The Time Traveler's Wife

A film based on a best selling novel can sometimes be a tricky sell. You already have a built in audience, but if the screenplay wavers from the book just for a moment you immediately start to hear the shifting in the seats and the grinding of teeth. Having not read the book I cannot judge how a fan of it will react to the film. However, it does clearly seem to fall within the boundaries of “the unfilmable novel” as the film itself is somewhat confusing and cack-handed in it’s execution. However, this isn’t too say this is a bad film per say. Eric Bana stars as Henry, a man born with a gene that causes him to travel through time involuntarily. The film concerns Henry’s time shifting around his relationship with Clare (played by Rachel McAdams). In terms of genre this is more drama than romance (which the cheesy poster implies) as Henry and Clare struggle to cope with Henry’s ill timed disappearances. Trying to grasp the plot and timescale can be bewildering at times so it’s best to just to try and follow the flow and not worry too much about it (for example, at one point Henry says he cannot change the past/future, but later on he buys a lottery ticket for which he already knows the winning numbers). In addition the scenes where an adult Henry meets the child Clare cannot help but feel a little “funny”. In the main though, helped by Bana and McAdams doing decent work, this is honest and mildly diverting attempt at tricky source material.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Slightly mis-marketed and not as cheesy as it sounds, but even the most concrete heart will be cracking at it’s dénouement. Certainly not a classic, but a decent stab at yet another “unfilmable novel”. Rating: 6/10.