FILMS… About Time (2013)

#2010s #AllPosts

 

Or alternatively, the tongue-twister that is Tim’s time travelling tale: The trailer…

 

Tim finds out his father’s family secret that the men in his family can travel back in time and uses it to find true love but finds out there’s a wee catch.

 

With Nighy

About Time (2013)

About Time – International Trailer, Universal Pictures UK

 

Time Travel is a TV topic that’s pretty hot news now, due to the release of the third season of Outlander (2017). It’s not just because of its cast, led by the tartan totty, Sam Heughan –  with his soft spoken Scottish accent –  and the equally photogenic Caitriona Balfe. I believe – after hearing from a follower in Scottyland – you will only have missed this series if you live (ironically) in Scotland, only have terrestrial TV and have sat through shed loads of adverts to watch it. As it has only just appeared on the box back home…

But now it’s time for the review. Otherwise, I will end up gittering about Gene Hunt in Life on Mars (2006-08) or in Ashes to Ashes  (2008-10). This is another time travelling telly tale .. with the totty I’d go back in time for – but only if I wasn’t with my Darlin Husband. Philip Glenister is Gene Hunt .. so moving on… before I get caught up in a reverie of his particular accent in these shows.

The first choice of the 2 Reel Quirky Cats Time Travelling preview posts, is one from Thoughts All Sorts, and a lovely movie it is too. It’s About Time (2013) and yes, I have reviewed it before – hence the very short and sweet plot description.

 

About the plot…

So as I say write say  I’ve reviewed it before, here’s the plot… as I put it earlier this year when I reviewed the whole film.

An Original Tale about Time Travelling, True Love and the Importance of Family.

 

About the trailer…

So onto my thoughts on the trailer for this movie, I chose the International Trailer for the post as I haven’t seen it before. This is so About Time could be given a new sparkling review. The trailer starts with the scene with Bill Nighy as Dad / James Lake when he dadsplains about the Lake family trait that the males in the family can time travel. This pulls you in from the start with the film’s premise, with Domnhall Gleeson’s son Tim echoing the audience with “Wow”.

Cut to the scene for the men who will be dragged to see this will like – after seeing The Time Traveller’s Wife (2009) with  – a bikini clad Charlotte (Margot Robbie) asks Tim to put suntan cream on her back, and he does rather unsuccessfully. Then as his dad’s voice continues to explain how to time travel Lake-man style, we see Tim reliving the scene. So cut to Tim telling his dad he will find true love using their time travel techniques. Tim meets Mary (Rachel McAdams) and so luckily / sadly (delete as applicable) we aren’t treated to a montage of British lovelies.

We hear Nighy burble on in his own unique way more about time travel, as we get a montage of Tim ruining then reliving moments with Mary. This is from their first date, first sexual encounter, to their wedding day etc. Then making each event perfect. (And in a way it’s like the full film here, but with more than a few scenes cut out).

So instead of her falling for the hapless true version of Tim – he’s that bumbling Hugh Grant Four Weddings and a Funeral / Notting Hill character – it’s for the man with no foibles. Whatsoever. Which she will never see as he zaps out every painful encounter to relive them until perfect. A case of act, ruin, repeat until perfect for most of these scenes (and thus sort of like that Tom Cruise film).

Did I mention it was a film directed and written by Richard Curtis? – no? The trailer will point this out for you now in girlie font – just in case you hadn’t noticed. Yes, as the trailer says Curtis – the man who brought you Notting Hill (1999), Love Actually (2003) and Four Weddings…) – wrote this drivel.

Just in case you blink and miss this non-startling news, what I call the Curtis’ clues were duly noted… the bumbling hero, the token American love interest for the said hero – McAdams (previously Julia Roberts, Andie McDowall, January Jones), terribly middle-class English family / friends – you get the picture (excuse the pun). Because I did do this literally, despite all of these (although they did irritate my viewing partner in crime), and I loved it (they didn’t).

But in a final word, can Curtis now bring us the sequel where Nighy’s character does go back in time to “kill Hitler” and “shag Helen of Troy”, as sadly he dadsplained, that he couldn’t do… Because the thought of Bill Nighy going through the time and space-time travelling continuum would be fantastic. And that’s a not so subtle hint to those behind the casting for another British institution, Doctor Who…

 

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CLICK HERE to read the Thoughts All Sorts review.    

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