in 1976 a mother name norma lewis ( cameron diaz ) live with her son walter and her husband arthur ( james marsden ) . one night a box be place on the doorstep of their home and the follow morning they cut open the box to reveal a button device that must be open with a key . by the late afternoon and a man with terrible scar on his face come to their door and present norma with an offer . this man be arlington steward ( frank langella ) and he announce that if they push the button someone in the world that the family do not know will die and they will receive a million dollar in cash . if they do not press it and nothing will happen and the offer will move on to someone else . norma and arthur be not allow to tell anyone include their son about this deal . the incentive for the family to push the button be heighten by their financial difficulty . arthur and who be currently work for nasa and fail to be accept into a new job he apply for and norma and who be a teacher and learn that her faculty funding be be cut . one enjoyment for this bizarre sci fi thriller and base on the short story button button by richard matheson and will be determine by how far they be willing to take this ludicrous premise . the opening of the film be particularly problematic in ground itself in a sense of realism with the household . richard kelly previous film donnie darko cleverly use the condition of schizophrenia to justify it excursion into paranormal activity and parallel universe . without the dream like state of that far superior film and the box and the very thought of a device that can kill anyone in the world and be entirely implausible . that norma would also accept someone into her house that have almost the same scarring a two face from the dark knight and believe this offer and seem equally contrive . if this sound unlikely so far and what follow be even more absurd and involve a conspiracy about someone who be strike by lightning and the possibility of alien life or some other godly be influence these situation . scene involve gateway open up in public library and random nose bleeds and mindless drone stalk the lewis family and become almost unintentionally comical in their absurdity . to a point and the film could be call intrigue purely to see where it be go . kelly be occasionally clever in his ability to hold our attention through many of the film contrivance . in one scene norma be teach a class and then be ask by a strange boy about her foot . he taunt her about it a she be miss four of her toe . later and at a rehearsal dinner for a wedding that norma and arthur be attend and this same student appear a a waiter and seem to be stalk them . yet the eventual justification for these all of these oddity be wrap up in a highly contrive sci fi revelation that many will find implausible and difficult to swallow . what be most disappointing about the film be that once the button be press surprisingly early on and many of the moral implication that be initially promise be diminish for much of picture duration . the end and which would not be spoil here and resurface these moral question again in the hope of echo that of a greek tragedy . while the resemblance can be see and by this point and give the unlikelihood of so much of the film and the uneven performance and there be little reason to care . cameron diaz southern accent might be unnecessary but it be surprisingly langella who be the most disappointing in the film and with a very unsubtly write role and a the mysterious scarred man and who seem to be hide a military base that would make dr. evil proud . it really be just a shadow of his tower performance in frost or nixon . there be not a lot for many of the other actor in the film to do while in particular both norma and arthur could not be regard a character but mouthpiece for kelly pastiche of idea . underdeveloped and brief conversation and such a where norma sympathises with arlington over their deformity and also when norma and arthur question whether they really know each other in case the button kill either of them and highlight this . since 2001 and richard kelly have fail to make a film that have live up to the quality and the imagination of donnie darko . though this film might be intrigue for a little while and it be too absurd and implausible to be fully enjoy and it would certainly not warrant multiple viewing give the film rather illogical revelation . science fiction fan might be able to appreciate it somewhat more and draw their own conclusion and but what kelly be really try to say beneath the surface remain cryptic . the box be one film this year that should have be shelve .