Director: Robert Schwentke | Rated: PG-13 | Review date: 4-Jan-201o – First Review of 2010!

The Time Traveler’s Wife is based off the novel by Audrey Niffenegger which follows a man who has the inexplicable ability to travel through time. Henry, nicely played by Eric Bana, meets his future wife Clare (Rachel McAdams) at some point during his travels when she’s at a very young age. The two hopelessly fall in love even despite Clare’s knowledge of Henry’s unique “condition.” True love is put to the test in this fast-paced supernatural romance.

The story jumps back and forth during Henry’s travels, but slowly all of the pieces of the story come together. It’s very interesting to see the characters at different points in their lives, and it’s especially entertaining to see Henry every time he spontaneously arrives to a point in time (sans clothes). How or why his shifts occur is never fully explained, but in my opinion is not necessary and doing so would have possibly shifted attention away from the main focus which is how his travels affect his loved ones.

Having not read the book I can’t make any comparisons as of now, however most fans seem to agree the adaptation is fairly accurate and pleasing. The acting by Bana and McAdams is convincing and I could really feel for their characters. The story moved quickly, requiring a lot of attention. The film didn’t spend much time explaining how Henry traveled through time but rather focused on his relationship with Clare and a few other friends and family members. As mentioned, I felt this to be a very good thing as it made the story much more of a captivating drama and more of a character study rather than a full blown sci-fi thriller.

This film is a nice stray from normal romance dramas. It really makes you think and makes you feel for the characters. The story is incredibly heart warming and even a bit sad at times. The Time Traveler’s Wife is an exciting and original love story that’s far from the norm of typical fairy tale romances. It may scream “chick flick” to some, but that shouldn’t stop one from enjoying this original story and overall well made movie (and it will definitely earn you gentlemen points with the ladies).

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