Many audiences can complain about the lack of originality in their filmgoing experiences and rightfully so, particularly when it comes to romantic comedies. One of the biggest tropes about the genre is that it utilizes the same formula in order to squeeze emotions out of people and while that is definitely true for a lot of these films, I feel it is far too broad of a generalization. There are some genuinely fantastic movies out there and rarely does a film reach remarkable heights with its brilliant storytelling like this one. Richard Curtis's About Time is a phenomenally emotional film with a simple sci-fi twist that really showcases the best of this genre. With a pair of amazing performances from the two leads and some fantastic direction from Curtis that is able to hit so many solid beats, this film is definitely not one to dismiss as your typical, rom-com. Regardless of how much one enjoys romantic comedies, there is so much filmmaking prowess to appreciate about this film, as it will leave you more of an emotional wreck than you probably already were.
On the day of his twenty-first birthday, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) finds out from his father (Bill Nighy) that all of the men in their family have the ability to travel back in time to particular moments that they can think of. He decides to use this power to find love and eventually meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), who he instantly falls for yet struggles to maintain a relationship with while not altering his future. This type of premise has the capacity to fall into either ridiculous comedy or nonsensical science-fiction storytelling. However, what I love so much about this film is how it never dips into either too much. This entire movie revolves around this sci-fi element yet it never once feels unreasonable. Curtis's handling of this script is excellent and he balances the different aspects of this story incredibly well. This film is genuinely one of the sweetest movies I have ever seen and the way that Curtis portrays this relationship is electric. I loved the focus on every stage of Tim and Mary's relationship and how they never went through anything horribly drastic or overly dramatic for the sake of the story. A lot of the interactions between the characters and their dialogue might be a bit cliché, but the chemistry between Gleeson and McAdams makes for some undeniably enjoyable sequences. My only minor issues with this film include the handling of Mary and some generic creative choices. McAdams plays an excellent leading character throughout this movie but I almost wish she could have been given even more agency. She was a very well-developed character on her own, but we as an audience never learn as much about her background as we do with Tim. This is not a huge problem but just one that I feel the story could have definitely benefitted from. Curtis's direction was also a bit distracting, as the second act of this film could have been cut down drastically. A lot of the subplots, including Tim aiding his sister Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson) and some of the points revolving around Tim's law work, were a bit unnecessary and were just there to enhance the emotion. Which they did very well, but they really just added more length to this already heavy story.
The idea of time itself can be romantic and the absolute greatest part of Curtis's script is how he plays with this idea. There are so many great twists throughout this movie that help to further along the story in ways that I did not expect. I was honestly ready for Tim and Mary to have some form of relationship drama and an overly cheesy ending of Tim realizing that honesty solves problems better than his time-traveling abilities do, but Curtis cleverly avoids this. The transition from Tim and Mary's romantic life together into Tim dealing with his family and finding himself was such a beautiful way of progressing this film. I also loved how smart Curtis is as a screenwriter. The literal blind date scene in which Tim and Mary first meet was brilliant and I adored their relationship was built from that point on. This also has to do with the performances from Gleeson and McAdams. They were perfectly cast together and they made all of the most memorable moments of this film come to life. When the comedy in this movie shines, it shines incredibly bright and it is interwoven with the dialogue and other scenarios so well. This film's emotional beats hit incredibly hard as well but not just because of the writing. The music from Nick Laird-Clowes and editing from Mark Day played such huge parts in the technical aspects of this movie. There are so many moments in this movie that really exhibit just exquisite filmmaking and they all eventually collapse into each other for such a satisfying conclusion. About Time's message of not wasting a single moment and going after what your heart desires is undoubtedly sweet and while it is definitely nothing new, Curtis's gorgeous, cinematic way of getting to this point is fantastic. Every moment is fleeting and it is absolutely critical to take the time to appreciate the beauty and intricacy of the little things around you. This is really what Curtis was trying to say with this film and based on that ending, whew, did he nail it.
About Time is a spectacular romantic comedy about the importance of time and really taking in what is around you (because you might not always get a second shot). Although it tends to borrow some stereotypical character traits from the genre and has a bit of inconsistence with its core plot, I could not help but fall in love with these characters and their romance. It takes a lot for a romantic film to really have an effect on me and who would have thought that the one to do it could come from one of the biggest names in romantic filmmaking?
My Rating: ★★★★½
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