The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
Average Rating: 5.1/10
Reviews Counted: 158
Fresh: 59 | Rotten: 99
Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness.
Average Rating: 4.7/10
Critic Reviews: 40
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 29
Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 900,408
My Rating
Movie Info
A Chicago librarian suffers from a rare genetic disorder that sends him hurtling through time whenever he is under extreme duress; despite the fact that he vanishes at inordinately frequent and lengthy intervals, he attempts to build a stable future with the beautiful young heiress he loves. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams star in this dramatic fantasy, which is directed by Robert Schwentke and based on the best-selling book by author Audrey Niffenegger. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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Cast
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Rachel McAdams
Clare -
Eric Bana
Henry -
Arliss Howard
Richard DeTamble -
Ron Livingston
Gomez -
Stephen Tobolowsky
Dr. David Kendrick -
Jane McLean
Charisse -
Brooklyn Proulx
Young Clare -
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The Time Traveler's Wife Trailer & Photos
All Critics (159) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (59) | Rotten (102) | DVD (7)
That the actors can pull off such Oprah-friendly, sci-fi-inflected sap and keep straight faces is the most fantastic thing about this loopy love story.
Top CriticThe movie moves fast, as though to distract you from these shortcomings and the nearly total absence of logic.
Buy the book.
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.
Some fans of the book might enjoy seeing these two soul mates brought to life on the big screen, but for everyone else the interpretation seems forced and at times inconsistent.
I thought really very little in the film worked.
The Time Traveler's Wife is a chick flick all around, and fans of the chick flick genre are going to eat this movie up.
Actually, In Time's not that bad. It's just not that good, either.
The movie also introduces the concept of time-traveling fetuses, yet we're never treated to this in any visual way.
As it stands, The Time Traveler's Wife is decent evening's entertainment with an intriguing enough premise and some strong heart tugging to keep the women happy and the men from getting too bored.
A great leading couple and an interesting concept make The Time Traveler's Wife a romance worth remembering for its normality.
It's beautifully crafted and endearingly old-fashioned all the way; an alluring soap opera for those who like to dive into the deep end of the syrup pool.
You can constantly feel The Time Traveler's Wife reaching for emotional depth, yet it never gets there.
The movie is fraught with inconsistencies.... Far from making me shed a tear, it just made me mad. (Blu-ray Edition)
With a dash of Benjamin Button and Back to the Future, this existential travelogue with supersized erotic separation anxiety issues, may leave viewers not in the mood for long distance time travel, simply with a case of lingering jet lag.
With a dash of Benjamin Button and Back to the Future, this existential travelogue with supersized erotic separation anxiety issues, may leave viewers not in the mood for long distance time travel, simply with a case of lingering jet lag.
The book, as they say, is always better . . .
I kept doing what every fantasy should never allow one to do--question it every step of the way.
While the script could have done more to exploit Bana's sense of humour, it does profit from his directness. There are no false heroics.
Sure to hit the spot for anyone with an appetite for sweet, unselfconscious romantic fantasy.
Bana and McAdams do share a pleasant chemistry, but can never quite trump the dull and earnest nature of the material they are working with here.
Audience Reviews for The Time Traveler's Wife
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Clare: What, you think that I wanted this life... this husband that disappears without any kind of warning? Do you think anyone would want that? Who would want that?
- Henry: You have a choice.
- Clare: I never had a choice.
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- Henry: I can't stay.
- Clare: I know.
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- Clare: Is your wife a time traveler?
- Henry: No. No, thank God.
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- Richard DeTamble: If you traveled back to then, why couldn't you have stopped her from getting into that goddamn car?
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Foreign Titles
- Die Frau des Zeitreisenden (DE)
- Hors du temps (FR)
Since he can't control the frequency or duration of his trips, Henry tries to avoid getting all that close to anyone...until he meets Clare- an artist and heiress who captures his heart. Despite the complications his condition brings, the two try to carry on a relationship, and make the most the most of what moments they get to share together.
I'm not a fan of chick flicks, but a straight male coworker of mine who is, told me I might like this one, mostly because of the time travel/fantasy element. This is a romantic film, and it has it's emotional/tearjerker moments, but it's less sappy and more humorous than it seems. That the script was written by the same guy who scripted Ghost is probably one of the reasons why I ended up liking this, as the two are similar, and that it a genre film I admittedly enjoy.
The cast are solid, and play it serious. Bana and McAdams are very likable, and Livingston had some good moments too. As much as I enjoyed the two leads, I think it would have been nice to see how this would have worked had they cast the book's author's choices of Adrien Brody and Lauren Ambrose.
The film deals with the expected time travel issues by not really dealing with them or giving much of an explanation. I liked that. Sometimes you don't need an explanation. I mean, it's romantic fantasy, not romantic realism. It also is decently well shot, has fitting music, and managed to get me a little misty-eyed.
All in all, a flawed, but still decently creative and clever film. I'm not big on romance, but they won me over with fine acting and an intriguing premise, so good job.