Just a Sheer Delight

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2013)

My wife and I saw "About Time" at a special preview at our local theater, knowing almost nothing about the film. Maybe that's one of the reasons it was so immensely enjoyable. The film is not predictable -- you never really know where it's going. There was something incredibly natural about the film. The acting, directing, writing -- they all felt natural, missing the usual phony contrivances so typical of Hollywood. This may have been Rachel McAdams' finest performance yet -- it didn't feel like she was acting and she certainly wasn't anything remotely like her role in "Midnight in Paris." The central family was relatively normal (pun intended) and not dysfunctional. The father and mother were real treats. The considerable humor was so, natural -- not forced, guttural, or contrived. And the occasional tears of sadness and joy that flowed in the viewers' eyes were natural as well -- not forced, not manipulated. I deliberately didn't want to give away anything about the plot and where the film goes, for the fresh path it takes is part of the joy of viewing this refreshing and very entertaining film.