Have you ever wished life had an undo button? A chance to take back the last ten minutes; not blank out on the history test last period, or maybe take back that sketchy Mexican food you had for lunch?
In “About Time,” Tim, played by Domhnall Gleason, has the power to do just that. When his father tells him that the men in his family have the ability to travel back to any point in their lives, he devotes this unique gift to finding love. You follow him through his bumbling young adulthood, and to his meeting of the love of his life, Mary, played by Rachel McAdams.
Gleason, who played one of the Weasely brothers in “Harry Potter,” has a charming, albeit fidgety and delightfully awkward, presence that blends well with the rest of the quirky cast. He is surprisingly captivating and undeniably likable.
The characters certainly make the movie- McAdams being sweet and gentle, and Tim’s witty father being portrayed, hilariously, by Bill Nighy.
While individual characters shine, some subplots are added to the movie with use of lesser-developed characters. Some plotlines are insignificant and drag the movie on- often detracting from more important plotlines.
The director Richard Curtis, with romantic comedy classics like “Notting Hill” and “Love Actually” under his belt, sometimes veers a bit into cheesiness, perhaps relying on the willingness of the audience to accept the overdone plotlines.
If your willing to ignore the details and complexities of time travel as Curtis certainly has, then the film will certainly be a pleasure. If you’re able to accept the overdone romantic notions that often find their way into Curtis’s films, then you’ll adore this movie.
“It was definitely one of my favorite movies- it was a great romantic comedy,” Isabelle Chapel ’16 raved.
Jack Foley ’16 had a more negative view of the film.
“It was an alright movie, but way too cheesy for me,” Foley said.
However, if you find yourself wishing you lived in a world of sweet, contrived romance, then “About Time” is the movie for you.
You may not know exactly where “About Time” is headed, even once you’ve arrived at the destination, but I can assure you that you’ll enjoy the ride.
