Lesson #1: All the time traveling in the world can't make someone love you.'

Rating: 9/10 (13 February 2014)

Expect to be in for a jolly good ride if a film is both written and directed by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually). Add a fine cast of actors, a bit of a kink with time travel (of sorts) and out comes this little British confection perfect for Valentine's Day – or any day when an uplifting bit of romantic fluff is needed.
The setting for the most part is Cornwall and the film is narrated by 21year old Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) who is awkward with finding a girlfriend and in general unlucky in love, as played out in a rather disastrous New Year's Eve party. But things change when Tim's father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can't change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life-so he decides to make his world a better place...by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think. Moving to London to train as a lawyer, Tim finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary (Rachel McAdams). They fall in love, and then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he's never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again-and again-but finally, after a lot of cunning time traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches, to save his best friend, playwright Harry (Tom Hollander) from professional disaster, and to get his pregnant wife to the hospital in time for the birth of their daughter, despite a nasty traffic jam outside Abbey Road. During his life, Tim uses his gift to fix not only his errors, but also in the lives of his relatives and friends.
Tim's family is a bit on the loony side and in addition to Bill Nighy as his wondrously gifted father, there is Lindsay Duncan is his mum, Richard Cordery is his space cadet Uncle D and Lydia Wilson is his sister nutty but sweet sister Kit Kat. Margot Robbie, Vanessa Kirby, Will Merrick and Tom Hughes offer excellent cameos. The time travel idea peters out once the film has started but the idea has been planted and helps make this frothy film float. 'We're all traveling through time together, every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.'