‘About Time’ Movie Review
O
ne of the classics. A real feel good movie. ‘About Time’ is a pure rom com telling the story of a man who finds out a life changing family secret which teaches him valuable lessons along the way.
The movie is set mostly in a beautiful, rustic Cornwall house. The film features around a relatable and close-knit family with a range of characters, but all entertaining and adding their own addition to the plotline. The movie starts by introducing the characters through the narration of the main character, Tim; a sensible, laid back, a tad desperate, but genuine guy. The family seems like any other normal family. However, the night after the New Year’s Eve party, Tim is exposed to some news which will change his life forever. His Dad, extremely well played by Bill Nighy, exposes him to the family secret that the men in the family have been able to travel in time. Having heard this, Tim describes what he will use this advantage to do: firstly, he aims to become rich – however Nighy reminds him that he has never met a happy rich person before – then, he says that he would probably use it to get a girlfriend. This is the start of the movie and the ambition that drives him to find the love of his life. Throughout the rest of the movie, we can see that his main focus with the hidden talent is to find a girlfriend, but also to protect his family and prevent them facing any trauma. Many moral messages arise from this aim. One in particular that stands out to me is that sometimes, bad things happen for a reason. They can be turning points in our life and can change how one sees a situation so that they can prevent it from happening again. In the movie, Tim’s sister has an incident which could have been fatal, and Tim goes back in order to prevent the accident from happening. However, he realises that his power has limitations that if he goes past certain points, such as births, they will happen differently. Therefore, he has to realise that he needs to make his sister, Kitkat, understand that what she is doing is going to end up with her being in the same, or a worse, situation. The morals, life lessons, and realisations, make the film more relatable and give an insightful feel to it. The cast features many gems of Hollywood, including Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Domhnall Gleeson, and the stunning Margot Robbie. The Director, Richard Curtis, cleverly constructed this masterpiece with perfect casting: from the lovable character of Uncle D, who incapsulates the most oblivious but most innocent person, to the slightly less amicable but hilarious slimy character of Jay played by Will Merrick. Every character helps to play a part in making such a hilarious and thoughtprovoking film. The storyline is laced with witty comments and insightful messages. Quotes such as “don’t spend it all at once” when Uncle D gave Tim £1.50 when he was leaving to live in London, really keep what is at times quite a depressing movie, lighthearted and a family friendly film. I would really recommend giving this film a watch as it is one of my personal favourites and is a feel-good film that everyone would enjoy! Hannah McClelland, L6th, Hn
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