THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE (2009)

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE (2009)

Tagline: I guess the title is the tagline. 

(Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi) [PG-13]

No. I didn't mean that. I ju... I just wanted to try it; I just wanted to say it to assert my own sense of free will. I... But my free will wants you.

In this one, a child named Henry discovers that he is able to travel through time and that it is typically triggered by drinking or getting emotional, but can happen at any time and is out of his control. Even with this affliction he still manages to fall in love with Clare and the two get married, but time travel has its rewards and consequences. 

First off, this isn’t really my usual wheelhouse, but if you read my reviews, you know I go off the beaten path often enough. This movie is actually produced by Bratt Pitt who bought the rights to the movie before the book by Audrey Niffenegger was even finished. Niffenegger also wrote the famous book “Sense and Sensibility”. THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE was also the last feature film put out by NEW LINE HOME ENTERTAINMENT. They have since been taken over by a larger studio, Warner Bros. 

The pace of this movie is pretty slow, but we are brought into Henry’s world in the very first scene when his mother is killed in a car crash. As the story unfolds we discover that Henry is a pretty nice guy unless you are standing next to him when he travels from one time to another, because there is a chance you will get your clothes stolen. This is because every time he travels, his clothes get left in the place he leaves. Henry is also blessed with some really cool and really understanding friends even if they take some time to come around to the concept of him disappearing and reappearing in their lives. 

Acting-wise Eric Bana is a solid actor in just about everything he is in and if there was a bright spot to the dreadful HULK movie from 2003, it was him. This movie is no exception. We also get Rachel McAdams who is fantastic in the DOCTOR STRANGE films and in this movie, but my favorite films of hers are both the SHERLOCK HOLMES movies from 2009 and 2011. Oddly this isn’t the only movie where Rachel McAdams has played a character whose love interest travels through time (ABOUT TIME and MIDNIGHT IN PARIS are the other two examples). We also get a bit of comic relief and compassion from Ron Livingston who plays Henry and Clare’s friend Gomez but is probably best known for OFFICE SPACE. 

I have never read the book, but from the reviews, I am getting that this was a pretty good representation of what was on the pages. While this movie doesn’t have car chases or stuff blowing up or anyone turning into a giant Venus Fly Trap, it does have an unpronounced sci-fi element. Time travel is the sci-fi that actually takes a back seat to the relationship between Henry and Clare. When I say that, I mean the sci-fi part is sitting way in the back, if this movie was a bus, the sci-fi explanation of what is going on, would be hanging off the bumper of the bus. 

If I had any complaints it would be the ending just in general it feels complete but leaves questions. The second and last complaint would be the song that gets played at Henry and Clare’s wedding. Man, who the heck picked out that somber downer of a track for this movie. Just as a last tidbit, that song in that scene in this movie is performed by “Broken Social Scene”. They are known for doing several songs on the SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD soundtrack, most notably “We Hate You, Please Die” and “I’m So Sad, So Very, Very, Sad”.

This flick has an old-fashioned charm to it harkening back to when love on screen was pure, powerful, and unwavering. What if your significant other was a time traveler that could disappear at any moment and his main goal was to find you in another time in your life? Could you make that work? This movie does a fantastic job of exploring those deep questions which I found quite refreshing in a throw-away society where real virtue and real commitment is hard to come by. I don’t want to give away any more plot points in case you are planning on checking this out. 

Overall in light of my 2 complaints, I have to still give this one a 6 out of 7. The movie is a piece of art that takes you on a bit of an emotional roller coaster while remaining very heart-warming and thought-provoking. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF NEW LINE CINEMA AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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