Sunday 3 October 2010

Film Review: THE TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE (2009)


Director: Robert Schwentke
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

UK release date: 14th August 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 3rd October 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

First of all, I’m not sure I am the right gender to be watching this film. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against romantic films by any stretch of the imagination, but this one really goes for it, all guns blazing! One thing in its favour though is the time travel element. Film makers always find interesting ways to portray time travel and the effects it has on those involved. Here’s a short summary.

Henry DeTamble is a librarian in Chicago and he’s also a time traveller. One day a young lady, Clare Abshire, walks into the library and asks him to dinner. She tells Henry she has known him almost all of her life and that she is in love with him. She also knows all about his time travelling. He meets her two best friends Gomez and Charisse and the couple settle down together. Throughout this period we are told part of the story of how Henry first met Clare when she was just six years old. Eventually they wed and at first things seem to be going well. Unfortunately Henry has no control over when he will travel and this, at times can be awkward, especially since he always leaves his clothes behind and arrives at his destination naked. However, when Clare falls pregnant things begin to get quite serious. After she miscarries Henry seeks the help of Dr. David Kendrick, a geneticist, and from here events take a dramatic turn, especially for Henry! I won’t say any more, I don’t want to give too much away.

As with most time travel films there are a few plot holes, which I won’t bore you with the details of here, you’ll have more fun finding them for yourselves. I thought the special effect used when Henry time travelled was pretty effective. Decent performances all round, so honourable mentions go to; Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble, Rachel McAdams as Clare Abshire, Ron Livingston as Gomez, Jane McLean as Charisse and Stephen Tobolowsky as Dr. David Kendrick.

As I said at the beginning, I believe the female audience will enjoy this a lot more than the males. The film tells a lot more about feelings than about the narrative, not that that is entirely a bad thing. I did find it quite hard to engage with any of the characters and I did find it a little too drawn out at the end. So, if you’re in touch with your feelings then this is the film for you, otherwise, maybe give it a miss.

My score: 6.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/
Official Site: http://www.thetimetravelerswifemovie.com/dvd/index.html
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi2566717977/

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