By Rachael Bentley
Leaving the movie theater sniffling and searching for yet another tissue, I couldn’t hide the fact that writer and director Richard Curtis has thrown a wrench into my emotional clockwork with his latest film.
‘About Time’ shook me to my core. Curtis has mastered the art of mixing wit with raw emotion. If you thought you cried hard during ‘The Notebook’ or ‘Titanic’, then be prepared for the unexpected sob-fest to come from this film.
The movie opens with 21-year-old Tim, played by Domhnall Gleeson, discovering that he can travel in time. After being sat down and told by his father (Bill Nighy) that all of his male ancestors were able to travel back in time to any moment in their own life, Tim is far from convinced. His Dad explains that all he has to do is stand in a small, dark, empty space like a cupboard or closet, clench his fists together, think of a specific moment in time and voila, he will be sent back to that exact moment.
Scoffing at his fathers ridiculous and seemingly insane joke, Tim makes his way into his bedroom closet and decides to jokingly send himself back to the terrible New Years Eve party he attended the night before. But, much to his shock, it actually works, which is probably for the best since this would be a pretty terrible movie otherwise.
Nighy tells Tim that the only way to enjoy and benefit from this gift is to use it for something that he’s really passionate about, which for Tim was finding love…or even just a girlfriend.
As Tim tries to wrap his brain around his new found ability, he sets off for London to become a lawyer. Moving from the quiet coast of Cornwall to London, Tim meets Mary (played by the lovely Rachel McAdams) and falls in love instantly. His mission in life becomes making sure that she is the woman he spends the rest of his life with.
What starts as a smart, sweet romantic comedy progressively morphs into something much more realistic as Tim learns that he can’t escape all of life’s sorrows and problems with his unique capability. He discovers that time travel can be dangerous and life-shattering when used incorrectly, and has to find real-life solutions to real-life problems without using his gift.
Curtis shows off his well-honed ability to spot talented actors and actresses in ‘About Time.’ Gleeson and McAdams having the best on-screen chemistry I’ve seen in years. But even more impressive was finding someone that could act alongside Nighy without coming off as over-shadowed or over-done in comparison to the legendary British actor.
There are many who will watch this movie and rip it apart because of the minor plot holes that show up, but understanding that this isn’t a sci-fi movie is key to learning to love this film, rather than over examine and critique it.
‘About Time’ is flawed, like most movies are, but that doesn’t take away from its wit, charm and ability to make you want to “live life like there are no second chances.” I have never come across a director that has been able to illustrate and show the many different types of love as well as Curtis does in his films. Rather than making the film the one-dimensional rom-com that many thought it would be, he provides an in-depth and moving analysis of all of the different relationships we develop in life and how they effect us.
With the highly anticipated winter movie season swiftly approaching, there will be many movies fighting to win your attention and praise, but ‘About Time’ is absolutely one you should find the time to watch. You won’t want to turn back time and take the hour and a half back, promise.
