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After seeing "About Time," a time-travel fantasy that is basically " Groundhog Day " with Brit accents, a nice-bloke hero and minus a rodent (unless you count a rat of a boyfriend), I realize I have a problem.

I cannot help but fall for Richard Curtis's rather self-indulgent romantic comedies. My level head might be crying 'No,' but my lopsided heart can't help but say yes. For me, resistance is futile when it comes to his scripts for " The Tall Guy ," "Four Weddings and a Funeral," " Notting Hill " and "Bridget Jones' Diary" (which he co-wrote along with the unfortunate sequel that shall not be named).

Of course, " Love Actually ," his 2003 directorial debut, is a towering multi-layered masterwork that fairly oozes gooey woo and has grown into an annual Christmas TV tradition with its parade of befuddled Englishmen in varying stages of amorous yuletide desire.

I do draw the line, however, with his efforts with Mr. Bean—an enterprise that is essentially Jacques Tati's Monsieur Hulot for dummies—and his unwatchable second directing effort, " Pirate Radio ," that saw the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy (Curtis's go-to secret weapon of mass appeal) go down with the ship amid much sleazebag behavior.

But during the course of being seduced by his current paean to the power of love and its underlying message to simply live each day as if it were your last, this thought occurred: Something about Curtis's films allow cinematic endorphins to be released into the brain and generate a state of euphoria that is akin to absolute bliss.

To experience it, you just have to allow the analytical parts of your mind to unclench during the dodgier bits of business—all these pasty well-off people and their problems, oh woe is them!—and go with the feel-good flow.

And so I did until the last third or so with "About Time" and began to especially admire the often-impeccable casting in movies that feature Curtis's handiwork. At 53, Hugh Grant —a former mainstay—has matured far beyond impersonating fluttery-eyed fumblers in the throes of courtship. But the filmmaker has found a perfect replacement in the abundantly beguiling presence of Domhnall Gleeson , the son of Brendan Gleeson of " In Bruges " and Mad-Eye Moody fame.

Not that you would know it from the young Irish actor's last big role, the somber, bushy-bearded landowner Levin in last year's "Anna Karenina." Here, though, he is slightly more grounded than Grant (and his copper hair color provides fodder for ginger jokes, an Anglo staple) as Tim, a lawyer-to-be who is gobsmacked to learn at age 21 that the men in his wealthy family of eccentrics share the ability to go back in time. That the news is delivered in the most charming off-handedly fashion by his father in the form of Nighy, who never fails to amuse at the very least and astonishes almost always whenever he is onscreen, undercuts the questions that nitpickers might have about the process.

One major caveat: You can only revisit and revise portions of your own life. Or as Nighy puts it, "You can't kill Hitler or shag Helen of Troy." That Tim tends to go into a Narnia-esque wardrobe to begin his detours into the past adds a quaintly homey touch that is light years away from Star Trek or even H.G. Wells.

Once he is over the shock, Tim decides to concentrate on using his newfound ability to improve his love life. After fixing a disastrous New Year's kiss situation but failing to convince a comely summer visitor to give him a chance, he gets serious about his settling-down pursuits after moving to London. There he encounters an American named Mary ( Rachel McAdams at her most infectiously fetching) who is mad about Kate Moss, prattles on about her too-short bangs while referring to them as "fringe" and will be revealed to have quite good taste in stylish frocks.

During one of Curtis's typically untypical romantic meet-cute interludes, he has the pair first run into one another during what amounts to a literal blind date at an actual restaurant named Dans Le Noir, where patrons dine in complete darkness and are served by sight-impaired waiters.

For Tim and Mary, it's a case of like at first unsight after a server decides to seat them together along with their less-than-a-perfect-match friends. She quickly gives him her number once outside the eatery. From there, typical relationship moments tumble by—the first real date, the first sexual encounter, the sharing of living space, the meeting of parents, the proposal, the exceptional rainy-day wedding sequence (you will be Googling Jimmy Fontana and his song, Il Mondo) and so on, all repeated, reshaped and improved slightly by Tim's time-travel twiddling.

Until then, it is easy to ignore the nagging what-ifs the premise presents. But once babies get involved and potentially sad verging on tragic situations complicate matters, Tim can't so blithely alter his reality without unwanted consequence. At this point, you will either put up with "About Time" or think it's about time you leave, especially if you have issues with a husband who thinks it's OK to continue to keep his magical do-overs a secret from the person who is now his wife. But do stay, if only to witness Nighy's awesome ping-pong pantomime at the very least.

