About Time (Review)

DIRECTOR: Richard Curtisabout_time_xlg

CAST: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Vanessa Kirby, Margot Robbie, Lindsay Duncan, Lydia Wilson

RUNNING TIME: 123 mins

CERTIFICATE: 15

BASICALLY…: A young man (Gleeson) learns from his father (Nighy) that the men in his family can travel back in time, and he uses his new gift to get the girl (McAdams) and improve his life…

 

 

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NOW FOR THE REVIEW…

A rare film that does EXACTLY what it says on the tin, About Time is, well, about time. The trailers and posters may seem as though it’s about the main romance between Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams, with the time-travel element being only a minor inclusion, but the real product is actually quite different than you may imagine.

Granted the romance element is definitely there, as is usual with Notting Hill and Love Actually writer/director Richard Curtis, but here it is surprisingly, and thankfully, sub-sided to make room for what should always be the main focus: the time-travel. If, say, with Shaun of the Dead the focus was more on the romantic element between Shaun and Liz other than the elephant-in-the-room situation of a zombie apocalypse, it would be a lesser movie that would have missed a golden opportunity to use the extraordinary element to its advantage and really go all the way with it. Shaun didn’t miss that trick and neither does About Time, which well and truly has fun with the plot device while also presenting it in ways that feel fresh and new.

The idea that only the men in the family can access this ability – it is passed down by father Bill Nighy (charismatic as always) to son Domhnall Gleeson (a charming and believable male lead) in the film’s humorous opening few minutes – is intriguing if a bit sexist, and the idea that they are limited to only their timeline adds a personal touch that audiences can relate to – if one could go back in time and change past events, of course they’re going to use it for their own benefit. Certain rules come into it later, such as not being able to go back after the birth of a child without risking some sort of butterfly effect, but they just add to the mythos that Curtis, clearly inspired by his brief tenure as a Doctor Who writer, has created for the screen.

Not to say that the romance itself is a bust, because it is handled rather well. The chemistry between Gleeson and the adorable Rachel McAdams is sweet and solid, with the latter getting a lovely “movie star” reveal from behind a curtain, and the rest of the film actually manages to avoid most of the usual rom-com clichés like the brief-break-up-and-moping-around-before-inevitable-reunion trope among others. They probably are there, but if so they are firmly placed in the background. In fact, their story together is not just the romance but the eventual forming of a young family. We are essentially watching a life and not just a brief romantic period, which make the dynamics much more interesting.

But as lovely as McAdams is, Gleeson is the true lead of the film and the focus is mainly put on him and his interactions with family. His scenes with Nighy result in the strongest elements of the film, with the bond between father and son solidified in a closing scene that personal struck a chord with this reviewer. Lindsay Duncan isn’t given as much to do as his stern but loving mother, but she still does great, subtle work in the role. Most heartbreakingly, though, is his younger sister nicknamed Kit Kat, played by star-in-the-making Lydia Wilson. Introduced as an energetic and bubbly younger sister, she is shown to go on a downwards spiral of depression whilst in an unhappy relationship which ultimately climaxes in a drink-drive accident. What makes it emotionally difficult to watch are the choices Gleeson makes as he tries to help her; changing something in the past to allow her to be with someone else, it has a serious repercussion in his own life and, in order to restore things to how they were, he is crushingly forced to let life play out.

That seems to be the main thing one can take away from About Time, even though it can be overlong with some scenes that go nowhere, which is that life always get in the way, no matter what. It’s not about love, or even about family. It is, in fact, about time.

SO, TO SUM UP…

About Time is not just strong in terms of storytelling, characters and a sense of Britishness that only Curtis could provide, but even more powerful in showing the true connections between people that not even time travel can alter. A definite must-see for anyone who loves another person.

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