The Time Traveler’s Wife

Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s superb novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife follows reluctant time traveler Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) as he attempts to maintain an ongoing love affair with Rachel McAdams’ Clare Abshire – with his penchant for disappearing for days and weeks at a time inevitably placing a tremendous strain on their relationship. It’s clear almost immediately that screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, best known for penning unapologetically sentimental flicks like 1990’s Ghost and 1993’s My Life, is primarily interested in exploring the more overtly maudlin elements within the source material, which ensures that the film will probably be received best by those viewers with a high tolerance for syrupy love stories (ie this is more The Notebook than Timecop). And although it admittedly does take a while to get used to Rubin’s laid-back modus operandi, there quickly reaches a point at which it becomes virtually impossible to resist the film’s unabashedly (and irresistibly) romantic sensibilities. The palpable chemistry between Bana and McAdams certainly plays a significant role in cementing the movie’s success, as the performers’ thoroughly engaging work ensures that the bond between their respective characters remains grounded and believable despite the inherently far-fetched nature of the premise. Director Robert Schwentke, along with cinematographer Florian Ballhaus, has infused the movie with a meticulously composed and impressively lush visual style that proves an ideal complement to Rubin’s idealized (yet awfully low-key) script, with the inclusion of several genuinely moving interludes (eg Henry meets his 10-year-old daughter for the first time) consistently elevating the proceedings above its romantically-inclined brethren. And although one can’t help but question the decision to jettison the book’s note-perfect conclusion, The Time Traveler’s Wife ultimately establishes itself as one of the most moving and flat-out indelible love stories to come around in quite some time.

***1/2 out of ****