I’ve always been drawn to dark comedies, in particular; how they can take sinister, morbid subject matters and give them a dash of humorous air to contrast against. More specifically, comedy and horror have always gone hand in hand. The very best (An American Werewolf in London and The Return of the Living Dead) can be funny and scary in equal measures. In the case of The Voices, the dark comedy is the perfect dwelling for its central character and his fractured state of mind.

The Voices is about Jerry Hickfang (Ryan Reynolds), an unusual but happy-go-lucky shipping clerk. Outside of work, his world consists of his two pets…that just happen to talk. The dog is the positive reinforcement and the cat is anything but. Things start to go sour once Jerry stops taking his prescribed anti-psychotics. After the accidental death of his lovely co-worker he’s be crushing on, the affable Jerry’s mental state quickly begins to deteriorate and things start to grow increasingly more disturbed.

Director Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) does a fantastic job reflecting Jerry’s outlook on life via the film’s aesthetic. The Voices establishes itself from the get-go as dark comedy on the lighter and quirky end, much like a John Waters film. Jerry’s sunny disposition is represented via a bright, colorful visual palate. Soon as the harsh reality of Jerry’s torment is revealed to himself and onto the viewer, the look bluntly reflects that, courtesy of Director of Photography Maxime Alexandre (High Tension, as well as the Maniac and The Hills Have Eyes remakes). When the film’s tone turns dark, boy does it ever! It feels all the more startling because Satrapi effectively lures the viewer in with the first half’s charming disposition. The vibrant, likable cast which includes Anna Kendrick, Gemma Arterton and Ella Smith greatly assist in creating such an inviting place to spend your time in.

Without a doubt though, Ryan Reynolds’ high wire act of a performance is the film’s centerpiece. He valiantly goes above and beyond the call of duty to convey Satrapi’s highly audacious tonal shifts. He not only plays the lead character but also voices the animals. Despite the increasingly horrible acts Jerry commits, I somehow pitied him and his inner struggle. This character brilliantly showcases Reynolds’ skills as both a comedic actor and his underrated dramatic chops. The genuine depth and complexity he displays through Jerry helps ground the material, much like Christian Bale did in American Psycho. Dark comedies have a way of sometimes being trumped by the filmmakers’ indulges in style over substance which often gives them an air of superficiality. Thankfully that isn’t quite the case here.

As Jerry’s sanity crumbles, unfortunately so does the film’s. The third act continues to play with the contrasting tones to a far higher volume and it’s a mess. Satrapi can’t seem to decide what to settle on and if this schizophrenic nature was her intention, it’s commendable but just doesn’t work. I won’t even begin to delve into the ill-advised musical number (unmemorable tune at that) which left many viewers leaving the cinema scratching their heads all the more. The only thing that keeps us watching is Reynolds, who despite these issues, is still mesmerizing to the very end.

Flaws aside, The Voices is an audacious, unique dark comedy that makes too many interesting decisions for me to dismiss it entirely. Even at its most problematic, the film’s still very much watchable. We’ve seen many films in the past play with tone, yet I feel that Satrapi takes it to some bold, new areas for filmgoers. Again, I can’t praise Reynolds’ performance enough. It proves that Reynolds is far better than his career’s current sour streak, a reminder of what he’s capable of when given something of substance to chew on. Hopefully the sky is the limit from now on. At the very least, it’ll keep me revisiting this unusual film from time to time.