One character provides the true bliss litmus test of whether or not you are immune to the Curtis effect: Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson), Tim's impossibly offbeat nature sprite sister who adores purple T-shirts, apparently doesn't own a comb, gives hugs that are more like full-contact body slams, is prone to dating awful men and is ill-equipped to cope adulthood. In other words, Kit Kat typifies the dreaded Manic Pixie Dream Girl at her worst.

My favorite part of "About Time" has nothing to do with the love story, however, and has everything to do with Tom Hollander as a deeply nasty playwright—who briefly is Tim's landlord and, this being Curtis World, is wickedly funny. When Tim learns that the premiere of his scabrous friend's latest production was a complete disaster after an actor goes blank while delivering a big speech, he of course decides to fix it.

That the stars of the show are none other than the esteemed Richard Griffiths and Richard E. Grant in invaluable cameo roles and that they end up provoking some of the biggest laughs of the movie demonstrates why Curtis is a comedy genius. If only he knew when to step back in time and make a few changes himself.

Susan Wloszczyna

Susan Wloszczyna spent much of her nearly thirty years at USA TODAY as a senior entertainment reporter. Now unchained from the grind of daily journalism, she is ready to view the world of movies with fresh eyes.

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About Time (2013)

123 minutes

Rachel McAdams as Mary

Domhnall Gleeson as Tim

Lee Asquith-Coe as Bin Man

Tom Hollander

Margot Robbie as Charlotte

Lisa Eichhorn as Mary's Mum

• Richard Curtis

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Beautifully filmed and unabashedly sincere, About Time finds director Richard Curtis at his most sentimental.

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Film Review: ‘About Time’

Richard Curtis returns to a quintessentially English milieu with this sweet, familiar and reassuringly bland romance.

By Leslie Felperin

Leslie Felperin

• Film Review: ‘Traitors’ 11 years ago
• Venice Film Review: ‘Little Brother’ 11 years ago
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As sweet, familiar and reassuringly bland as rice pudding, Richard Curtis’  “ About Time ” evokes a sense of deja vu, not least for anyone who’s seen “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” a conceptually similar love story that also co-starred Rachel McAdams . After the misadventure of “ Pirate Radio ,” Curtis returns to roost in the well-heeled, quintessentially English milieu that made him famous internationally as a scribe with “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill,” and his directorial debut, “Love, Actually.” Still, the emphasis on fresh faces instead of Working Title’s usual thesping suspects adds some zing, and the pic will have a fine old time when it opens wide in the U.K. on Sept. 6. Universal will release the film Nov. 1 Stateside.

Although the plot covers a fair number of years in the characters’ lives, the period markers are kept to a minimum, and the film always seems to be unfurling in a nondescript contempo present where everyone looks as if they just stepped out of the pages of a spring/summer Boden catalogue. Indeed, the pic’s unapologetic focus on a mostly upper-middle-class scene will put off some audiences, particularly in Blighty, where reverse snobbery in some quarters breeds an avid hostility to Curtis’ films and the smug, bourgeois values they seem to represent. This will be much less of a problem elsewhere, especially among Anglophiles in the U.S. and/or anyone who assumes all Brits have stylish abodes in northwest London, well-paid white-collar jobs and Received Pronunciation accents, like English versions of Woody Allen’s Manhattanites (but with less angst).

The action begins in a rambling seaside mansion in Cornwall, the home of protagonist Tim (fast-rising thesp Domhnall Gleeson who, along with Damian Lewis , is doing much to promote the sex appeal of red-haired men) and his retired academic dad ( Bill Nighy ); his gardening-mad mother, Mary ( Lindsay Duncan , hilariously described at one point as an Andy Warhol lookalike); his ditsy younger sister, Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson); and his sweet but mentally challenged Uncle D (Richard Cordery), ticking the disability-awareness box required in every Curtis movie.

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Endearingly maladroit in the manner of early Hugh Grant characters, Tim learns a secret from his dad on his 21st birthday: The men in their family are capable of time travel . It’s some kind of genetic gift that requires nothing more high-tech than concentration, clenched fists and a darkened room, more like the “Slaughterhouse-Five” kind of time travel where you can revisit any moment from your own life, rather than the mechanically assisted H.G. Wells variety. (The upshot, as Tim’s dad points out, is you can’t do anything like kill Hitler.)

