About Time
Overview
About Time is a 2013 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard Curtis, starring Domhnall Gleeson as Tim Lake, a young man who discovers that the men in his family have the ability to travel in time. The film is set in Cornwall, England, and in London. Tim is 21 years old, awkward, and unlucky in love. His father (Bill Nighy) tells him the family secret: he can travel in time by going into a dark closet, clenching his fists, and thinking about a moment in the past. Tim uses his power to try to find a girlfriend. He meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), a beautiful, quirky American woman, at a "blind date dinner" restaurant. They hit it off, but Tim's roommate accidentally travels back in time and changes the past, so that he and Mary never meet. Tim tracks her down at a Kate Moss exhibition, and he asks her out. They fall in love. The film follows their relationship over several years: their first date, their wedding, the birth of their children. Tim uses his power to fix small mistakes, to make his days better, and to spend more time with his loved ones. The film takes a poignant turn when Tim learns that his father has terminal cancer. Tim travels back in time to spend time with him, but he eventually has to let him go. The film's message is that time travel is not necessary to live a good life. Tim learns to live each day as if he has traveled back from the future to relive it. He stops using his power, and he finds happiness in the ordinary moments. About Time was a critical and commercial success, earning over $87 million on a $12 million budget. The film is a warm, funny, and deeply emotional meditation on love, family, and the preciousness of time.
