Richard Curtis is back with a new quirky rom-com starring Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy, but can About Time (12A) live up to predecessors such as Love Actually?
What’s it about? The film introduces us to Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) who thinks he’s just a normal lad in a slightly wacky family. But when Tim turns 21, his father (Bill Nighy) lets him in on a family secret – he can travel through time!
Much to his shock and joy, Tim can jump back into the past and relive moments. After moving to London, he meets American beauty, Mary (Rachel McAdams) and focuses his talents on ensuring he gets his chance at true love.
Verdict: When the news first broke that Rachel McAdams – star of The Time Traveller’s Wife – was starring in a new film as the love interest of a time traveller, some questioned why she’d chose to revisit such a similar role.
Then you realise it’s not just any film, it’s a Richard Curtis production! Who could say no to a film written and directed by the man who’s brought us rom-com classics such as Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill and so many more?
Curtis is a man who knows how to write a love story and while About Time has a new sci-fi element that Richard isn’t known for, it’s a detail you soon forget about as the story gets into full swing.
While Gleeson might sound quite like Hugh Grant, he manages to hold his own as the adorable lead, and McAdams is as flawless as ever playing the kind of girl you really would travel back in time for if you could.
The pair whizz through scene after scene of loved-up bliss from the dark dating meet-cute to the wedding day that goes wrong but ends up being perfect anyway.
It’s the scenes between Gleeson and Nighy that stir the most emotion in the film as the pair portray the type of father-son bond that tugs at the heartstrings. However, as the film progresses we realise it’s actually less of a boy-meets-girl romance and more of a film exploring how our relationships with friends and family make us who we are.
Final words: If you aren’t a fan of Richard Curtis’ rom-com style, you’re not likely to change your views after watching this film. But for everyone else this is a heart-warming, tear-jerking story about life and love that’s sure to join the long list of Curtis’ successes.
About Time is in UK cinemas on 4 September 2013
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