Honestly, most time travel movies are exhausting. You spend half the runtime trying to figure out if the protagonist just erased their own grandfather or if the "multiverse" logic actually holds water. But About Time, Richard Curtis’s 2013 sleeper hit, isn't really interested in the physics of a wormhole. It’s a movie about a guy who can travel back to his own past just by standing in a dark cupboard and clenching his fists. Sounds ridiculous. It is. But that’s the point.
Most people categorize About Time as a romantic comedy. It stars Domhnall Gleeson as Tim, a lanky, awkward redhead, and Rachel McAdams as Mary, the girl he falls for. But if you watch it again today, you’ll realize the romance is just the bait. The movie is actually a profound meditation on grief and the crushing reality that even with a superpower, you can’t save everyone. It’s about the fact that time is a thief. It’s about the terrifying realization that "happily ever after" is just a series of mundane Tuesdays.
The Time Travel Rules That Actually Make Sense
In the film, Tim’s father (played with heartbreaking charm by Bill Nighy) drops a bombshell on Tim's 21st birthday: the men in their family can travel through time. There are caveats, though. You can only go to places you’ve been and times you’ve lived. You can’t go back and kill Hitler. You can’t go back and bang Cleopatra. You can only fix your own mistakes.
This creates a grounded narrative stakes that Avengers: Endgame or Back to the Future never touched. When Tim uses his gift to ensure a dinner party goes well, or to make sure he doesn't look like an idiot when he first meets Mary at a "blind" restaurant (the real-life Dans le Noir? in London), it feels relatable. We’ve all had those moments where we wished for a "do-over." We've all replayed a conversation in our heads at 2 AM, wishing we’d said the witty thing instead of the weird thing.
Tim gets to do it. But the movie quickly pivots.
The real tension starts when Tim realizes that changing the past has a butterfly effect that isn't just about world events, but about the people he loves. The scene where he tries to help his sister, Kit Kat, avoid a car accident and a toxic relationship is the turning point. He succeeds, but when he returns to the present, his daughter has been replaced by a son. Because the timing of conception is so precise—down to the millisecond—changing the past by even a few minutes means a different sperm meets the egg.
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That’s a heavy, scientifically plausible consequence for a "fluffy" rom-com. It forces Tim to choose between his sister’s happiness and the existence of his own child. He chooses his child. It’s brutal.
Why We Are Still Obsessed With the Soundtrack and Setting
Richard Curtis has a specific "vibe." If you’ve seen Love Actually or Notting Hill, you know the drill: cozy kitchens, British rain, and a soundtrack that makes you want to cry in a good way. About Time captures a version of London and Cornwall that feels lived-in.
The music is a huge part of why this movie sticks in the brain. Ben Folds’ "The Luckiest" becomes a recurring motif that evolves from a sweet love song into a devastating funeral dirge. Then there’s the use of "Il Mondo" during the wedding scene. It’s raining. Not just a drizzle, but a massive, tent-collapsing gale. Most movies would make that a disaster. About Time makes it the best day ever. It’s a masterclass in perspective.
The Cornwall Connection
A lot of the film’s heart is in the Porthpean House in St. Austell, Cornwall. This is where the family spends their summers, skipping stones and having tea on the lawn regardless of the weather. It represents a stasis—a place where time seems to stand still anyway.
The cinematography by John Guleserian avoids the high-gloss look of modern blockbusters. It feels intimate. You feel the scratchiness of the wool sweaters and the dampness of the sand. This tactile quality grounds the sci-fi elements. You believe Tim can travel through time because the world he lives in feels so tangible and real.
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The Third Act: Dealing With Death
This is where About Time moves from a 7/10 movie to a 10/10 masterpiece. The relationship between Tim and his father is the true love story of the film. When his father reveals he has terminal cancer—caused by a lifetime of smoking that he refuses to "undo" because it would mean losing Tim and his sister—the movie shifts into a study of terminality.
Tim’s father teaches him the final "secret" to happiness.
- Live your life day by day, with all the stress and jitters.
- Then, live that same day over again, almost exactly the same, but notice the beauty you missed the first time.
It’s a simple lesson. It’s basically mindfulness with a sci-fi twist. But seeing Tim watch a grumpy shopkeeper or a stressful commute with a smile on his face the second time around is a powerful visual metaphor.
The final goodbye between Tim and his father is arguably one of the most emotional scenes in cinema history. Tim goes back to a moment in his childhood, a simple walk on the beach with his dad. They know it’s the last time they’ll see each other. There are no big speeches. Just two guys skipping stones. It’s a reminder that the "big" moments in life aren't the weddings or the promotions—they're the quiet, unremarkable moments with people who won't be around forever.
Addressing the Critics: Is It Problematic?
Some critics, like those at The Guardian when the film was released, pointed out that Tim’s use of time travel to "win over" Mary is a bit creepy. He basically manipulates her into loving him by repeating their first meeting until he gets it right.
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That’s a fair critique.
However, the movie addresses this by showing that even with "perfect" moves, life still happens. Mary isn't a prize; she's a partner who deals with her own grief and exhaustion. The movie doesn't suggest Tim is a god; it suggests he's a flawed guy trying to navigate a world that is inherently uncontrollable. Even with time travel, he can’t stop his dad from dying. He can’t stop his sister from being unhappy. He can only change himself.
Actionable Takeaways From About Time
You don't need a dark cupboard in Cornwall to apply the logic of this movie to your own life.
- The "Second Run" Mindset: Try to look at your daily commute or a boring meeting as if you’ve traveled back from the future specifically to experience it one more time. You’ll notice the light hitting the buildings or the funny way a coworker laughs.
- Accepting the "Butterfly Effect": Understand that you can’t optimize every decision. If you try to fix every mistake, you might lose the beautiful things that resulted from those errors.
- Prioritize the Mundane: The movie argues that the end goal of life isn't greatness, but a "standard" life lived well. Spend more time skipping stones.
- Grief is Inevitable: No amount of preparation or "fixing" prevents the pain of loss. Focus on being present before the loss occurs.
Why We Still Talk About It
About Time has a 7.8 on IMDb and an even higher audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It hasn't faded away like other rom-coms from the early 2010s. It’s become a perennial favorite for people dealing with loss or looking for a reason to appreciate their "ordinary" lives.
It’s a rare film that treats time travel not as a puzzle to be solved, but as a lens to view the human condition. It reminds us that we are all time travelers, moving forward at a rate of one second per second. We only get one shot at today. Make it count.
If you haven't watched it in a few years, go back. You’ll notice things you missed. You’ll see the dad's subtle winces of pain earlier in the film. You’ll see Mary’s patience. You’ll see yourself.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the deleted scenes on the Blu-ray; they provide more context on Tim's sister, Kit Kat.
- Visit the South West Coast Path in Cornwall to see the filming locations for yourself.
- Listen to the "About Time" original soundtrack on high-quality speakers to appreciate the orchestral arrangements by Nick Laird-Clowes.