Ryan Reynolds can do no wrong in a movie — but what if there was more than one Ryan Reynolds at the helm? Would the double-helping be just as effective? This is the premise The Adam Project is going forward with.

Directed by Shawn Levy (Real Steel, Night at the Museum), The Adam Project features two Adams — one, a nearly 40-year-old played by Ryan Reynolds, and the other, his 12-year-old self played by actor Walker Scobell. While technically this isn’t a double-role for the actor, the screenplay mimics Ryan’s punchlines and persona to such an astonishing degree that one can’t differentiate between the two actors or their ages.

Their chemistry is a one-two punch, both metaphorically and literally, as we learn from the story. In the far future, the older Adam steals a time travel jet to go back to his past to unravel the mystery of the death of his wife (Zoe Saldana).

Having entered the wrong time travel trajectory, the older Adam lands 10 years too early, when his younger self routinely gets beaten up by bullies, and his single mom (Jennifer Garner) tries to adjust to her new life after the death of Adam’s dad (Mark Ruffalo).

Netflix’s The Adam Project is a fun and fast movie where the performances are pitch-perfect and the production is top-notch

Working with his younger self, the two Adams try to stay one step ahead of the time-travelling villains from the future, while striving to jump a few years further back in time to meet their dad who, we find out, was the genius who invented time travel.

This is a fun and fast movie, but it has a flaw: as a Netflix production, one can see that the action takes place in very limited locations.

This is a fun and fast movie, but it has a flaw: as a Netflix production, one can see that the action takes place in very limited locations. Studio films, one notices, have many more locations to them. It’s a minor gripe in a film that simply works.

The screenplay, by Jonathan Tropper, T.S. Nowlin, Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, is breezy and engaging, the performances are pitch-perfect, and the production is top-notch. What more do you want from a weekend watch?

Streaming on Netflix, The Adam Project is rated PG-13. The film is recommended for family viewing

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 3rd, 2022