Tim soon puts his newfound skill to use, as any 21-year-old would, by nullifying embarrassing moments and courting girls. Learning from his failed attempts to bed fickle Charlotte ( Margot Robbie ) that some things just aren’t meant to be, Tim moves to London to start his career as a lawyer, setting up digs at the home of caustic, embittered playwright Harry ( Tom Hollander ).

At a restaurant where diners eat in pitch-black darkness (London’s Dans le Noir, getting some ace product placement), Tim has a meet-cute with Mary (McAdams), a publisher’s reader from the States. They spark, but when Tim realizes he was supposed to be somewhere else that night, going back in time to fix the gaffe blows his chances of meeting Mary, and so he must find another way to engineer their “first” encounter. Eventually he tracks her down at a party, and the rest is essentially one long happy ending.

Unlike McAdams’ titular character in “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” Mary is never privy to her significant other’s handy secret, which might make some viewers a little uncomfortable about the fundamental lack of honesty in their relationship. But if audiences can put that aside, the script takes pains to depict Tim as the ultimate loving husband and father, willing to exploit his gift in order to perfect his bedroom technique, milk every moment of joy out of his children’s growth, and protect his loved ones from harm. Still, in his efforts to save Kit Kat from trauma, Tim learns there are some events that can’t be changed without unraveling others. (It’s interesting that every time-travel-themed love story, from Chris Marker’s masterful “La Jetee” and “Back to the Future” to this, is haunted by death and loss, no matter how comedic the register.)

Acceptance indeed reps the takeaway message in a film that touchingly celebrates life’s quotidian joys, like playing Ping-Pong with your son, rereading books or even enjoying supposed disasters, like a wedding during a torrential downpour (a swooningly romantic montage , albeit in a film with a few too many montages). Dad’s handiest advice to Tim is to simply live each day twice, first to experience it, and then again to savor it. In the end, Curtis ends up making a virtue out of the narrative’s episodic quality, a tendency that’s been criticized in his previous work; the film, like life, is just one damn thing after another, and that’s really the rather lovely point.

Gleeson and McAdams (in a role to which Zooey Deschanel was once attached) have a radiant, believable chemistry that keeps the film aloft, while the other actors glide through effortlessly, even if many of the character types (the quirky younger sister, the embarrassing best friends) are a bit too familiar from previous Curtis efforts, especially Nighy’s affable, laid-back patriarch.

Craft contributions are pro, especially John Guleserian’s flattering use of light. Soundtrack choices are at times painfully twee, and the overuse of that already overexposed tearjerker, Arvo Part’s “Spiegel im Spiegel,” particularly grates. Still, music producer Steve McLaughlin (no music supervisor is credited) gets a pass for using Nick Cave ’s immortal “Into My Arms” in a key moment that will inspire those planning their own funerals in advance.

Reviewed at Dolby Preview Theater, London, July 16, 2013. (In Edinburgh Film Festival — Surprise Movie.) MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 123 MIN.

• Production: (U.S.-U.K.) An NBCUniversal (in U.K.)/Universal (in U.S.) release of a Universal presentation in association with Relativity Media of a Working Title production. Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Nicky Kentish Barnes. Executive producers, Richard Curtis, Liza Chasin, Amelia Granger.
• Crew: Directed, written by Richard Curtis. Camera (color, widescreen), John Guleserian; editor, Mark Day; music, Nick Laird-Clowes; music producer, Steve McLaughlin; production designer, John Paul Kelly; supervising art director, David Hindle; art director, Sam Stokes; set decorator, Liz Griffiths; costume designer, Verity Hawkes; sound (Dolby Digital), Adrian Bell; supervising sound editor, James Mather; re-recording mixers, Mike Dowson, Jonathan Rush, Simon Hill; visual effects supervisor, Jon Thum; visual effects, Prime Focus; stunt coordinators, Jamie Edgell, Lee Sheward; line producer, Tori Parry; associate producer, Emma Freud; assistant director, Matthew Penry-Davey; casting, Fiona Weir.
• With: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Richard Cordery, Joshua McGuire, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie, Will Merrick, Tom Hughes, Clemmie Dugdale, Harry Hadden-Paton.

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ABOUT TIME Review

About Time review. Matt reviews Richard Curtis' About Time starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Margot Robbie, Lydia Wilson, and Bill Nighy.

