Dispatches from the Popcorn Stadium: About Time

Let me tell you a little story about a man named Tim (ugh, that sucked, excuse me a sec, I have to find a closet)

Shut it, Love Actually. The cupboard door, that is, so we can travel back to enjoy this movie again. (That was even worse. Excuse me again.)

I have to admit I was skeptical about this film when I watched the trailer about sixty times this summer and fall*, as it looked like a kind of by-the-book romcom with a little twist. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find it much closer to Groundhog Day, although it didn't quite get there. Perhaps it could have used more Bill Murr...what? Oh god, I went too far back and stepped on a bullfrog when I was ten. Somehow Groundhog Day became a movie where Paulie Shore fought an army of animatronic groundhogs on the International Space Station. Excuse me, I have to right this grievous wrong.



With one big exception, I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how this film turned out. It was much funnier (and a bit raunchier) than I expected. In addition, it was at times genuinely sad, heartwarming, and even occasionally frightening*. Like all great pieces of fiction where time travel is involved, it sets down fairly clear constraints and rules that establish stakes and conflicts. There are few easy choices for Domhnall Gleason, who plays Tim, the latest in a line of time travelers. Sure, he can go back and fix some things, but other things can't be fixed, or at least the price to do so may be far too high. These constraints and choices play a significant role in the most touching (and terrifying) scenes in the middle of the film, and was a gut shot to unsuspecting me as I sat there watching it. In the end, he makes peace with his situation, which is helped by the fact that he has Rachel McAdams' Mary there with him along for the ride.

It is this relationship, or rather how he manipulates things to perfect it, that creates my biggest problem with the film. The way he goes back in time to correct himself every time he does something awkward, or to make a moment absolutely perfect, reminds me of Bill Murray wooing Andie McDowell in Groundhog Day. No, not the awesome Phil Connors at the end, the manipulative schemer in the middle. In that film, Rita rightfully becomes suspicious when she catches him making a mental note of things she loves / does not love. It didn't work to break the repetition of Groundhog Day for Phil, because he didn't earn her affection.

I guess my biggest issue with it is it takes away Mary's agency over the situation. I'm sure many people would love to have a romantic partner that will move heaven and earth (and time) to make their life better, but the key there is that they know the person is doing this. Sure, letting Mary in on the family secret might create other issues (and could certainly go badly in a melodramatic way if handled wrong), but it would have made the story feel earned, and not create a sense that the women in the film are just there as puzzles to be solved by the men.

Still, the very fact that this film can overcome this pretty serious reservation just shows how well it was done. There are many decent performances, especially Gleason and the ever great Bill Nighy***. I especially enjoyed one scene that was shot completely in the dark, which was odd to watch in an already dark movie theater. The movie hit a lot of beats that you'd expect once you hear the setup and know a bit about the Tim's family****, but it does it well enough that it's OK.

Because of my one big objection, I can't give this film a strong recommendation. If you are looking for something to watch this early holiday season that doesn't involve comic book characters, YA heroines, or hobbits, this would be a good alternative. Also, if you loved Love Actually, you will probably like this as well.

Verdict: Recommend

* I think the trailer for this played before pretty much every movie I watched from July to early November
* In a "oh god, the choices you face with time travel" kind of way, not a "Grrr...Arghhh" kind of way. And no, I'm not talking about frenching your mom, McFly. Time Travel in this movie doesn't work that way.
**It seemed like she was whispering about half her lines. I've not really seen too many films with her in it, is this a thing she does?
***Like Michael Caine and Michael Sheen, another actor from the British Isles that seems to be in everything. Also like those two, he's often the best thing going in crappy movies, a big reason great movies are great, and always a welcome presence in any movie in between.
****The laid-back, easygoing retired academic father (Nighy), the sturdy gardener mother (Lindsay Duncan), the sister whose care-free ways hides a sad and problematic existence (Lydia Wilson),and of course Quizmorex (Quizmorex, playing himself) the talking dog that only Tim can see. Sadly, this time line seems to be missing the talking dog that only Tim can see. At least Groundhog Day is back to normal.