The Time Traveler’s Wife is a movie based on a very popular bestselling book by Audrey Niffenegger. Now I have not read the book, but I hope it’s not as confusing as the movie. There is so much jumping around and time travel that you feel lost and disconnected from the characters and the story. But let me try to explain the story in very simple terms. Henry De Temble (Eric Bana) suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to travel through time and have no control of it. One thing you can count on is him being naked and always finding clothes that fit him perfectly.
However, because of this unique disorder, he comes in contact with the love of his life, but he already knew that. Her name is Claire (Rachel McAdams) and she has been waiting for him all of her life, starting at 6 years old. Henry and Claire marry, but their whole relationship and marriage is complex. One minute is he at their wedding and then disappears. But then he comes back, except this time he is older. Maybe they should have waited on getting married after all.
However, the movie focuses on this tough relationship that was somehow meant to be. This involves Claire spending dinners at night and holidays by herself, but Henry can’t help it. And you have to admit, she knew this coming in that he could not stay in one place forever. But the romantic part of you wants them to be able to stay together and live happily ever after. Up to this point of the story, there is so much back-and-forth between the past, present and future, it’s tough to keep up. Bana and McAdams are great actors and they have chemistry, but you never get the chance to enjoy it. The good news is the movie starts to get better once things slow down a bit.
Claire wants to be a mother and she has a few miscarriages and Henry blames himself because the baby may have the same disease he has. But once Claire gets pregnant by a young Henry, her luck changes. While Henry is time traveling, he meets his young daughter. He gets to meet her, but gets some bad news as well. Let’s leave that part alone. The good news is Henry gets to tell Claire about her unborn daughter and the name they end up choosing for her.
And once the daughter comes in to the picture the movie actually gets better. It has the connection you were looking for at the beginning. Once some events unfold and the affects of those events on the family are shown, the movie becomes more emotional and heartfelt. Finally the pieces come together and the story is put in to perspective. The Time Traveler’s Wife is able to rise above some of it’s flaws by the end and become the movie it should have been from the beginning. I guess it’s better late than never at all.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern 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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