From time to time, I like to fantasize about how my life would be different if I could relive certain moments knowing what I know now.  Would my life be any better?  We are, for good or ill, the sum of our experiences.  We may come out stronger because of failure, but it would be nice if we could repair those failures to steer our lives towards a better future.  About Time takes a little bit of time travel to provide a wonderful fantasy about getting the chance to make things right.  However, the real magic is how writer-director Richard Curtis takes this concept and uses it not only to create a charming love story, but a powerful life story that will have you tearing up not at the fantasy of reliving your past, but the reality of cherishing the present.

On his 21st birthday, Tim ( Domhnall Gleeson ) is told by his father ( Bill Nighy ) that the men in their family have the ability to travel back in time.  The rules are simple: to travel back, they need to go to a dark place like a cupboard, clench their fists, and think about when and where to go.  Furthermore, they can only go back to places they've been before, and for some reason there's never been a catastrophic Butterfly Effect.  Tim's dad says he used the ability to read every book more than once, and Tim decides to use it to get a girlfriend.  When he tries to pick up Charlotte ( Margot Robbie ), the friend of his free-spirited sister Kit Kat ( Lydia Wilson ), he discovers his ability can't make someone fall in love with him.  But when the potential is there, he uses his power to win the heart of the kind and pretty Mary ( Rachel McAdams ).  From there, his time travel smoothes out the rough edges of the relationship, but then he gets tested when larger crises enter his life.

About Time wears the guise of a simple rom-com with a nice twist.  Similar to Curtis' lovely Notting Hill , About Time takes a nervous male protagonist (with Gleeson and his gangly appearance being more convincing than the foppish but handsome Hugh Grant ), and brings him into an extraordinary circumstance.  About Time is even better because, despite the supernatural aspect, it's far more relatable than dating a celebrity.  We've all wondered about "What if?"  What if we hadn't made a clumsy introduction?  What if we had kissed the cute person we were standing next to at the New Year's Eve party?  What if we had been at the right place at the right time to meet the right person?  It turns out courage and luck are just as powerful as time travel.

Curtis always goes the extra mile to make his movie clever and thoughtful.  Tim's life would almost be too perfect due to his ability, but the director and his actors always manage to find the comedy to bring the story back to something relatable.  Considering his awesome power, Tim should feel invincible.  He has the ultimate defense against rejection and failure.  But Gleeson's great performance allows us to believe Tim would still feel trepidation, fear, and awkwardness.  Gleeson also has good chemistry with Adams, who may be a bit of a dream girl whose beauty is only "tempered" by her hairstyle (a brunette with bangs! Oh no!), but she's still adorable, and so is their relationship.  Not only do Tim and Mary have a unique "meet cute", but they also meet cute, meet cute, and meet cute again.  It's a nice play on a tired trope, and the witty jokes and big heart help the movie navigate clichés and dodge the emotional roughness of real relationships (for example, Tim and Mary never fight).

The movie then takes an unexpected turn by leaving the comforts of the romantic comedy behind in terms of the genre tropes, and heading in a new direction that's both heartbreaking but also grows the time travel mechanic beyond "Better Living through Superpowers".  The turn creates a thematic resonance that admittedly does come to a corny conclusion, but the sappiness is bearable thanks to the story and the performances.  Without going into details, I will simply say that Bill Nighy is absolutely crucial to the movie and does wonders with his limited amount of screen time.  His charm is boundless and, like Mary, the character is an ideal, but Nighy makes Tim's dad paradoxically both perfect and realistic.  He's lived enough to know what's best, and yet his comforting demeanor extends past his unique ability.

Presumably, the actions of men who can time travel would remove meaning from their lives since they are in a sense eternal and almost godlike.  But About Time graciously shows that instead of cynicism and malaise coming from their awesome power, they develop wisdom and a greater appreciation through new perspectives.  And it's not really about Tim and his father's power to time travel.  It's about soaking in life and trying to get as much joy as possible from it.  We can't travel through time, but About Time shows there's nothing stopping us from experiencing that joy.

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Movie Reviews

It's 'about time' for romance — and rather more.

Joel Arnold

In About Time , Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) learns that he's inherited the ability to travel back and forth in time — and uses the gift to pursue love and a life with Mary (Rachel McAdams). Murray Close/Universal Pictures hide caption

In About Time , Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) learns that he's inherited the ability to travel back and forth in time — and uses the gift to pursue love and a life with Mary (Rachel McAdams).

