a witty, intelligent, charming, sweet film with surprising depth and heart

Rating: 8/10 (21 September 2013)

From the director of 'Love Actually', who is also the writer of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', 'Bean', 'Notting Hill' and the 'Bridget Jones' films, it sure raises some expectations for this particular fantasy romantic comedy drama film about time travel.
Although it shares some similarities with 'The Time Traveler's Wife' (the same female lead actress, Rachel McAdams) and 'Groundhog Day', but rest assured, 'About Time' is a witty, intelligent, charming, sweet film with surprising depth and heart. The script was well written, the direction was great and the casts made a decent performance in their respective roles.
The film done a fine job in balancing the comedic and dramatic elements of the story, providing enough laughter and allowing it to flow smoothly without feeling too overly long despite its 2 hours running time.
Despite the time-traveling plot device, the story focuses on the father-son relationship of Tim and his dad and the lovely romantic relationship between Tim and Mary, without being too sappy, too overly lovey-dovey or too sentimental. The message or overall theme of the film about appreciating life as if it was your last was subtle and not too forceful or preachy.The selection of songs for the film was appropriate and not too overly done for the emotional scenes.The on-screen chemistry between Rachel and Domhnall are convincing enough for the audience to watch them going through life together. On the other hand, Domhnall and Bill, as father and son, their connection is felt throughout the film and certainly evoke some poignant memories when watching them together.
It's one of the best romantic comedies this year had to offer, better than the disappointing 'Time Traveler's Wife'. It's a great date movie that's not to be missed.