About Time

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An original idea can only carry a movie so far. Richard Curtis, writer and director of About Time, proved that he understands this cinematic rule of thumb. And so instead of milking his concept of a man who can travel through time for two whole hours, he effectively manages to blend his idea with the usual elements of the romantic dramedy, and the results are highly impressive. 

When Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) turns 21, he is told by his father (Bill Nighy, Pirates of the Caribbean) that the men of their family can travel backwards in time. Like all of us would, Tim doesn't believe his father until he tries it out for himself. Tim's father tells him he shouldn't use his powers to become filthy rich or get out of working a day job, but to focus on the things that would make his life the best it can possibly be.

What would any man do first when he finds out he can travel in time? Get the girl. Although he strikes out with his first attempt, he meets the love of his life, Mary (Rachel McAdams, Mean Girls), on a blind date. Later that night, he goes back in time to help another friend, and when he returns, he finds himself erased from Mary's memory, as they had never gone out. Tim ends up going back in time while being back in time over and over again to secure his relationship with Mary. While interesting in concept, these scenes became too layered and complex and slightly lost the comedy and charm along the way. 

This was a similar problem with Curtis' previous work, Love Actually. But here, these slower and arguably unnecessary scenes took place earlier rather than later, and so the during the second half, when Tim and Mary find themselves enter into committed relationship, and eventually marriage, things quickly pick back up. 

Normally, it'd be hard to believe these two actors would have chemistry, but they're able to exude such sweetness in their performances, and we fall in love with them as soon as they do with each other. Domhnall Gleeson, who hasn't done much mainstream work aside from very small roles in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Never Let Me Go, shows charismatic professionalism in his first major film role. And as always, Rachel McAdams knocks it out of the park and is absolutely delightful in her performance as Mary. As Tim's father, Bill Nighy gives a sincere performance and proves he does some of his best acting in the works of Richard Curtis.

The dialogue was amazing, to say the least. Hilarious and serious at the perfect moments, the characters in About Time knew had the best things to say, and it was all the better coming from its main actors. The dialogue made up for the occasionally weak moments in the story, and although we might not always be fully captivated by what's going on in the movie, we always care about the characters and are lost in the words that they say. 

About Time is adorable. It takes a while to become great, but overall, it's lovable, the actors were perfect, and the dialogue was flawless. With only one or two scenes that ran the time travel concept for too long, About Time was able to maintain originality while still having a comfortable and familiar feel of other movies of its genre.

Rating: 4/5