• Director: Richard Curtis
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• Running Time: 123 minutes

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

With: Domhnall Gleeson , Rachel McAdams , Bill Nighy

(Recommended)

Time-travel movies usually have a clear end in sight, some situation that needs fixing. Marty McFly needs his parents to get together; John Connor needs to avoid Terminators long enough to grow up; the guys from Hot Tub Time Machine need to stop messing up the past and get back in their ... hot tub time machine.

When the imperative and the ticking clock are removed, though, the time-travel power becomes a subtler narrative gimmick. About Time deploys it to tell a small, personal story — the sort where a father sits his son down in his study on the kid's 21 birthday to tell him about a family secret. Here, it's that both of them — all the men in their family, in fact — can travel in time. (Whether or why the women don't inherit the same ability goes unaddressed.)

It's a big deal, sure, but it's not limitless. As his cheerful father (Bill Nighy) explains, Tim (Domnhall Gleeson) can Quantum Leap within his own lifetime, jumping to a moment in his past and then back to the now. Narrowing the scope and defining the stakes of the movie, Dad cautions him against using the ability for money or power — other relatives have, with inauspicious results — and instead to pursue what he truly cares about. For his dad, it's family and good books. For the bright-eyed Tim, it's love.

Lanky, well-meaning, but not the smoothest with women, Tim uses his ability to go back and set right what once went socially awkward. There's a Groundhog Day -like slickness to sequences in which he tries to escape mortification with a do-over, only to muck things up a second time. With one intimidating summer crush (Margot Robbie) the chance to repeat a moment allows Tim to understand a lesson it might otherwise have taken him years to realize.

Tim's father (Bill Nighy) also has the family's unique gift and advises his son to be careful with how he uses it. Murray Close/Universal Pictures hide caption

Tim's father (Bill Nighy) also has the family's unique gift and advises his son to be careful with how he uses it.

The slow growth of character and relationships is the film's focus more than any complicated plot, but there's complex machinery working in the background to make the time travel coherent — good thing, when multiple characters can up and play around with chronology. But the film takes few of the liberties you'd expect from its genre, and it conforms to an internal logic throughout.

In fact, for all the science-fiction flourishes, life is rendered here with specifics that feel authentic. When Tim meets the bookish Mary (Rachel McAdams), their flirtatious banter feels real; a misspoken word becomes an inside joke, and a common appreciation for Kate Moss becomes a kind of trellis for something to take root and grow on. Tim's learning process is drawn as humanly as possible; the script mines his mistakes (there are plenty) and occasional selfish uses for comedy.

In Love Actually , writer-director Richard Curtis balanced multiple tones — including overt sentimentality and more complicated emotionality. In About Time, he likewise finds a convincing mix. The moment-to-moment experience of Tim's time traveling life feels as grounded as, maybe more so, than many recent romantic comedies. Time passes, Tim matures, his relationship stabilizes, and the film turns its focus to the whole of life, to other facets of love, to how the highs and lows of aging affect his father, his stalwart mother (Lindsay Duncan), and his carefree sister (Lydia Wilson). Time travel may give Tim the unique ability to go back and try to help friends and family when they struggle, but Curtis also explores the limits of the gift, and the inevitability of life's end. The one question left unexplored is whether Tim might share his secret with Mary — an omission that conveniently simplifies their relationship.

That aside, though, this is a film that blends genre pleasures with efficient, thematically resonant storytelling and moreover gives its audience a call to action. About Time is ... about time: It asks us to reflect on how we all use that resource, how the hours and minutes that make up a day or a life align with our intentions and values.

It argues that the simplicity of the mundane is to be prized, that time should be used for reading, running barefoot on the beach, father-son ping-pong matches. It makes the case with a certain poignancy, and it's hard to argue with the result. (Recommended)

Cast & Crew

Domhnall Gleeson

Rachel McAdams

Tom Hollander

Margot Robbie

Sweet time travel romcom with strong language, some sex.

• Average 6.4
• Reviews 167

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You need to watch the most wondrous time-travel movie on Netflix ASAP

Second chances take on a new meaning in this 2013 sci-fi drama.

Rachel McAdams knows a thing or two about love... and time travel . The charismatic actor has starred in many romantic movies, but can any of her other contemporaries also say they’ve played a time traveler’s wife twice?

McAdams has more than proven herself to be a versatile actress throughout her career. And it’s plainly evident in her two very different performances as the wife of a time traveler. In the 2009 sci-fi romance, The Time Traveler’s Wife , she explored the fears, frustration, and unconditional love that come from having a soulmate who can’t control where and where they fall through time.

