The night after another unsatisfactory New Year's party, Tim's father tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. They can't change history, but the...
WHAT I LIKED: There are a number of reasons why Richard Curtis' 'About Time,' always has me so emotionally engaged and affected, and why it easily winds up as one of my personal favourite films of all time.
First of all, and perhaps most importantly, there's simply no getting away from the fact that it's a sheer masterclass in how to deliver character development, as Curtis takes his extensive writing ability and applies it to this couple's love story to expert effect. Seriously, despite the fact that we see a very large chunk of their relationship years, both of these characters feel so real as they're given just the right amount of backstory and are genuinely portrayed perfectly as stars Domnhall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams are given room to shine where they share genuine chemistry and expertly fulfill the roles of their extremely likeable leads. That all consequently makes the film a thoroughly engaging and heart-warming love story at its centre, but there are plenty of great romances out there, and this one is a whole lot more than that.
Indeed, at its core this is really a film with one of the most important and ultimately heart-warming central themes of all, as the seemingly odd central premise of travelling in time eventually unlocks a message about appreciating the little things in everyday life and realising what's important. In fact, it's the ultimate mindfulness movie as far as I'm concerned - its view of the world isn't in the least bit sinical, and you really connect with the themes as you care about and understand the characters and their situations, and that's made all the more powerful by the fact we see such a chunk of their lives.
But what's arguably even more impressive than that is that the whole time-travel idea never feels remotely like a forced concept to satisfy a thematic message, as Curtis again delivers it so damn perfectly with the right levels of flippancy and humour to make it seem completely organic.
But last of all - and this is where it really hits me so personally - the beautiful central relationship reminds me so much of me and my incredible girlfriend. Indeed, not only do we rather ironically fit the physical depictions, but we also enjoy watching the film together and remarking upon all of our similarities (bar of course the whole time-traveling thing sadly...) and balling our eyes out at their journey and their many joys and tragedies.
In the end then, it really is an all-consuming depiction of a wonderful couple's life, and crucially one with a real handle on what should be important within it to unlock a beautiful thematic message too. As a result, it's easily one of the most underrated movies of the decade, but that smattering of personal significance instantly makes it one of my personal favourites full stop.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The time-travel premise is a bit odd on paper, but the way it's delivered means it never truly feels it.
VERDICT: One of my favourite movies of all time, 'About Time,' is a wonderfully engaging romance with an important and impactful central message that always hits home. This is one thoroughly overlooked film, and I for one think it's *about time* people gave Richard Curtis a little more credit.
