The story of boy meets girl has been told hundreds of times. Some of them, mixed with the time travel element. Oddly enough, Rachel McAdams is no stranger to them, starring in The Notebook, The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Vow and now About Time. By seeing the trailer you could’ve thought the movie was going to be another notch in the belt. But it’s not, it will surprise you.
About Time tells the story of Tim Lake (Domhall Gleeson), who finds out at 21 that he can travel back in time, same as all the men in his family. When his dad (Bill Nighy) tells him the rules about it, Tim decides he wants to use it to succeed with the ladies. Along the way he moves to London to become a lawyer, staying at one of his dad’s friends, Harry (Tom Hollander), a very peculiar playwright, and meets Mary (Rachel McAdams).
The events unfold in a very broad time period but manage to have coherence. The script is beautifully written by rom-com veteran, Richard Curtis, the brit who brought to the screen Love Actually, Notting Hill & Bridget Jones’ Diary. Curtis also directs. The producers are Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner & Nicky Kentish Barnes.
British sense of humor is very particular, and not many can like it. It’s sort of like French, in the sense that it’s European and not the classical Hollywood pace people are accustomed to. For example, I didn’t like Love Actually nor Bridget Jones’ Diary. But About Time is much more universal.
I can’t reveal much more without spoilers, all that I can say it’s that there’s a kind message at the end. It’s heartwarming and more than one will cry. Like the name says, it’s about time, how to use & enjoy it and the risks of changing the natural course of things.
This film will show that like anything, the UK is diversed and they can make successful Hollywood films too, take for example Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. People sometimes don’t realize it, but movies are a powerful weapon of widespread of knowledge and advertisement, it can aid or sink a country, depending on its use. About Time is a good positive example.
The whole time-travel issue has been approached before, and it could’ve failed, like on The Time Traveler’s Wife. But even clichés can be touching for the audience. Another movie that executed the travel thing correctly was Frequency (2000) with Jim Caviezel.
I’m sure people are tired of seeing Rachel McAdams as the lead in romantic movies, but she does it so well that it just depends on the script. If The Vow was a failed 3/5, Love Actually a rare 3/5, Frequency an underrated 4.5/5, and the ultimate romance movie, The Notebook a 5/5; About Time is a solid 5/5.
Vivian Russo
Film critic from my point of view 