The Time Traveler's Wife (www.the-usher.com)

"I wouldn't change one second of our life together"

Since the age of six years old Henry DeTamble (Bana) has suffered from a strange genetic anomaly that causes him to involuntarily travel through time. Living a lonely existence and hiding away from society, Henry thinks that he can never lead a normal life but that all changes when he meets Clare (McAdams). She tells him that she has known him since she was a little girl and had waited most of her live for their paths to cross at the same time. Instantly drawn to her, Henry thinks that his might be his chance at a normal life but he is disappearing for longer and longer, making his life with Clare harder and harder.

A good romantic story should pull the heartstrings and force the shed of a tear or two but can you throw science fiction into the mix and still supply enough of a weepy?

Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Audrey Niffenegger, ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ does a very rare thing by mixing science fiction with romance. Essentially this is a story of love, loss and having free will taken away from you because of something completely out of your control. While love stories about couple been torn apart by a third party are nothing new to the romance genre, Niffenegger’s approach to this certainly is.

This is the love story of Henry and Clare, a couple that time itself has made destined to meet. Henry was born with a genetic anomaly, one that causes him to involuntarily travel through time to see pivotal events in his life and meet the people who will define him. As a film narrative and with any film that deals with time travel, the movie jumps around the timeline of Henry’s life, as we are introduced to the man from his own perspective and from an older version of himself who seems to appear when needed because his younger self has disappeared. While this can, in some cases, lead to confusion but the film deals with these factors with extremely and makes them a viable plot device.

With a science fiction storyline dominating the plot it would be easy to forget about the core subject of the film and that is the romance between Henry and Clare. These characters would be nothing however without the two actors bringing them to life having excellent screen chemistry and the good news is that Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams have just that. As Henry, Bana has to play him at various ages of his life and he manages to allow you to differentiate between the different versions of himself. Rachel McAdams has to do the same, as Clare grows from a lovesick teenager into a woman who has to face the fact that Henry will have to disappear from her life for weeks at a time. The pair is excellent and make the movie all the more watchable because of this.

‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ is a romance movie that will bring a tear to your eye. It is the science fiction twist that makes it a little different from the run-of-mill romance but still expect to bring a tissue or two for the ending. This little piece of originality makes the movie standout from the rest, making this an excellent date movie for those with a little Sci-Fi geek in them.

Not Available

The Notebook

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2009