pascal (Jamie Dornan) uses unorthodox techniques to try to tap into the boy's unconscious mind and reveal the truth about the events that led to his condition. But as he's drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery of Louis' seeming ability to cheat death, the doctor finds himself falling for Louis' mother, Natalie (Sarah Gadon.) As new clues emerge in the case, a shocking revelation changes the fates of Louis Drax and everyone around him. Directed by Alexandre Aja. Also stars Barbara Hershey, Molly Parker (House of Cards) and Oliver Platt.
"They say cats have nine lives," but after five minutes with the irksome Longworth, I was ready to pull the plug on (The 9th Life of) Louis Drax. Forgive me for sounding off on a 12-year-old kid, but I can't recall a more annoying child actor since Jake Llyod in Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. Take him away (please) and the movie's not so bad. Dornan & Gadon are attractive and likable, despite some cheesy dialogue (Max Minghella) and Platt is steady and entertaining as always. Is that enough to make you forget the titular character? Not quite.
Grade: C-
