Review: ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’

I want to begin by telling you up front that what I am about to say may shock some of you. In fact, some of you may choose never to read my reviews again. Prepare yourselves, because I am about to make one bold statement… THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is one of the best love stories EVER told. There. Now, that wasn’t that bad, was it? With that said, I would liked to have seen a few better casting choices.

The film was based on Audrey Niffenegger’s novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by Bruce Joel Rubin (GHOST, JACOB’S LADDER) and directed by Robert Schwentke (TATTOO, FLIGHT PLAN). At one hour and 47 minutes in length, the film can feel a bit slow at times in the first two acts, but the pace of the third act certainly makes up for having patience. The film is not perfect and it has it’s flaws, albeit few, but the story is simply marvelous and brilliantly combines the romance and science-fiction genres in a way that respects both, but is not easily restricted to either camp.

The movie follows research librarian Henry De Tamble, a man with a unique condition that proves to be both a curse and a blessing. Henry has a (fictional) genetic anomaly called chrono-impairment, which causes him to spontaneously travel through time, leaping from one significant moment in his and his families lives to another. Henry wields extremely limited control over his condition, which seems to be triggered by various sources of stress. Despite the inconvenience and occasional danger that his condition burdens him with, Henry manages to develop a meaningful and honest relationship with an artist named Clare Abshire. Clare is merely a child when she first meets a forty-something version of Henry in a meadow near her wealthy family’s home. From that moment, the two are seemingly destined to be together. They develop their relationship from friendship into lovers as Henry repeatedly visits Clare at different stages of her life, allowing him a very personal and coincidentally wise insight into her heart.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE can be split into three distinctly separate areas of focus. Two of these areas excel at accomplishing what they set out for while the other falls a bit short. The acting in this film was not bad. I particularly felt Arliss Howard (FULL METAL JACKET, AMISTAD) gave a wonderful performance as Henry’s father Richard, despite his minimal screen time. The character really came to life for me and I personally would have loved to see his character influence the story on an even deeper level. Ron Livingston (THE COOLER, LITTLE BLACK BOOK) was both funny and talented in the often awkward role of Gomez and managed to successfully bring the comic relief into the story at a tone and tempo that made me laugh but not too much. This is not a romantic comedy by any means, but the story has a few rough emotional moments and Livingston’s touch adds to the overall texture of this tapestry.

As for the stars of the film, Rachel McAdams (RED EYE, STATE OF PLAY) was perfectly fine. She doesn’t give a stellar performance, but it does hold up for the role’s requirements and she is definitely easy on the eyes and ears. I’ll give Rachel a solid “B” for her efforts and ability to maintain the flow of the film. Eric Bana. (sigh) What can I say about Eric? What I am not going to do is call him a talentless hack, because he is not and others say this far too often in my honest opinion. However, the problem with Eric Bana (HULK, MUNICH) seems to be a lack of self-acknowledgement regarding his own range and ability to properly emote. He tries very hard, I truly believe that with every fabric of my being, but sometimes trying isn’t enough. Frankly, I haven’t fully accepted him in a role since CHOPPER (2000). Too many of his scenes in THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE fall just short of convincing, but they’re close enough for me to have let them slide past my radar and enjoy the film.

Now for the good parts! I found myself pleasantly surprised by the overall performance given by the child actors in this movie. Alex Ferris plays Henry at the age of six and does a commendable job, even with his limited role. By far, the players who astonished me the most were the three young actresses who portrayed Clare and her daughter Alba, all of whom had to play their characters at two different ages. Brooklynn Proulx plays Clare at the ages of six and eight. Not only does she fit the image of a young Clare Abshire, she also succeeds at showing up her adult counter-part with a magical charm and radiance. Tatum McCann plays Alba at the ages of four and five while her real-life sister Hailey McCann plays Alba at the ages of nine and ten. Together, they sell young Alba as a smart and fascinating girl with a special inheritance.

I’ve already spoken of my feelings towards the story, which paints a wonderfully rich and believable romance that occurs despite the oddest of circumstances. The realism of their relationship holds up because it isn’t a storybook romance. Henry and Clare have their share of problems, from arguments to tragedy, including Henry’s genetic disorder that fuels both the good and bad sides of the characters’ personalities. Simply stated, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is a superbly crafted screenplay.

The third and perhaps most under-appreciated element of success in this film comes from behind the camera. Schwentke does a fine job directing the film, especially considering the level of performances he nurtured from the child actors. More than this however, I have to give credit to Florian Ballhaus (FLIGHTPLAN, MARLEY & ME) for her sumptuously vivid cinematography. THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is warm and inviting at times, but also cold and painful when it needs to be. The colors are rich, the depth of field she uses throughout the film is awe-inspiring and she has a keen eye for how to frame a shot. While I’d love to see her get recognition for her work come Oscar time, I realize it’s probably a long shot.

For all intensive purposes, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE utilizes just the right amount of subtle special effects as not to get in the way, or pull the audience out of this story. The non-linear relationship of Henry of Clare is fully engrossing, even if the acting leaves us wanting at times. While not extraordinarily impressive in their technical prowess, the special effects do what they’re intended to do in this movie and nothing more… they do their job. They help to convey the idea of a man who has a genetic predisposition to spontaneous time travel rather than showing up to show off. I applaud this approach with absolute appreciation.

Overall, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is an excellent film, not perfect, but absolutely worth paying to see in the theatre. Clearly, the film will appeal more to the average female cinematic tastes, but I beg and plead to the guys out there that this is NOT your average chick flick. Do not allow others who may want to lump THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE into a throw away category of sappy romantic melodramas to dissuade your interest. Doing so would be an unfortunate miscalculation of the film’s intention.