Time-travel tale set in the social set of the Sloan-Rangers and Hooray-Henrys.

Rating: Null/10 (10 September 2013)

A Universal film. Richard Curtis is on familiar territory in this time-travelling rom-com.
An Englishman discovers that he can travel in time and uses this to try to get a girl.
Those who like the rom-com or time-travel genres will love this film. Director, and Writer, Richard Curtis, has crafted this time-travelling rom-com. It is a natural companion to 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' (1994), and 'Notting Hill' (1999). However, whilst both those films were rated 15, 'Another Time' is rated 12A in the UK. Though there should be no criticism of the film; it is not tame, it is not a kids film, but rather an adult film, for adults, that deals with adult themes. Richard Curtis was the Writer in all three films, but in 'AT' he directs too, unlike the previous two films. Camera work is a little wobbly in earlier shots and some music is a little intrusive. Having said that, the two scenes that really featured music, were both beautifully conceived and filmed.
Plot is basic, but to repeat, young man uses time travel to try to get a girl. Some mistakes can be rectified, and futures changed, through the use of time travel. Thus this film is comparable to 'Groundhog Day' (1993). In both films the hero uses time-travel rather selfishly at first, before maturing and using time-travel in a more constructive way. However whilst 'GD' just repeated one day, in 'AT', time-travel is over a longer period of time.
Curiously, Andie Macdowall co-starred in 'GD'. It will be remembered that Miss Macdowall was also in the 'FWaaF' Curtis-vehicle. In his two previous films, 'FWaaF' and 'NH', Mr Curtis had an English-gentleman and an American woman meeting in an upper-class environment. This film is again partially set in London as well as out in the country. Again the social-set is very upper class, lots of girls with awfully posh voices, and there is even an American.
While the characters are interesting, and even stereo-typical silly things clearly have more going on in their lives than is first thought, the social-set being portrayed is very thin indeed. There has been criticism of Richard Curtis in the past for showing a very limited slice of humanity in previous films. The same applies today with this, his newest film. In a recent interview Mr Curtis said he tried to do an urban-Boston film and realized he couldn't do it, so he went back to what he knew.
This is a very good film about the lives of white upper-class liberals, and certainly they will tend to mix with their own kind and set, however it is not acceptable, today, to portray London as a city solely populated by rich whites. There was criticism of the 1999 film 'Notting Hill' for showing Notting Hill as being entirely populated with whites. For the record, Notting Hill has been a very diverse multi-cultural and multi-racial area, for decades, as has been much of London. The Notting Hill Carnival is a vast celebration of Caribbean people and their culture. London also has many, many, working-class people too. Sadly, none of these groups feature in Richard Curtis films at all, except perhaps as menial servers.
You would have thought that fourteen years after 'Notting Hill' that Mr Curtis would have given some thought to writing parts for people of colour and working-class people. Sadly not. Sadly, Mr Curtis has learnt nothing in all these years. He is truly colour-blind. He sees no-one else in his rich white world. This reviewer thought criticism of Richard Curtis's earlier films, for being too rich and white, was a bit harsh. Sadly, I now feel that criticism has not been harsh enough. It is a serious flaw of this film, the writing of it, the casting of it, that once again it inhabits an unreal rich white world, that only exists in the head of Richard Curtis.
Having said all that however, this is a great film. Like his previous films, again here Mr Curtis gives us once again a beautiful rom-com. The time-travel thing is really just a plot device. The core of this film is about relationships. All sorts of relationships, but boy-meets-girl stuff is of course the central core of this film. From start to end we see a bevy of beautiful babes. So too does our hero. He can time-travel to change the past, change the way he interacts with a girl. For this reviewer, the first time was the best and sweetest, just perfect. However as time goes by life gets more complicated and so does the time travel. As the film progresses our hero faces decisions with great consequences. Ordinary mistakes and time-travel mistakes could have devastating consequences. Viewers will watch tensely as decisions are made. As our time-travel hero tries to learn how to live every day, so too may we. The time-travel theme is not the most important theme, so do not worry about it, accept, don't question, just enjoy a film who's central theme is love.
A great supporting cast fill the characters in this film with real life. Rachel McAdams is a real stand out as one of the girls who the time-traveller meets. Domhnall Gleeson is the time-traveller and he too totally convinces as he matures through this film.
If you liked 'Four Weddings' and 'Notting Hill', as well as 'Groundhog', and even enjoyed the romantic elements in 'Timecop' (1994), then this is the film for you. Highly recommended. 9/10.