"The Time Traveler's Wife"
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Arliss Howard, Ron Livingston
Rated: PG-13
The love story at the heart of "The Time Traveler's Wife" is a beautiful one. The particulars of the science fiction/fantasy part of the equation tend to be not only befuddling, but - if viewed from a certain angle - somewhat creepy.
In the context of the novel written by Audrey Niffenegger, things aren't quite as unsettling as director Robert Schwentke makes them in the film. Niffenegger had the luxury of expanding the exposition, which would make the film too long to be practical, while novice director Schwentke had to find a way to pare the story down to an acceptable length.
He made some wise choices - Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana are very likable actors and believable as a couple in love. But Schwentke, whose filmography is rather sparse since his debut in 1993, is in a bit over his head with the emotionally charged love story mixed with the head scratch-inducing premise of time travel.
I always have trouble with the time traveling premise. For starters, I don't believe it's possible. Once I get beyond that obstacle, I try to make the false reality obey some sort of rules. If one can go back (or forward) in time then nothing should ever be of concern when worrying about what happens at any given point in time - the traveler can simply go back again and relive the moment.
To be fair to author Niffennegger, she does make a point of mentioning that the traveler has no ability to change things past, present or future. But that in itself is hard to swallow; if someone goes back in time and is able to touch and feel and interact with everything around, there's no logical reason to believe that person would be incapable of altering things in any way. The mere fact that the person was there, in and of itself, implies a force that would change reality.
There's no real explanation of how or why Henry (Bana) comes to have the ability to travel in time. His first experience with it, in a scene that opens the film, takes place during a car wreck that claims his mother's life. He displaces and also runs into an older version of himself. It seems that time travelers, while having no control over the grand scheme, return or move forward to pivotal events in their lives.
That nuance leads to Henry first meeting a 6-year-old girl named Clare. He already knows her and is married to her in the "present," where the film anchors its story. Why a 6-year-old girl would engage in conversation with a naked man in the bushes is the first nuance that gives the film an air of unsettling circumstances. But Clare trusts Henry and throughout her life is visited by him on a regular basis.
When she meets him in the "now" he is unaware of who she is, as he, at his present age, has not yet visited her back in the past. So Clare has to fill Henry in on all the things that Henry the elder has filled her in on during her childhood.
I have a headache ...
Once Henry understands all of the things Clare explains to him that he has explained to her, they inevitably marry.
Problems begin even at the wedding. Henry, unable to control his time-travel ability, disappears just prior to the nuptials. Luckily, an older version of himself comes back from the future to stand in. Some people notice the gray hair but don't make a big deal out of it.
Did I mention my head really hurts?
After the marriage, Clare realizes that being involved with a man who disappears is somewhat of a problem. But their love is strong.
Clare gets pregnant a number of times but always miscarries. The couple assumes the children in Clare's womb possess Henry's gift/curse and are displacing themselves in time. Henry can't bear it and has a vasectomy without telling Clare. And he also comes back from the past and impregnates her.
My head REALLY hurts ...
This pregnancy comes to fruition and the daughter does, indeed, have her dad's time shifting ability. But she has more control over it and can almost pick and choose where and when she's going. The last act dwells on the metaphysical implications of such things as time travel and is the most interesting sequence in the film.
"The Time Traveler's Wife" did give me a headache, but there's a compelling love story at its core. Read the book, and then rent the DVD when it's released.
Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.
