Review of About Time (2013) by George S — 15 Jul 2015

Some of the reviews are, IMO, unfair to this movie by dismissing it as a rom-com, but it's way more than that. Rom-coms end after "boy gets girl" and we're to assume that they live happily ever after. But in About Time, boy gets girl about half way through and we see life go on. Their interactions as a married couple are gorgeous, and the stuff dealing with having kids is even better. Its handling of the death of a parent is achingly spectacular, as is its depiction of life going on afterward. While younger people might be confused that the movie didn't end at the wedding, to me that's where the movie becomes its most powerful. If you are a grownup with a spouse and kids, who has dealt with the decline and/or death of your parents and this film doesn't move you, there just might be something missing inside you.

Bill NIghy as the dad is phenomenal, and Rachel McAdams - in a movie where she's only the third hottest woman - steals the show. Domhnall Gleeson is really only playing the quirky Hugh Grant part, but he does it convincingly. The music is unbelievably well done and the cinematography and scenery are beautiful.

This movie does exactly what it set out to do, which was NOT to tell a convincing time travel story. It's about becoming an adult and savoring your life, and it may be the perfect example of that theme.