‧ Directed by Richard Curtis
‧ Genre: Romance, Comedy
‧ Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams
‧ 123 Min.

Time goes by and cannot be turned back. A person meets many people, falls in love, does lots of things and suffers hardships throughout a lifetime. This movie is about one man’s life and his attempt to make it better by repeatedly going back in time to change things. What he learns through doing this is helpful to everyone.

Tim Lake, the hero of About Time, learns the unbelievable family secret from his father on his 21st birthday that men in his family can travel back in time. His father tells him that he can’t change history but he can choose what happens in his life by going back and changing events and decisions. After telling his son this, he asks Tim what he would like to do. Tim answers that he wishes to find a girlfriend.

He moves to London and becomes a lawyer. Soon after, he meets Mary and falls in love with her at first sight. Unfortunately, a problem arises at the same time he meets Mary. Tim solves the problem by going back in time, but by doing so he becomes an utter stranger to Mary. He travels through time several times to meet Mary and make her fall in love with him. The choices he makes in his journey are sometimes successes and sometimes failures. Eventually they fall in love and get married. After their wedding, Tim doesn’t travel back in time anymore because every moment is priceless and blissful for them. However, everyday can’t be good.

This movie conveys various messages. The first one is that choices have costs. Tim decides to improve his sister Kit Kat’s life by going back to the past when she made a bad decision and help her make the right one. However, Tim realizes that doing that is a bad idea when he returns to the present and finds that his reality has changed for the worse. He learns that if you want something, you have to give up other things. Second, he discovers that the wanted result is not always obtainable. Tim failed with his first decision about how to change things, so he has to make a new choice based on the results of his first failed attempt. The result of the new decision is also not what he wanted. Nobody knows what the future will be based on past decisions, even if you can go back in time and make different choices. Therefore, a person should make the best choice and not have any regrets. Third, every moment is priceless. Tim’s father tells Tim a formula for happiness, and Tim follows his father’s advice. He relives events from his past, but doesn’t change anything. He just enjoys the moments. By doing so, he becomes calm and satisfied.

Tim’s father tells his son, “We all travel in time in life. The only thing we have to do is to do our best every day.” Everyone has a moment they regret and wish they could change. This movie teaches that a good mental attitude leads to a happy life. After watching this movie, I wish you have time to relax and make the best choices.