About Time

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2015)

I feel that movie-goers have begun to lose sight of what movies truly are. Movies were created to not only entertain, but to try to invoke some sort of emotion. Joy, sorrow, anger, etc. If a movie accomplishes something of the sort with a large portion of the audience, they have succeeded. Nowadays, it seems that all movies are being put through the Academy Awards lens. Not all movies are being released with the intention to win awards. And, while I know many people will disagree with the point I am trying to make about films, I think a film deserves praise if it sufficiently invokes emotion.
About Time is one of those movies.
I need to preface this by saying that the made up genre name of "Chick Flick" is completely ridiculous. Now with that in mind, I went into this movie having been told that it was indeed a "Chick Flick." Now I realize that many movies that are described using this phrase are not all that stellar. My expectations were low to say the very least. The surprise that I received was extremely welcome.
From the beginning with the initial narration from Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) I knew this was going to be a different movie. Maybe it was knowledge that this film was filled with actors and actresses from the United Kingdom, but I immediately had a good feeling. That is how movies should make us feel.
It would be easy to pick out what all the film did right. For instance, the characters were believable and the cast interacted perfectly on screen. I regained a little respect for the quick wit of sharp dialogue delivery of Rachel McAdams that had been lost after her performance in Mean Girls. Bill Nighy solidified why he is one of my favorite British actors. The story itself was believable even though it tackled the immensely tricky issue of time travel. There was indeed tension where there needed to be tension, humor where there needed to be humor, and then a serious punch to the gut where a serious punch was necessary. Overall, the film was pieced together brilliantly.
To me though, it wasn't the film itself that makes me give it the high praise. It wasn't really even the message. To me, it was the development of characters and relationships that makes this movie phenomenal. One of the crucial points in most every movie is whether or not the characters portrayed can interact with one another in a way that is entertaining and believable. This movie hinges on it's relationships working and it succeeds brilliantly. He begins the narration at the beginning by talking about his family and his opinion of each of them. It draws us in and soon we can hardly look away. Yes, there is also the romance that makes this film a "Chick Flick", but it is tackled in a completely fresh and new way. However, it also touched on the issue of negative relationships with Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson) and Jimmy Kincade (Tom Hughes). But instead of the movie beating us over the head with the awfulness of said relationship, it is fairly subtle and we see Kit Kat come to the much needed realization on her own. Therein we see another powerful relationship that strikes close to home for me: a brother sister relationship. Right from the beginning when Tim says that Kit Kat is one of the most beautiful people he has ever known, I loved him. The development of their relationship as they both age in the film was masterfully done and a real thrill to watch.
Above all, the relationship that drove this movie home for me was the one between Tim and his dad. Anybody who has ever had any feelings towards their father, whether it be complete love and admiration of utter hatred and disgust, could feel the power of their bond. The understanding looks that his father gives, the humorous tidbits he adds into his talks, and his general care-free way of life make him a perfectly flawed human being. He is exactly what so many kids want from a dad. About Time captured this relationship in the most perfect way possible and I could not look away.
This movie was fantastic. You will laugh. You will cry. You will think deeply about your life in comparison to the one's on screen. I applaud the creator's behind this movie. Keep up the good work and I will continue to appreciate the fantastic outcome.