I finally watched the movie "About Time" today. I have been wishing and waiting to do so since I saw the trailer, however long ago that was. The movie was everything I hoped for and more, which is not to say that it was what I expected. It left me to reflect on the big thought of time. What does that even mean, right? There are so many thoughts to think about time. However above all, we want to know do we, or can we ever really have enough of it, and have we really spent it wisely. What better bottom line for a story than time-travel to explore those questions?
In case you haven't seen it, here's the trailer for "About Time"
I could try my best to go on and on about my own thoughts on time, but they are too many and too scattered. The film sums it up so well, I will just say that I agree with the notion it presents.
Here are 3 quotes that just about summarize the movie:
1. "Lesson Number One: All the time traveling in the world can't make someone love you."
2. "We're all traveling through time together, every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride."
3. "The truth is I now don't travel back at all, not even for the day, I just try to live every day as if I've deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life."
The fact of the matter is that we will never feel like we have had enough time, but whatever amount time on this earth God appoints us, it is enough. As for whether we have really spent it wisely, the way I see it, that ought not to be measured by accomplishments and the like, but in the impact we leave behind us each day. The greatest impact we can leave is love, and our days are best spent when we embrace them, whatever they hold. Whether it is true or not, I must imagine that for every difficult day, there is one I will want to relive forever.
via Tumblr
I love love loved this movie. The message, the story, the set and costume designs, and the acting were all so beautiful. The cast could not have been more perfect. Speaking of which, can I just say RACHEL McADAMS!!! She is one of those actresses who is typecast for the right reason - she is such a wonderful romantic onscreen that I imagine the same is true offscreen. Domhnall Gleeson, the leading man and narrator of the story is such a wonderful character in the movie that I want to meet him in real life. The same is true of all the cast members I suppose. Richards Curtis (writer and director) gave these characters and the story so much heart. I know that the film is a reflection of his style of storytelling, but I wonder how much of the story and the humor is influenced by the writer and (some of) the actors being British. The humor is the subtle charming kind - the kind that you see in those people who say and do things that make us laugh and smile without a clue as to how or why. All the same, something about the film, and Curtis' writing in general, is so natural, as one interviewer who spoke with Curtis pointed out.
One of my favorite things about the film is the fact that there is no bad wrap about love - not one conflict of consequence takes place between Tim and Mary, Tim's parents, or Tim's family members. Everyone loves one another in such a real and deep way, and they just continue on in their daily rhythm doing the things that they do together. It portrayed the kind of life that I want for my own family someday.
I don't generally cry during movies, but heads up, I cried for this one - and I won't say more, lest I give anything away. It was incredibly moving and while many a cliche movie have tried to make us give serious pause to a similar message, this one succeeds in making us truly think about time.