The Butterfly Effect

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Year:	2004
Country of origin:	USA
Director:	Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Genre:	Alternate timelines
Starring:	Ashton Kutcher, Melora Walters, Amy Smart
Rating:	4/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/
Tagline:	Change one thing, Change everything.
Favourite line:	"So, should I suck your dick now?"

Clever, effective slice of post X-Files sci-fi lite hokum, that stands up simply because of the bravado of both the script and direction. Whilst that may sound like a back-handed compliment, it realy shouldn't. Yes, it's a one-trick pony, but By God, it's a good trick.

Ashton Kutcher plays a guy whose father is incarcerated in a mental asylum due to the fact that he claimed to be able to change the present simply by looking at, and re-entering, a photo album he used to own (yes, those who have seen Red Dwarf will identify the premise from the Timeslides episode).
Kutcher's character, Evan, keeps a journal and, whilst in his early twenties discovers that he too can travel back in time, but only to the points referenced in his journal and, crucially, only when he is reading the entry in question. As a result, he sets about trying to improve the present and, inevitably, destroys everything that is good about his life to date:
His school-time girlfriend becomes a hooker, his best friend loathes him, he winds up in prison on the verge of administering fellatio to the inmates.
Mix in a healthy dose of paedophilia, peer pressure and the usual adolescent neuroses and this guy is in a world of trouble.

Well thought out, well acted, and with a budget big enough to deliver the goods, this is entertaining, thought-provoking fare.
Enjoyed it.