About Time for These Kind of Rom-Com's!

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2013)

Normally, I'd be quite hesitant to seeing a rom-com, but as any open- minded individual, the concept and charm granted the film potential based on the promotions and instantly intrigued me. About Time revolves around a socially awkward character, Tim, who discovers an incredibly useful and all-the-more manipulative secret that runs on the male side of his family. A father essentially entrusts his son with this valuable power that allows him to travel back into his past, which means the next time Tim ruins a relationship or mistakenly goes for a kiss only to be humiliated thereafter, it's right to the nearest closet or compact room to fix the issue and reverse his horrible decisions.
Moreover, the film happened to surprise me in that it carried much more heart and depth than your standard romantic comedy, and it rather flourishes in its style of authenticity. Progressively, we're either met with extremely relatable or wholly plausible situations that induce laughter or provoke various emotions deep inside that tough personality of yours (speaking from a male's perspective). Its strongly apparent sense of genuineness emphasizes the likability of the characters with Bill Nighy being a clear favorite, retaining that charisma and lovability that all have already come to associate him with. Domhnall Gleeson undeniably delivers a terrific performance, suffused by numerous subtle facial expressions, gestures, and stuttered speech that effectively composes his insecure nature.
Furthermore, even though the final message of the film could be deemed cheesy, it's totally executed in a convincing manner in part by- again- its sincere essence. By the time the feature has wrapped up, the audience will be in tears. During its development, they'll be infatuated by its subject matter. In such fashion, About Time is remarkably capable of taking you on a wavy journey that consists of sadness at times and pure excitement or comedy in others. A wide variety of people will be sighted throughout its span, some veritably abhorrent and others utterly sympathetic, and it's this distinctiveness that comprises a realistic picture- something that's absolutely necessitated in a movie that deals with the kind of themes prevalent here.
With that being said, the flick's length certainly becomes problematic as it nears the conclusion; its last thirty minutes or so noticeably drag out, and we encounter an unexpected scene after another. Just when we believe that we're witnessing the last point for its thematic material, we shift to a fresh setting and an additional quandary. Actually, it reminds me of Return of the King's last act which seems to present us with multiple extra scenes following several lengthy black screens. When the picture eventually finishes at the mark it sought to, it feels as if the whole matter could've been wrapped up in a more concise method without dozens of further complications as a means of elucidation.
In sum, the idea of time travel is adeptly utilized in addition to the countless laughs to be had and the highly entertaining plot overall. About Time is undoubtedly one of the best rom-com's in recent years, and I hope to see more of this kind from Hollywood instead of the artificial half-assed stories, infested with detestable and debauched characters, they produce nowadays.