About Time By Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis’s blend of romance, comedy and sci-fi genres in About Time create the perfect combination for a film to relax to at the end of a long week. Known for his light-hearted and uplifting films such as Love Actually and Notting Hill, Curtis has once again ticked all the right boxes with this one.

The plot of this film focuses on the protagonist Tim’s (Domhnall Gleeson) ability to travel back in time. Despite this sci-fi element the film is still relatable for us spectators. What really drives the narrative is the relationship between Tim and Mary (Rachel Mcadams). The time travel lets the audience see the couple grow together making a bond that connects them with the characters and heightens their emotions. Rachel Mcadams is no stranger to a time travel film with her previously working in The Time Travellers Wife and Midnight in Paris so inevitably she fits the role completely.
It starts when the couple meet for the ‘first’ time repeatedly unknown to Mary through Tim’s crafty plan of using time travel to improve his approach and win her over. We then see it again when the couple decide to sleep together and Tim tries to improve his technique by going back in time and starting over. Does it matter that these scenes are a little bit cringe-worthy? Normally I’d say yes, but in this film it seems to work.

The relationship between Tim and his father played by Bill Nighy is what truly sets this film apart from other rom-coms. Their onscreen relationship is heart-warming and in my opinion is what encourages the film to develop to be more mature and wiser. Nighy’s character also heightens the comedy in the film, through the lines such as “I can’t kill Hitler, or shag Helen of Troy” when telling Tim about time travel. Making this relationship a pivotal point of the plot really highlights the essence of the film- family is