About Time

What at first appeared to be a not particularly breezy, but thanks to the constant hinting that Rachel McAdams might show mammary glands, watchable romance in a genetically engineered Britain where there are hardly any minorities and one doesn't care about the ugly chick (whereas I would have assumed Curtis would have at some point been to England) degenerates into something unreal in the last third. I know that this sphere probably pays for cinema tickets, but the horrible final ode to the petty joys of the middle class of absolutely uninteresting people with whom I understand the viewer is supposed to identify somehow to embody an answer to the question of what a new mother’s discussion forum election spot would look like if Andrej Babiš were still trying to get publicity through it. And it would have been filmed by Renč. (02/11/2014)

An incredibly cool action-packed movie with a plethora of finely crafted dialogues, excellent timing of scenes, love that never gets mundane, and appropriate life paths for every situation. That alone is somewhat like science fiction, and time travel doesn't even have to be involved. But (not only) Rachel McAdams is simply incredible. It is impossible to resist. (08/18/2014)

I already felt sorry for Richard Curtis before the premiere in one aspect. He simply couldn't live up to the expectations of fans who wanted something like a time-traveling Love Actually, no matter how hard he tried. That's why the path he took is so surprising – a path preceded by no such futile attempt. Not that it is devoid of romance, because the band in the subway or the stormy ceremony almost left me speechless with their power. But there's something more here. Those obligatory family values that turn into golden words and private emotional weight. It is in their strength that something makes About Time a film that you almost cannot put a price on. It has a somewhat unnecessarily piercing sci-fi aspect, a perfectly dialogued romantic storyline as expected, and plenty of friendly humor. And then comes the last act, and Bill Nighy becomes a person from my life, someone I can't return to with any wardrobe, and everything is somewhere else again, beyond the boundaries of the five-star scale. And exactly there, at the very end, it is best to see where Curtis has arrived. To a place where everything is not there in service to romance, but where romance serves an even more personal and timeless transcendence. It is hard to say what all the director managed to express here. But if this is truly his last directing endeavor, he can walk away from the chair with his head held high, because he (again) leaves at the scene of the crime something without comparison. (11/04/2013)

I’m aware that there are many, many films that are better in form and more important for the development of the medium, but I don't give a damn about them. About Time is a story about perceiving and experiencing the world around you that gives you wings and energy to get up again tomorrow and enjoy every (un-)ordinary minute. A story that completely absorbed me for two hours and showed me new dimensions that feelings associated with words such as love, happiness or friendship can take. A work of art with the most beautiful and beautifully conveyed message. Gleeson is the most likeable movie romantic, Rachel is the most amazing and wonderful romantic's dream, and Richard Curtis is a man I admire and respect indescribably. This is one of those films that can replace true love for me. Objectively, I could criticise it for a few logical inconsistencies and the lack of a supporting conflict in the second half, but subjectively it is perhaps my favourite and most emotionally influential cinematic experience along with Shawshank – and I prefer those emotions and impressions any day. (01/05/2014)

I already got used to Richard Curtis making great movies with a positive vibe, containing a lot of thoughts worth fighting for. A lot of people recommended About Time to me, and since I like Rachel McAdams, I planned to see the movie for quite some time. And I can tell you, for a long time I did not feel such joy to be alive that I felt after watching this film. (06/21/2014)