Four years later, McAdams took on a much lighter spin on the role, playing an effortlessly cool romantic lead opposite Domhnall Gleeson’s bumbling time traveler in About Time. Richard Curtis’ 2013 romantic drama, now streaming on Netflix, is a heartwarming drama with a sci-fi twist that teases out big ideas about our relationship with time.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SCI-FI MOVIE? Tell us now for a chance to get paid to write an article for Inverse .

About Time opens with a New Year's Eve party, one that marks a pivotal turning point in Tim Lake’s life. Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) dreads this party every year as he awkwardly ambles his way through the crowd of people and flubs his New Year’s kiss. But the following day, his father, James (Bill Nighy), sits Tim down to tell him something “spooky,” as he refers to it. The men in their family have inherited the ability to time travel to any moment they’ve lived before. That means Tim can time travel too.

To Tim’s surprise, he attempts to relive the previous night’s party, and to his success, he is finally able to get his kiss. He returns to James to ask him more about time travel. The rules are fairly simple (maybe too simple if we think about too much). Any changes they make in the past will affect their future, but James is rather casual about it, encouraging Tim to explore the ability on his own.

While James warns his son about using time travel to get rich, he doesn’t quite deter Tim from using it for love.

Domhnall Gleeson and Bill Nighy are a father-and-son, time-traveling duo in About Time .

So that’s what Tim does. First, the young man spends the summer trying to woo Charlotte (Margot Robbie) and quickly learns that manipulating time doesn’t mean you can change someone’s feelings. But Tim moves on from that rejection and to a new city, London, where he meets Mary (Rachel McAdams).

The first time Tim meets Mary they hit it off, but he’s forced to erase that encounter while traveling back in time to help a friend. When he manages to track her down again, he learns she’s somehow acquired a boyfriend. So Tim finds out exactly how Mary and her new beau met and then travels back in time and meets her first, whisking her away from a house party just as the boyfriend-to-be arrives.

Tim’s plan works, and before we know it, the two fall in love, get married, and start a family.

All the while, Tim uses his ability to perfect his life in small ways. This mostly goes without a hitch, until the birth of his daughter unexpectedly changes the rules. Turns out, if he travels to a time before her conception and changes the past, he could wind up with a totally different child — or none at all.

This is where About Time gets really interesting.

Gleeson and Rachel McAdams star in About Time .

About Time may seem like an average romantic drama with a sci-fi twist, but it brings up some thoughtful questions about how we consider time. Namely, are you the type to dwell on the past, worry about the future, or live in the present? Tim spends so much time rewriting the past that when he’s forced to think about the future, he’s often at a loss.

The stakes are low for most of the film, with Tim relying on time travel to fix almost all of his dilemmas (he never even considers using his power to save lives or make the world a better place). Even his romance with Mary goes smoothly, as she’s clearly taken with Tim from the start. But once Tim has a family, his ability finally gets some stakes. Tim learns these lessons the hard way, and the daunting consequences of time travel leave him with some tough decisions to make when his family’s life changes in sometimes depressing ways.

The challenges Tim faces feel utterly relatable, partly thanks to Gleeson’s affable charm and the easy chemistry he shares with McAdams. In a movie mainly focused on Gleeson’s character, McAdams is equally captivating. Along with Bill Nighy, both actors make About Time a delight to watch even in its most emotional moments.

The time travel rules may be flimsy, but since when did love and logic have to coalesce? In that sense, About Time doesn’t push the boundaries of science fiction, but it does show how sci-fi can effectively heighten drama in wondrous fashion. And sometimes, that’s more than enough.

About Time is now streaming on Netflix .

This article was originally published on Feb. 2, 2022

• Science Fiction

Richard Curtis rom-com with a time-travelling sci-fi twist. Stars Domhnall Gleeson , Rachel McAdams , Bill Nighy , Tom Hollander , Lindsay Duncan and more .

Key details

• Working Title

At the age of 21, Tim Lake discovers he can travel in time...

The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim's father tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can't change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life - so he decides to make his world a better place...by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think.

Moving from the Cornwall coast to London to work as a lawyer, Tim finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary. They fall in love, then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he's never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again - and again - but finally, after a lot of cunning time-traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches, to save his sister, and to save his child.

But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can't save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. There are great limits to what time travel can achieve, and it can be dangerous, too.

