The Time Traveler’s Wife goes nowhere

My preconception of The Time Traveler’s Wife was that it would be an endearing love story about a man and a woman separated by time and space. I had enjoyed Rachel McAdams’s previous work, and I looked forward to seeing her star in a new film. A short summary of the plot line piqued my interest, and it was enough for me to desire seeing it in theaters.

Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams star in Hollywood’s latest romantic drama about two lovers whose lives are disrupted by time travel. “It’s hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he’s okay. It’s hard to be the one who stays.” Clare Abshire (McAdams) says, putting into words her discontentment about the life she leads with her own Harry Houdini of a husband. However, instead of escaping from chains, Henry DeTamble (Bana) periodically escapes from his present life. He is cursed with a genetic disorder that causes him to unexpectedly time travel throughout his life in random increments. Henry first appeared to Clare when she was six years old, and although separated by time and space, the two have been in love ever since.

Although The Time Traveler’s Wife is essentially a good story, its plot line seems to meander across the screen with no real resolution evident. While there are countless memorable quotes that surface throughout the film, they cannot be attributed to the genius of the scriptwriters because the best ones came straight from the novel by Audrey Niffenegger.  Hailey McCann ought to be commended for her role as Alba DeTamble, the daughter of Henry and Clare. She brings innocence and wonder to her minor role, making all the difference in the tone of the movie and providing some relief from the drama of this love saga. A highlight of the movie is McAdams’s performance in successfully pouting her way through the dreary script. McAdams’s tantrums are reminiscent of her character in The Notebook, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, when she yells at her co-star, Ryan Gosling, for “leaving her,” although he has no control over the situation in that movie, either.

Certain scenes evoke a powerful emotional response from an otherwise restless audience, such as the first meeting between Henry and six-year-old Clare and when Henry’s father blames Henry for being unable to prevent the death of his mother in an automobile accident. However, the occasional  admirable scenes do not carry the movie as a whole. The Time Traveler’s Wife is only successful because of the talented actors involved. Confusion aside, the film provided some mild entertainment, but it wasn’t worth the $6.75 to see it in theaters.