Film Review - The Time Traveler's Wife
Romantic Drama from Niffenegger Novel with Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
Aug 19, 2009
On the face of it, a romantic drama about a man and a woman, who have a wedge driven between their relationship in the form of time travel, doesn’t really whet the appetite. The marketing campaign behind The Time Traveler’s Wife didn’t do the movie many favours either, giving the impression of a mushy, overly sentimental romance. The posters seemed a little too vomit-inducing, and neither Eric Bana nor Rachel McAdams are particularly big box-office draws at the moment.
Then again, maybe the marketing campaign was cleverly structured by aiming the film squarely at a female audience who are more than likely looking for an escape from the macho circus that is the summer blockbuster season.
But The Time Traveler’s Wife is more interesting than its advertising campaign suggests. It’s a well structured film with a romantic side that’s coupled with enough drama to keep you caring about the characters for the whole 107 minutes.
Brought out at the tail end of the summer season and in the shadow of bigger films such as Inglourious Basterds and G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra, this could well be a sleeper hit for New Line Cinema. Proving to be more than just your stereotypical romantic drama, The Time Traveler’s Wife came in a respectable 3rd in the US Box office tables with $19.2m in its opening weekend (boxofficemojo.com).
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Outline of the Film
Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 debut novel of the same name, The Time Traveler’s Wife follows Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana), who suffers from a genetic dysfunction which causes him to involuntarily travel through time. He has no idea when, why or where he might next disappear. It makes for a lonely life for Henry, unable to form any kind of relationship due to the strain his condition puts on his social life, he’s resigned to the fact that he’ll be alone forever.
That is until he meets Claire Abshire (Rachel McAdams) while working at Chicago’s Central Library. Although he hasn’t set eyes on her before, Claire claims to have been visited as a child by an older version of Henry from the future. The two had formed a close friendship throughout Claire’s childhood and Henry had informed the youngster that when she was older the two would one day meet.
Although Henry is slightly taken aback by the advances of a woman he’s only just met, there’s an immediate connection between the two characters.
It’s the start of a burgeoning relationship, with Henry finally lowering his guard to find solace in a soul mate that understands his debilitating illness. They learn to live with Henry’s sudden jolts back through time and despite some initial scepticism from Claire’s family and friends, the two decide to settle down and start a family.
All seems to be rosy until complications occur with Claire’s pregnancy, and, to make matters worse, the couple are worried by the realisation that neither of them have ever seen Henry’s future self appear any older than forty. Suddenly the happy couple begin to question how long they may have together.
Summary of The Time Traveler’s Wife
You could get bogged down in thinking about potential loopholes in the narrative as we see Henry go back and forth through time so often. The chicken and egg questions of travelling back in time to affect the future could also drive you crazy. Where did Claire and Henry’s relationship start in order for Henry to travel back in time to see the young Claire to inform her? Surely if Claire knows about this from a young age it would affect their adult relationship? And which came first?
For a film as light as this, it’s probably best not to bother activating these brain cells and just take The Time Traveler’s Wife at face value. When you do that, it’s actually quite a likeable film, which isn’t as ‘chick-flick’ as it could easily have been. It’s a pleasant story with an interesting moral question about personal sacrifice for the good of others. It’s sad in places, (women will like the gushy love story) but there’s enough in the story to keep a male audience interested too (and not just Rachel McAdams).
In addition, director Robert Schwentke offers the kind of clever twists and turns that made his breakthrough Hollywood film, Flightplan, so interesting. Adapting a story that jumps back and forth through time so often is always challenging for a director but Schwentke manages this without making the plot seem confusing or cluttered.
Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams also make a convincing on-screen couple, and although at times their relationship can be a little rose-tinted and their early idyllic family life a tad nauseating, it never necessitates a trip to the cinema toilets.
Fans of Audrey Niffenegger’s book may find the screen version a bit of a disappointment, but if you’re unaware of the story then you’ll probably enjoy The Time Traveler’s Wife without being too bowled over.
Verdict: 3.5/5
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