Time Travel Romance With About Time

By Ashley Wilens 11-03-13

Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson in About Time. Photo Credit: Murray Close – © 2013 – Universal Pictures

Writer-director Richard Curtis, who brought us romantic classics like Notting Hill and Love Actually, is staying true to his formula, this time in the new film About Time.

This is another chick flick, wrapped up in a time-travel movie.  About Time features an awkward yet loveable ginger-haired boy named Tim (Domnhall Gleeson). In his twenty-first year, Tim learns from his father (Bill Nighy) that the men in his family can travel back in time. He is told to use this gift as opportunity to make his life the way he thinks it should be rather than squander it away.

Naturally, Tim uses his new ability to get girls, but not in the way one would expect from a typical twenty-one year old. For Tim, “it has always been about love.” Through a series of mishaps and British humor, he finally meets Mary. She’s the one.  Mary is played by Rachel McAdams, who seems to be making a career out of time travel Rom-Coms.

Mary, like Tim, is awkward, lovable, insecure and a bit of a nerd. Once the love story is set up, it is easy to see the heart behind the humor. This perfectly matched couple has such good chemistry that it’s obvious they are meant for each other, even during a five-minute scene that takes place completely in the dark.

Mary will probably never know the deep, dark family secret. And, she will probably never realize that Tim is manipulating her destiny, as well as his own. These are easy things for some to overlook, but for nitpickers these loose ends might linger.

The true heart of the film, though, is the relationship between Tim and his father. This bond helps Tim and the audience comes to terms with the harsh and, at times, unchangeable consequences of life.

Time travel is used to move the story forward. Issues, such as the butterfly effect, are mostly glossed over here except when needed. When they are used, though, audiences may end up reaching for a box of Kleenex – a common reaction to many of Curtis’ films.

Though the film did feel a bit long, it’s hard to pick any scenes that could be cut without losing important story elements. Like life, not every detail seems relevant at first.  It’s when we look back that we realize how each piece has helped create the whole. This film successfully uses time travel to help tell a story of loss, love and family. Bring your Kleenex.