TiMER is a smart romantic comedy that avoids some of the traps that movies in this genre usually fall into. The movie is about falling in love, but it takes on a new perspective. What if you knew who your soulmate would be? What if there was a way you could find love without ever trying? It’s never cheesy, and actually, it’s not as predictable as you would think. The ending is inevitable, but it’s subtle. It isn’t overdone and never wears out its welcome.
The story is about a revolutionary wrist implant that counts down to when you will meet your soul mate. However, there are a few rules. When your countdown is out, you will meet your soulmate within 24 hours. Your countdown may not start if your soulmate doesn’t have an implant yet. Your countdown may be stuck at zero forever. It is up to each individual on whether they want one or not. This is the problem Oona (Emma Caulfield) has. Her’s has not started and she is growing impatient with the implant and with love altogether.
While Oona is waiting for her true love to get the wrist implant, whoever he may be, everyone around her is catching the craze and finding their one and only. Even her 13-year-old brother gets one and he only has a few days until he meets her. But Oona starts to have a fling with a younger guy named Mikey (John Patrick Amedori) who she meets at the grocery store. She takes her younger sister’s advice and lets go. What will it hurt? Who knows if she will ever meet the guy she will marry anyway?
So Oona has fun and things get more serious than she imagined. And Mikey’s countdown is set to expire in less than four months. This leaves Oona spiraling out of control when it comes to love. She has a relationship that may not be meant to last. But she has been waiting for so long and nothing is happening. She has to make a choice on what direction she wants to take and if this TiMER on her wrist is even worth having.
I love what writer/director Jac Schaeffer says about people and the culture we live in. We have a device that will tell us when we will meet the person we will spend forever with. As a society, they have given up on love and left it in the hands of a machine. But it works. TiMER really works. But there are those who don’t have it because they do not want to know. They do not want their love to be controlled. And you cannot really blame those people. On the other hand, if given the chance to find out who you are meant to be with, who would not want to take that short cut either?
The TiMER invention is a craze that everyone is doing and whether it is the best thing for every one or not, it does not matter. People who do not have one are looked down upon or they want to know what is wrong with you. The choice you think you have, you really do not. You are pressured by the culture and those who have been swept up in it.
TiMER is a world that you could see yourself living in. It has relevance to how love can be provided and controlled. Just like a lot of stuff is nowadays. It is all about meeting the one. Your one and only. But is it worth it in the end? Seeing this movie is worth it.
This movie has a connection and there is great chemistry between the actors. TiMER is funny and sweet, and contains moments that make you think about what you would do if in the same situation. And it is a tough call to make. This movie does not pick sides, but gives the characters a chance to find their own way. Their own kind of love.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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