Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Ron Livingston

A romantic drama about a Chicago librarian with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage.

Flixster Users

65% liked it

115,533 ratings

Critics

38% liked it

148 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Robert Schwentke

Release Date: August 14, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (20,884)


  • September 7, 2009
    More than anything else, this movie about love and the struggles that people face and rise above them - time travelling is the last thing concerning it.

    Eric Bana is not an actor I ever appreciated, and his performance here doesn't help change that. Rachel McAdams is typically p...( read more)leasing, while the two McCann sisters are endearing. Bearable direction, forgettable soundtrack.

    I won't dwell on the technicalities of the film, neither on whether it was accurately portraying time travelling or not. I wasn't greatly impressed with the book, and the same happened with the film. It's sweet, makes time fly by, worth a watch, but it wasn't made nor does it escape mediocrity.

    Watch it, like it, cry a little, and then forget about it.
  • September 4, 2009
    It was kinda slow and choppy. The back and forth got confusing and annoying. I didn't believe the chemistry between McAdams and Bana either.
  • August 26, 2009
    This gets an automatic 2 1/2 stars just for starring Rachel McAdams. I seriously must marry her.

    While both she and Eric Bana did a good job in their respective roles, it was kind of tough feeling the chemistry between them. They don't make a real great on screen couple. I th...( read more)ink Rachel McAdams was a good cast, but they should have found someone other than Eric Bana. Not that he didn't do a great job, b/c he did, he just didn't fit.

    The main thing you have to keep in mind while watching this movie is that no one fully understands how the whole time traveling thing works. I had to stop myself from thinking too much about what was happening, because it started to distract me from the real story being told.

    I mean, his first time being with her wasn't her first time being with him. That right there will tie your brain in knots.

    Just watch the movie for the love story, because it really is a good one. It has everything you'd want, the romance, the drama and the tragedy.

    It's hard to really say if there were plot holes or not, because half the movie was beyond understanding anyway.

    Still, this is really the only good romance movie out there right now, so if you want to feel all girly, this is for you.
  • August 24, 2009
    I suppose if you read the book, you'll probably, at the very least, be on this movie's wavelength but there's something about it that feels too heavy and way too eerie. I get the whole message about love and sacrifice and all that but overall, it was just way too maudlin for me t...( read more)o invest in the characters or the situations. If you haven't read the book to a movie you saw, you should come out of it wanting to read the book. I got the opposite feeling.
  • August 23, 2009
    You have to respect any film where the first dance at a wedding is Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" as sung by a wedding band.
  • November 9, 2009
    It wasn't bad. I liked how it tried to stay true to the book as much as possible, even though a lot of stuff had to be left out. But it meant that some things weren't explained very well and just...happened or weren't fully developed.
  • November 8, 2009
    reli romantic bt i won choose a man like this
  • November 8, 2009
    she didnt have a choice. life is life. it's unfair sometimes. luckily she had a child.
  • November 8, 2009
    One of the must see movies since "The Notebook" also starring McAdams. Romantic love story with a Sci-fi twist that doesnt over do it or ruin the movie with fake attributtes. You'll fall for Bana's Devotion and McAdams Unsettling love.
  • November 8, 2009
    Dobar filmic za odmorit dusu cisto dobro!!!!!!

Critic Reviews


August 17, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

I'm over the moon about this movie, which smooths out the psychological dissonances in Audrey Niffenegger's fine novel but is still an emotional workout. full review

August 14, 2009
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A kooky, head-spinning romantic mess. full review

August 14, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

I'd watch the vibrant Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in anything, but The Time Traveler's Wife is pushing it. full review

August 14, 2009
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

There's not much [McAdams] or Bana can do to rescue this dreary piece of romantic hooey. full review

August 14, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It takes, as its subjects, the sadness and grandeur of life and the mystery of time, and it offers a full experience to those who find its wavelength. full review

August 14, 2009
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Suspend your disbelief and you might find The Time Traveler's Wife a charming if mildly depressing fantasy. Or you might, as I did, travel elsewhere during it. Either way, at least it's a picturesque ... full review

August 14, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

The Time Traveler's Wife tries to transcend time and place, but it ultimately becomes bogged down in details. full review

August 14, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

Like two hours on the Burma railway, heaving away at time/space conundrums, arch-to-soppy dialogue and tail-chasing plotting under the lash of distributors who put us in a crowded, no-escape cinema. full review

August 13, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

An uninspired alternative to comic book pandemonium and solemn family dramas, a gloppy serving of late summer corn. full review

August 13, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The Time Traveler's Wife is told with a tenderness that's unusual in a major motion picture but that leads mostly to dullness. full review

View more The Time Traveler's Wife reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • ashokkumarvvs
    October 21, 2009
    its pushing me of all other
  • ekobp
    September 6, 2009
    When come from this film to Indonesian ?????
  • Claudia483
    March 26, 2009
    This comes out on my Birthday!!! isn't brad pitt supposed to be in this?
  • mzkaew
    November 14, 2008
    I really really absolutely can't wait!! I love the book so much, and I know I'm gonna love the movie too. Well at least I would love to think so for now. I think both Eric Bana and Rachel McAdam would be great in this movie!
  • crackingdanio
    January 2, 2008
    Can't wait, Bana was who I always imagined as Henry while reading the book, I love McAdams work all the same and know she'll be great. Though from the stills released her hair is more brown than red!

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The Time Traveler's Wife Trivia


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