COMIC DRAMA; 2hr 3min
STARRING: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams
Love in bloom: McAdams and Gleeson
Lawyer Tim Lake (Gleeson) is a romantic triple threat: he’s brainy, adorably British and he can travel back in time to tweak his relationships. (It also doesn’t hurt any that his leading lady is hearts-and-flowers cutie McAdams and his dad fail-safe drawcard Bill Nighy, who schools Tim in Time Travel lore.) Being a tender-hearted boy, what Tim really, really wants is a girl, which is where lovable publisher’s reader Mary (McAdams) comes in. Having met her, then lost her, Tim time-travels to win her once more. Everything rolls swimmingly along from there — full-scale amore, wedding bells and babies all on schedule — smoothly carried off by the attractive cast and directed for full-on “Ah!” effect by Love Actually ’s Richard Curtis.
Feel-good romantic dramas play by their own slippery rules and we all know curve balls are just around the corner. But while it doesn’t always pay to mess with Father Time, the moral of this sweet-natured story is that there are unexpected pay-offs in simply appreciating the day-to-dayness of what we have. Airy fantasy aside, that’s not a bad guideline to live by.