Music Video. And while not everything these days is necessarily about our “new normal” or how we grapple with limitations we never could have expected even weeks ago, Tim’s attempts to acclimate can’t help but feel terribly familiar today. Tim can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life - so he decides to make his world a better place...by getting a girlfriend (Rachel McAdams). It’s not. Hang on a sec… Encountered a critical error. Every time travel story has a few rules to keep things ticking, and “About Time” is no different, though Curtis takes his own time unspooling what will become the central sticking point for Tim. In short, there are limits, and returning to certain periods of his life is suddenly impossible, forever. No, it’s not the most altruistic aim, but it does ground Curtis’ film — his most darling feature since 2003’s “Love, Actually,” if not his most darling outing ever — in a wholly accessible idea. It’s a reminder to appreciate everything tangible and real, but one that has taken on added resonance in a world where the present is among the few things anyone can control, or at least take an active part in. Retry Watch ‘About Time’ on Netflix – Stream of the Day | IndieWire Those are the questions that guide Tim’s journey, as it evolves from small scenes (kissing a girl at a New Year’s Eve party after biffing it his last go-round) to attempting to change his beloved sister’s seemingly tragic fate, all while grappling with the limitations of his gift. Theatrical : 2 Hour(s) 4 Minutes, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 / English DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo / French Canadian DTS Digital Surround 5.1 / Spanish DTS Digital Surround 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround / English DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo / French Canadian Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround / Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, English SDH / French Canadian / Brazilian Portuguese / Latin Spanish. While Tim can’t suddenly zing and zip through time as much as he would like — and, as we also learn, like Nighy’s James used to — he can appreciate the present. Who wouldn’t want to go back in time to fix the past — to tweak an embarrassing interaction or smooth over a bad conversation? Curtis, working at the height of his screenwriting powers, develops this lesson in literal terms, with James teaching his son to do what he’s done for so many years: live each day twice, once the regular way, and again in a state of deep appreciation for all its wonders. While the first half of “About Time” is dedicated to Tim’s pursuit of romance, his eventual domestic bliss is what inspires the hardest of truths and (no big spoilers here!) Deleted Scenes with Intros by Director Richard Curtis, Blooper Reel: Making Movies Is a Serious Business, Ellie Goulding “How Long Will I Love You?” Music Video, Feature Commentary with Director Richard Curtis and Cast Members Domhnall Gleeson, Bill Nighy, Vanessa Kirby, Lydia Wilson & Tom Hollander, Ellie Goulding "How Long Will I Love You?" Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. “About Time” is now streaming on Netflix. Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is only 21 when he learns that he — like all the other men in his family — has the ability to time travel, should it so appeal to him. ©2020 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Copyright © 2020 Penske Business Media, LLC. This Article is related to: Film and tagged About Time, Direct, Richard Curtis, Stream of the Day, Streaming. ‘Soul’ Aims for Oscar Glory as Disney Shifts to Streaming, but Not All Films Deserve the Same Release, How Closed Theaters, Drive-In Movies, and Netflix Supremacy Are Shaping Oscar Season, ‘Chicago 7’ Vs. the World: How Aaron Sorkin’s Awards-Friendly Epic Jolted a Strange Awards Season, Introducing ‘Deep Dive’: Damon Lindelof and His Team Go Behind the Scenes of ‘Watchmen’, ‘Succession’: How Editing Helps Every Dinner Scene Come to Life — Deep Dive, Becoming Hooded Justice: The ‘Watchmen’ Craft Team Analyzes the Emotional, Pivotal Scene – Deep Dive, 40 Must-See New Movies to See This Fall Season, The Best Movies Eligible for the 2021 Oscars Right Now, Jessie Buckley Won’t Explain ‘Ending Things,’ but She Will Reveal What Terrified Her Most. It’s the whole point of all that time traveling, isn’t it? Tim’s actual life, his real present, is messy and imperfect and scary as ever. And appeal to him it does because the idea of an endless string of do-overs means an endless ability to make things right where it really counts: his failing love life. This movie gives us the wisdom of the elites - if you find out you will die of cancer in your sixties, quit your job and spend the rest of your time with family in your Cornwall castle by the beautiful coast, playing ping pong and engaging with your fabulously successful playwrite friend. With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can’t save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim’s (Domhnall Gleeson) father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. Please try to close and reopen the app. New Movies: Release Calendar for October 23, Plus Where to Watch the Latest Films, Quibi to Shut Down -- Here's What Went Wrong, Every IndieWire TV Review from 2020, Ranked by Grade from Best to Worst, 'Bridgerton': Everything You Need to Know About Shonda Rhimes' First Netflix Show. All rights reserved. Richard Curtis’ charming 2013 dramedy “About Time” starts there, with a relatable concept tucked inside a decidedly out-there one, as Tim uses his newfound genetic gift to try to get himself laid. And yet, there is hope. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! The past is gone, the future might not come, but the present is here. Inevitably, there are screw-ups, many of them sprung from well-intentioned ideas about “fixing” the past to alter the present into something bigger and better (or, at least, happier). All rights reserved. But there’s a reason why Tim can’t jump into the future: the present is all he has. From filmmaker Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral), About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim’s (Domhnall Gleeson) father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life - so he decides to make his world a better place...by getting a girlfriend (Rachel McAdams). ultimately forces him to evaluate how and when he travels. To make things right for the right now. That Tim (and his dad, played by a pitch perfect Bill Nighy) is able to jump into a dark corner, ball his fists up really tight, and wish himself into the past seems like the answer to anything and everything. While Curtis’ film is often able to use Tim’s condition for pure delight — most of it involving his eventual love affair with Mary (Rachel McAdams); “About Time” includes both a hilarious sex scene and a romantic proposal that owe much to Tim’s ability to keeping doing things until he gets them right — it is also unafraid to mine the dark side of it.