Cinema Reviews

About Time Review

• 3rd Sep 2013

With rumours abounding that About Time is to be Richard Curtis’ last ever rom-com I approached this film with both trepidation and concern that it couldn’t stand up against Four Weddings, Notting Hill or Love Actually. Really Richard, this is what you’re leaving us with? You’re big farewell to the land of rom-coms is a tale about time travel? What are you doing to us? These are just some of the thoughts bandying around prior to actually seeing About Time and boy where they wrong! Yes, it is about time travel but somehow manages to not be ramming some sort of seize the day message down our throats and isn’t even cheesy. Well not that cheesy anyway.

At the age of 21 and after a particularly disappointing New Year’s Eve party, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) is told all about the family secret. His dad (Bill Nighy) calls him to his study and tells him all the men in their family have the ability to travel back in time to any moment in their past. Tim, being the unlucky in love loser yet hopeless romantic that he is, decides that this newly discovered talent is best used to find and snare himself the one thing that has eluded him up until now, a girlfriend. This turns out not to be as easy as you might think.

Not since the Weasleys has there been such an influx of ginger actors in one film. This, I suppose, is apt seeing as Gleeson did play Bill Weasley. Anyway, I digress. Rachel McAdams reprises her role as the time traveller’s wife and is both likeable and funny in equal measures. However, unsurprisingly Bill Nighy successfully manages to steal each and every scene he is in.

About Time manages to be heart-warming and heart wrenching in equal measure and brought laughs a plenty combined with a few tears to the eye. All the signs of a brilliant rom-com. Curtis does it again, how could we ever doubt him!

Laura Johnson