ABOUT TIME (6.5 out of 10) – Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander; written and directed by Richard Curtis; rated R (language and some sexual content); in general release; running time: 123 minutes.
One thing we can agree on: Richard Curtis has a lot of ideas, many of which are terrific.
As both a screenwriter and a director, Curtis has been responsible for some very, very clever and crowd-pleasing movies. Included in his credits are the hits “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (he co-wrote that 1994 film’s screenplay) and “Love, Actually” (he both wrote and directed that 2003 ensemble piece), as well as the underrated 2009 comedy “Pirate Radio” (aka “The Boat That Rocked”).
His problem is that he often has too many ideas and doesn’t know how to prune out the go-nowhere and/or less-important ones from his works. Often enough, his works are so overstuffed with characters and plot that they begin to resemble a holiday bird that’s been filled with not only stuffing, but also with the dessert, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salad, rolls and cranberry sauce as well.
Now that’s not to say that his latest, the science-fiction/romantic comedy “About Time,” is a cinematic turkey. It’s just so overflowing with ideas and characters that the main point it’s trying to make nearly eludes it.
Still, it’s got some smarts, some welcome laughs and some genuinely touching, heartfelt moments. The movie also provides a sturdy, first major starring role for Domhnall Gleeson, the son of Irish character actor Brendan Gleeson. He stars as Tim Lake, a twenty something, would-be legal eagle who’s just found out something startling about the male members of his family.
According to Tim’s father, James (Bill Nighy), the Lake men have the power to travel through time. The catch is, they can only travel through moments of their own life and timeline. (Obviously, this rule will come into play throughout the movie, especially toward the end.)
This newfound ability – which Tim employs by finding dark places like closets, relaxing and then imagining himself when and where he wants to be – comes in handy when he tries to romance Mary (Rachel McAdams), a lovely American. These two, would-be lovers meet in a “Black-Out Diner” (trendy restaurants in which patrons are served meals in pitch blackness and singles are sometimes set up on “blind dates”).
Despite their promising first meeting, Tim fumbles away a second opportunity, only to use his powers to woo and win the Woman of His Dreams. However, he soon discovers that even time traveling can’t fix everything in his sometimes turbulent life, as attempts to meddle in the affairs of his troubled younger sister, Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson), have unfortunate repercussions.
If you haven’t already seen the film’s overly revealing trailers and ad spots, skip them. They disclose at least one of the bigger plot developments. And curiously, it’s the romance part of the movie that’s a little half-baked and unsatisfying. It’s not completely clear whether that’s because McAdams underplays her role or whether it’s because Curtis neglected it.
That’s especially glaring when compare that with the scenes depicting the believably appealing, father-son relationship/dynamic. Curtis really hit on something there, and he’s helped by the Nighy, who appeared in both “Love Actually” and “Pirate Radio,” and again steals scenes, as does another Curtis regular, Tom Hollander, who plays Tim’s roommate, a grumpy and too-sensitive playwright.
As for the younger Gleeson (at this point, best known to audiences for his role as Bill Weasley in the “Harry Potter” movies), he’s solid but he’s no Hugh Grant, it’s a bit of a stretch. Admittedly, his performance here is full of the nervous tics, stutters and pauses that Grant perfected in a slew of romantic comedy roles. But he’s not got the matinee idol looks and appeal. Not yet anyway.
Jerk-bot, better known in human form as Jeff Michael Vice, can be heard reviewing films, television programs, comics, books, music and other things as part of The Geek Show Podcast (www.thegeekshowpodcast.com), as well as be seen reviewing films as part of Xfinity’s Big Movie Mouth-Off (www.facebook.com/BigMovieMouthOff).