 |
| More lead roles for Domhnall Gleeson, please. |
Directed by Richard Curtis
Produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner
Written by Richard Curtis
Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson and Tom Hollander
***
Richard Curtis returns with another charming film, this time with time travel. On New Year's Day, 21-year-old Tim (Gleeson) learns that the men in his family are gifted with the ability to travel back to any moment in the their past, changing things as they so choose. He first uses it to go back to New Year's Eve and fix an awkward interaction with a girl at the stroke of midnight. After leaving the countryside for London, Tim meets Mary (McAdams), and falls in love with her. The problems of time travel soon mount, as he tries to make everything right for his family. He soon learns that traveling in time can't fix everything, and he must learn to let some things go.
While it has many humorous moments, this is a more mature outing for Curtis, which feels a bit too grandiose in scope. The ideas are interesting, but the way they're presented seems too on the nose, even lazy at times. Of course, it is an enjoyable experience, not unlike Curtis' other work. The cast is quite good as well. Domhnall Gleeson plays a lovable klutz, nailing the comedic scenes and mustering up a soft brokenness in the more dramatic ones. (Really, he should be getting more lead roles after such a turn.) Rachel McAdams' performance is perfectly fine, even if her character feels underdeveloped, and Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander are very entertaining in their smaller roles. There are even cameos by Richard E. Grant and the late Richard Griffiths. Overall, Richard Curtis' latest is a pleasant journey, funny and touching with a solid performance from Domhnall Gleeson.
Oscar Potential: None
My wife is dying to see this. I think it looks charming, but your review kind of scares me, since lazy is not the way you should go with such an intriguing premise.
ReplyDeleteI admire the ideas, but it feels too undeveloped. There's a subplot that seems like an odd, yet easy, excuse to push the narrative forward. Still, it's a fun time, and it's hard not to enjoy it.
DeleteI'm all for a movie trying to get all sweet and sentimental on me, but it must do it reasonably and thoroughly. This was not one of those cases, as charmed as I was by the cast. Good review Josh.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dan. I'm a fan of Richard Curtis' work, but this one just didn't gel like some of his previous work.
DeleteNice to see Brendan Gleeson's son is now getting more roles! I kept seeing Domhnall in supporting parts so it's nice to see him in a leading role. I usually like Richard Curtis' work so I think I'd enjoy this one. Time travel movies is tough to tackle though, sounds like this one isn't perfect either.
ReplyDeleteHe's great in the part, so I was thrilled that he got a lead role. I think you'd like it, given that you usually enjoy Curtis' work.
Delete