About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all.

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Universal Pictures

Website links

• Official Website The official website for the film.

Broadcast details

• Saturday 6th January 2024 at 4:00pm on 5Star
• Saturday 23rd September 2023 at 3:35pm on C5
• Saturday 8th April 2023 at 1:30pm on 5Star

View all 35 repeats

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About Time – first look review

A s far as we know, Richard Curtis cannot travel through time. But the kingpin of the Britcom can get a huge movie off the ground. And, along with the possible, Curtis has managed to achieve the impossible. Specifically: he has gone back to 1993 and remade Groundhog Day with a ginger Hugh Grant.

About Time, Curtis's third film as director as well as writer following Love, Actually (2003) and The Boat that Rocked (2009), is about as close to home as a homage can get without calling in the copyright team. What throws you off the scent are those other notes that flood out from the first frame – heady remembrances of Curtis films past. There's the familiar lush locations: the rambling coastal pad where our hero grows up with parents Bill Nighy and Lindsay Duncan, then the London digs to which he decamps when starting out at the bar – a Smeg-ready mansion owned by Tom Hollander's church-mouse playwright.

There's the vaguely disabled family member (in this case, a permanently befuddled uncle), the regulation scatty sister who needs redeeming (Lydia Wilson). And, all present and correct, the bright-smiled American goddess (Rachel McAdams) who will rescue our bumbling toff.

And, of course, there's Hugh Grant – or rather, a new hybrid version in lieu of the real deal. He certainly sounds like Grant (so much so that you half suspect a dub job), but that distinctive voice comes from the body of gangly Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, son of Brendan, alumnus of Harry Potter. The effect, at first, is unnerving; as About Time marches on, Gleeson's innate charm gleams through and this weird disconnection becomes quite compelling.

Gleeson plays Tim, who is told at 21 that all male members of his family have been able to time travel. You just pop into a cupboard, or somewhere small and dark like the downstairs loo or the servants' quarters, clench your fists, imagine a time and place in your past, and bingo. There are some quirks of course – some slightly moth-eaten logic about the effect that, say, having children has on your epoch-hopping abilities. But that's basically it.

And, accordingly, Tim uses what might feel quite an earth-shattering skill to fry fairly small fish – primarily, to woo McAdams. They run into each other and hit it off, but Tim accidentally deletes that evening and so must engineer another meet-cute. A successful one. So follows the film's meatiest section, in which Tim makes and then erases gaffe after gaffe in pursuit of his squeeze-to-be.

So far, so familiar, but it's not the indebtedness that deadens the comedy. What does is an uncarbonated script, and the fact that Tim's motives feel opportunistic, for all his romantic protestations. When Bill Murray had to rewind and start again through the course of one endlessly relived evening courting Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day, he was pretty basely motivated. Yet what allowed Murray's character to ultimately break the curse was not copping off with the girl, but realising that he needed to be a better man. There is nothing like that here. And so, as Tim heads back for another pop once he knows McAdams's bra fastens at the front, it just feels a bit like grooming.

There are bright points; a few awkward lines that give rise to big laughs, scenes of real tenderness between Gleeson and Nighy. You feel a true Scrooge balking at a movie message which urges you to make the most of every day, however humdrum it might appear. But there's something grating about being instructed to do so by a character whose "ordinary little life" is objectively pretty minted, and who doesn't in fact need to make the most of every moment on account of perhaps the most screwy example of primogeniture you could ever imagine.

Curtis's heart is in the right place. In fact, it's all over the place – front and centre and backlighting the whole thing with a benevolent glow. But it is hard not to watch this, read the news that it will probably be his last as a director, and look to the future.

• Comedy films
• First look review
• Richard Curtis
• Rachel McAdams

More on this story

About time Richard Curtis went back to the future to avoid his groundhog day

Margot Robbie: Richard Curtis (and Martin Scorsese's) new leading lady – interview

About Time Richard Curtis had a hit

Why Richard Curtis really cast Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral

About time – review.

Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench to star in Roald Dahl adaptation for BBC

It's About Time we revised our view of Richard Curtis romcoms

Why can't women time travel?

Richard Curtis: 'About Time will probably be the last film I direct'

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Netflix viewers left in tears after watching 'saddest movie of all time'

The flick stars rachel mcadams and margot robbie and it's making rom-com fans cry.

Gregory Robinson

Netflix viewers have been left in floods of tears after watching a movie they've dubbed as being the 'saddest movie of all time'.

