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About Time (2013), R, 2.5 stars

Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams as the main couple.
Time travel movies are risky because of the destination that the story is trying to direct itself to amuse the audience. A filmmaker has to have bright characters with a sense of charm and hope. Therefore, any time travel movie can solidify itself with a colorful story in any type of genre. For example, take a look back at the first Back to the Future: I mean we still remember the DeLorean and Marty and Dr. Brown. The confusion about time travel continuum and paradoxes still baffle and confuse me. But, it was a fun ride. This movie, however, has two attractive characters but in a bland story.

Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) is 21 and discovers that he can travel through time when he was a New Year's Eve party and after he was too nervous to kiss a lady, he goes through this closet to travel to another timeline. Tim's father (Bill Nighy) tells him that all men in the family have always had the lucky ability to travel through time. Gosh, I wish I had that ability and maybe prevent past horrific occurrences that has now taken place in history. But, never mind, let's get back to the movie. After learning the abilities from his father, he travels back to the party and kisses the girl.

Later in the movie, Tim goes to London to pursue to become a lawyer. He moves with a struggling playwright named Harry (Tom Hollander) who is a friend of Tim's father. Some months later, Tim's friend and himself are going to a dark establishment where Tim meets Mary (Rachel McAdams). But it was so dark in that place that he actually sees Mary and they become attracted to each other. He gets her phone number and returns home to find that Harry's play was a disaster. And what do you think happens? Tim goes back in time and attends the play ensuring that it will be a success.

Then, the movie goes into boredom where Tim instantly forgets Mary's phone number plugged into his list of numbers on his cellphone. Tim goes back in time to make sure that Mary and her previous boyfriend break up and go out with Tim on a date. Of course, Tim and Mary are happy together and he proposes to her and gets married. You think this story lives happily ever after? No, because we have some time left in the movie which goes into bland territory.

Gleeson with Bill Nighy as his father.
The movie has a really attractive quality for audiences to come to the theaters and see. The attractive quality and charm is not the first time for Richard Curtis, the director, to show to the viewers. He did it with Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, and Notting Hill. Here, there is some in the two main characters which is definite in the first half of the movie. But, the movie has to go through fluff and inconsistencies with time travel, therefore, the romance between the two is sidelined. The time travel is inadequate and not fully comprehensible to maintain my attention. The second half of the movie really felt like a pile-up of unexplained logic that it was hard for the writers and filmmakers to clean up.

Domhnall Gleeson really delivers a good performance, however, as a charming guy who wants to redeem himself from past and minor mistakes. It seems like a great premise for a Woody Allen movie. Rachel McAdams, of course, is lovely and comfortable on screen and her smile really accentuates her confidence and likability. They make a great pair on screen. Bill Nighy also does terrific work as Tim's father.

Despite the praising of the casting and the comic timing and likability between the two characters, the movie really slides down in its second half of the movie. The sci-fi time travel and British romantic charm does not blend together that well. If the first half of the movie were about these two characters, Curtis would have been confident just to go with it and I would have liked it. However, the movie is filled with plot holes and arbitrary rules that I cannot perceive to accept it. It is a very good romantic movie, but, thanks to the time travel, it has left me disappointed and confused. I am mixed with the end result of Richard Curtis' latest effort.

**1/2

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