Release Date: 8/14/09
Science fiction romance isn’t exactly a common genre for movies (Wall-EEEEEE!), but The Time Traveler’s Wife is just that…with a slight lean towards the romance. The movie follows the life of Henry DeTamble, played by Eric Bana (The Other Boleyn Girl, Munich, Troy), who time travels for the first time at the age of 6. Henry is in the backseat of the car while his mother drives. They’re singing Christmas carols and talking and laughing when an oncoming truck loses control and hits them. Just before impact, Henry time travels in real time to the side of the road, only in time to watch his mother die before his eyes. Scientifically, a rare genetic disorder causes him to begin this life of time traveling – usually when under stress, and something he very unfortunately cannot control.
Rachel McAdams (Wedding Crashers, The Family Stone, The Notebook, Mean Girls) plays the love of his life as Clare Abshire. It’s funny because Clare meets Henry at the young age of 6 in the meadow behind her house when he is much older, but Henry doesn’t meet Clare until their chance meeting in the library when Clare is somewhere in her 20’s and he’s in his 30’s. This is the first time we see McAdams in the movie and she lights up the screen. She’s just wonderfully charming and adorable and makes the movie completely worth seeing. Since Clare has known Henry for most of her life, she is beyond happy to see him here before her eyes, but Henry is taken aback by this forthcoming girl he has never met.
The movie continues to go back-and-forth through time, consistently following the life of Clare in real time, but witnessing Henry’s travels along the way, like when he does finally meet Clare in the meadow. Brooklynn Proulx plays this young Clare and she’s a little pistol. Much is to be said for the kid actors in this movie. All four of them do an excellent job to make this film successful, beginning with the 6-year-old version of Henry in the first scene, Alex Ferris, and ending with their daughter Alba, who is seen at age 9 and 4 as sisters Hailey and Tatum McCann.
Based on the novel by Audrey Niffenegger, it can sometimes be confusing with all the bouncing between past, present, and future. Those who have read the book should be pleased that screenplay writer Bruce Joel Rubin and director Robert Schwentke stayed mostly true to the novel, including the inevitable, heart-wrenching ending (I cried for about the last 45 minutes). On the lighter side, Ron Livingston (Office Space) is a surprisingly refreshing addition to the movie as Gomez, one of Clare’s good friends who eventually becomes Henry’s best man. He has that subtle humor that had me laughing out loud.
Ultimately, the movie thrives with the on-screen duo of McAdams and Bana, who are both having banner years. Bana has already been on the big-screen this year with his comedic role as Clarke in Funny People, and McAdams will star later this year as Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes.
IMDB 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes 36%
Movie Wiseguys 7/10