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The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

tomatometer

37

Average Rating: 5.1/10
Reviews Counted: 158
Fresh: 58 | Rotten: 100

Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness.

28

Average Rating: 4.7/10
Critic Reviews: 36
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 26

Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness.

audience

65

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

Feb 9, 2010

$63.4M

Warner Bros. Pictures

All Critics (158) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (103) | DVD (7)

The movie moves fast, as though to distract you from these shortcomings and the nearly total absence of logic.

August 21, 2009 Full Review Source: MSN Movies | Comment

Buy the book.

August 18, 2009 Full Review Source: Richard Roeper.com | Comments (6)
Richard Roeper.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

August 17, 2009 Full Review Source: New York Magazine | Comment
New York Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

August 17, 2009 Full Review Source: At the Movies | Comment
At the Movies
Top Critic IconTop Critic

I thought really very little in the film worked.

August 17, 2009 Full Review Source: At the Movies | Comment
At the Movies
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Long spans of time pass between lines of dialogue, many of which seem to have been inexpertly translated from a foreign language so that they almost make sense but not quite.

August 14, 2009 Full Review Source: Slate | Comment
Slate
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Maddeningly familiar and simultaneously unusual, "In Time" has an interesting perspective on how time will be spent in the future.

December 22, 2011 Full Review Source: KWQC-TV (Iowa) | Comment
KWQC-TV (Iowa)

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.

November 18, 2011 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

Actually, In Time's not that bad. It's just not that good, either.

October 27, 2011 Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Weekly | Comment (1)
Sci-Fi Weekly

The movie also introduces the concept of time-traveling fetuses, yet we're never treated to this in any visual way.

April 4, 2011 Full Review Source: Movies.com | Comment
Movies.com

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.

March 21, 2011 Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | Comment
ComingSoon.net

A great leading couple and an interesting concept make The Time Traveler's Wife a romance worth remembering for its normality.

October 29, 2010 Full Review Source: Moviedex | Comment

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.

June 2, 2010 Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | Comment
BrianOrndorf.com

You can constantly feel The Time Traveler's Wife reaching for emotional depth, yet it never gets there.

February 10, 2010 Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | Comment
Aisle Seat

The movie is fraught with inconsistencies.... Far from making me shed a tear, it just made me mad. (Blu-ray Edition)

February 7, 2010 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

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.

February 6, 2010 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | Comment
NewsBlaze

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.

February 6, 2010 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | Comment
NewsBlaze

The book, as they say, is always better . . .

February 5, 2010 Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | Comment

I kept doing what every fantasy should never allow one to do--question it every step of the way.

February 3, 2010 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

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.

November 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | Comment
Sydney Morning Herald

Sure to hit the spot for anyone with an appetite for sweet, unselfconscious romantic fantasy.

November 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia) | Comment
Daily Telegraph (Australia)

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.

November 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Herald Sun (Australia) | Comment
Herald Sun (Australia)

This is undoubtedly Bana's best American performance and you can genuinely believe in Bana and McAdams as lovers who give the story its emotion.

November 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | Comment
Courier Mail (Australia)
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Time Traveler's Wife

I liked it. Mind you, I have not read the book. It is hard not to feel for Clare who loves a guy who trips in and out of her life - sometimes older, sometimes younger. One of the failings though is that it feels like the times he time travels away from Clare's life are set up to make the movie more interesting - not

April 18, 2012
Redlats

Super Reviewer

Really nice book! Really nice movie!! Chick flick heaven...I liked this. It was lovely, romantic, sad, beautiful, touching.

September 4, 2010
itsjustme2004

Super Reviewer

    1. 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?
    2. Henry: You have a choice.
    3. Clare: I never had a choice.
    – Submitted by Michelle R (38 days ago)
    1. Henry: I can't stay.
    2. Clare: I know.
    – Submitted by Michelle R (38 days ago)
    1. Clare: Is your wife a time traveler?
    2. Henry: No. No, thank God.
    – Submitted by Chris P (13 months ago)
    1. Richard DeTamble: If you traveled back to then, why couldn't you have stopped her from getting into that goddamn car?
    – Submitted by Chris P (13 months ago)

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