‘We’re all travelling through time together, every day of our lives…’
Richard Curtis films are not cool. They are derided for being too middle class, too posh, too white. And yet, personally, I love them. Even stuff like The Boat That Rocked which is considered one of his lesser works – I still absolutely loved. It’s taken me years to get around to About Time, mainly because it completely passed me by upon its release. Predictably, it’s brilliant…
Nerdy and neurotic, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) wants nothing more than to find true love. When his dad (Bill Nighy) matter-of-factly reveals that all the men in their family have the ability to travel backwards in time (in a scene eerily reminiscent of the Michael J. Fox ‘classic’ Teen Wolf), Tim uses this loophole to trick Mary (Rachel McAdams) into falling in love with him. It’s all fine though because this is a Richard Curtis film so it’s best not to analyse the behaviour of the male characters too much (see also: Lincoln, Andrew in Love Actually). The starry cast is rounded out by Tim’s no-nonsense mum (Lindsay Duncan), his beloved uncle D (Richard Cordery) and Tim’s volatile playwright friend Harry (Tom Hollander). Elsewhere, there are small roles for Vanessa Kirby, Margot Robbie and Lydia Wilson. Quite the collective.
As a horror obsessive, I couldn’t help but imagine the dark possibilities that this scenario could encourage and while Curtis obviously chooses not to go down this route, there is one moment involving a rogue baby that is genuinely chilling. In the end, Curtis uses the well-worn premise to tell a story about fatherhood, family and living in the moment. While it is actually very similar to the Adam Sandler film Click, it is the performances and the writing that elevate About Time into the upper echelons of the time travel movie. Whilst believing in time travel is more of a suspension of disbelief than accepting that Gleeson could have Rachel McAdams and Margot Robbie fighting over him (sorry Domhnall), there is no denying his charm and charisma. He has since demonstrated his versatility as an actor in stuff like Ex-Machina and the Star Wars franchise, but I still feel he is at his best playing roles like this – the sweet everyman. As with many of these films, however, it is Nighy who steals the show, he really is one of our most consistent actors. Indeed, in the film’s syrupy but emotionally resonant conclusion, Nighy does some of his best work. A true joy to behold.
If you don’t like Richard Curtis films then you won’t like this one but for everyone else with a heart beating in their chest, it is impossible not to get swept up in the lives of Tim and his perfect family. Their world was a place that I thoroughly enjoyed living in for two hours. A genuinely great film.