Time travel sounds like science fiction. About Time treats it like a family tradition.
The 2013 Richard Curtis film stars Domhnall Gleeson as Tim Lake, a man who can jump back through his own timeline whenever he wants. He learns this from his father (Bill Nighy), who learned it from his father before him. The catch: men in the family inherit the power, women do not. That rule shapes every romantic choice Tim makes.
Trailer, via Universal Pictures UK.
The Lake Family Rule
Tim spends years traveling back to fix small mistakes. He flunks exams. He misses flights. He meets the wrong girl at the wrong moment. Then he meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), and the stakes shift. Because he cannot share his gift with her, he watches her fall for the wrong man while he stands frozen in the background.
The setup is clever. The execution drags. Curtis fills the middle stretch with repeated scenes of Tim showing up at key moments, tweaking conversations, and watching the world bend around him. Each loop feels less surprising than the last.
Bill Nighy’s Father Figure
Nighy carries the film. His character explains the rules with warmth and weariness, a man who has lived the same pattern for decades. Gleeson matches him well as a son trying to break free. McAdams plays Mary with a steady patience that the script does not always reward.
The supporting cast includes:
- Chris O’Dowd as Tim’s brother Dermot
- Margot Robbie as a character named Rufus
- Lydia Wilson as Tim’s mother
None of them get enough room to matter. The film keeps circling back to the same three people, and the other actors drift in and out of focus.
The Time Loop Problem
Curtis built his career on light romantic comedies, and About Time follows that template closely. There are jokes about family quirks, missed connections, and the awkwardness of young love. None of it lands with real force.
The film also leans heavily on sentiment. Tim’s father tells him to live fully in each moment, since he can always redo it later. That is meant to be wise. On screen, it reads as a thin excuse for a character who should be more decisive.
The ending pushes the emotional limit hardest. Without spoiling it, the final stretch asks the audience to believe in a romance built entirely on repetition and timing. Some viewers will find that moving. Others will find it manipulative.
Where It Falls Short
About Time is not a bad movie. It is a gentle one, and a forgettable one. The premise offers real dramatic potential. Curtis and his writers chose to play it safe instead.
The film never fully commits to its central idea. It treats time travel as a toy rather than a burden. Tim jumps back dozens of times, but the film rarely explores what that does to his sense of self. It stays on the surface.
The performances are competent across the board. Gleeson and Nighy do the heavy lifting, and McAdams holds her ground even when the script lets her down. But a film this slight needs more than capable acting to rise above the crowd.
Final Word
About Time is pleasant without being essential. It is the kind of movie that earns a recommendation from a friend and disappoints on the big screen. The ideas are smarter than the execution.
The film’s biggest flaw is its refusal to push past comfort. It stays within familiar romantic comedy territory, dressing it in time-travel clothes without ever asking what those clothes mean.
About Time gets 5.5 out of 10.
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