“About Time,” written and directed by Richard Curtis, is a love story that follows Tim Lake as he tries to find the perfect woman. Nothing can ever be perfect, however. Having just been told by his father at the age of 21 that men in his family can time travel, Tim (Dohmnall Gleeson) stumbles and falls as he tries to make everyone happy with his new gift.
We are soon introduced to the interesting personalities that make up Tim’s family: his father, his mother Mary, his sister “Kit-Kat” or Katy, and “Uncle D.”
As the movie reels on, Tim starts to realize that his new found gift does not come without a price.
The following summer, Kit-Kat’s best friend Charlotte spends several months with the family. Tim is infatuated with Charlotte and relives several moments trying to get Charlotte to fall in love with him. Before long, Tim realizes that no matter how many times he travels back in time to fix all of his would be mistakes, he cannot make someone fall for him.
One night, after moving out of his parents house and into the house of a family friend in London, Tim meets a woman at a restaurant. They hit it off right away and suddenly Tim, the boy that could never find the right girl, is in glee. Her name is Mary.
That night Tim rushes home wanting to tell someone about the great night he has had. Unfortunately, Harry, the family friend that Tim is staying with, had a rough night. Tim travels back in time to fix it. As a result, Tim never meets Mary. Both Tim and the viewer struggle to figure it all out; how will he ever fix this? Will he meet Mary again? What will happen if he does not?
Both the audience and Tim are filled with tangled emotions as the film comes to a head.
This film make the viewer think about time in new ways. As Tim learns about the negative effects of time travel, we are reminded of how precious time really is. From Tim’s first child to his father’s death, we see that even with such an ability, the first time around is often the best.
This British romantic-comedy is filled with humor. One of the most memorable supporting characters, Harry (played by Tom Hollander), is filled with witty jokes, as is Tim’s nature-loving sister Kit-Kat (Lydia Wilson).
This movie will make you laugh, it might make you cry, but it is certain you will leave the theater having enjoyed yourself.
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ljohn1@ramapo.edu