Check out the emotional trailer below, but make sure you have a box of tissues at the ready:

If you're a lover of tragic love stories involving time travel like The Time Traveler's Wife , this rom-com starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams and Billy Nighy could be your next binge watch.

About Time follows Tim Lake, a man who's given the most unexpected gift for his 21st birthday. His father James (Bill Nighy) informs that the men in their family have the ability to travel back in time to revisit moments they've lived before.

The following summer, Tim meets and instantly falls in love with a woman named Charlotte ( Margot Robbie ) who is visiting his sister Katherine (Lydia Wilson).

Unfortunately, he waits until the end of her trip to reveal his feelings. Charlotte responds by telling him he should've told her sooner.

Heartbroken, he then moves to London where he meets Mary (Rachel McAdams) and the two hit it off, but after travelling back in time to help his friend Harry (Tom Hollander) his meet-cute with Mary is undone.

Tim manages to find Mary again a week later but shockingly she now has a boyfriend and when Charlotte returns things go seriously awry.

There's also a major health issue in the family which sees Tim desperately try to save his dad, a baby-switcheroo and a tragic car crash.

The film was originally released in cinemas back in 2013 and now people are able to watch it at home on Netflix.

"Why is About Time the most amazing and saddest movie of all time?" one Twitter user said. "We might have to get flood insurance for how much Hannah and I are crying."

Another viewer shared: " About Time is just the saddest movie of all time, I want to cry."

While a third person wrote: " About Time might actually be the saddest, deepest movie of all time."

And a fourth person confessed: "Read the plot summary for About Time on Netflix so knew what was coming and I was STILL sad and cried!!!!"

About Time was directed by Richard Curtis, the same man behind some of the successful and beloved British romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary and the Christmas classic everyone's watching right now, Love Actually .

It had positive reviews upon release and was a hit at the box office, earning $87.1 million against a $12 million budget.

We're adding this to our watch list immediately!

Topics:  TV And Film , Netflix

Gregory is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, he has worked for both print and online publications and is particularly interested in TV, (pop) music and lifestyle. He loves Madonna, teen dramas from the '90s and prefers tea over coffee.

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2013 Directed by Richard Curtis

What if every moment in life came with a second chance?

The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim's father tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can't change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life – so he decides to make his world a better place... by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as he thinks.

Domhnall Gleeson Rachel McAdams Bill Nighy Tom Hollander Margot Robbie Lydia Wilson Lindsay Duncan Richard Cordery Joshua McGuire Will Merrick Vanessa Kirby Tom Hughes Clemmie Dugdale Harry Hadden-Paton Mitchell Mullen Lisa Eichhorn Jenny Rainsford Natasha Powell Mark Healy Ben Benson Philip Voss Tom Godwin Pal Aron Catherine Steadman Andrew Martin Yates Charlie Barnes Verity Fullerton Veronica Owings Olivia Konten Show All… Sarah Heller Jaiden Dervish Jacob Francis Jago Freud Ollie Phillips Sophie Pond Sophie Brown Molly Seymour Matilda Sturridge Tom Stourton Rebecca Chew Jon West Graham Richard Howgego Kerrie Liane Studholme Kenneth Hazeldine Barbar Gough Jon Boden Charlie Curtis Richard Griffiths Richard E. Grant Haruka Abe Lee Nicholas Harris Matthew C. Martino Tom Coulston

Director Director

Richard Curtis

Producers Producers

Eric Fellner Tim Bevan Nicky Kentish Barnes

Writer Writer

Casting casting, editor editor, cinematography cinematography.

John Guleserian

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Liza Chasin Richard Curtis Amelia Granger

Production Design Production Design

John Paul Kelly

Art Direction Art Direction

Sam Stokes Antonia Atha Rebecca White

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Liz Griffiths Justin Ackroyd

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Jon Thum Tim Keene

Stunts Stunts

Nellie Burroughes

Composer Composer

Nick Laird-Clowes

Sound Sound

Johnathan Rush James Mather Jed Loughran Mike Dowson Peter Burgis Sue Harding Luke O'Connell Jason Swanscott

Costume Design Costume Design

Verity Hawkes

Makeup Makeup

Agnes Legere Christine Blundell Charmaine Fuller Monica MacDonald Stephanie Lynne Smith Lesa Warrener

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Christine Blundell

Universal Pictures Relativity Media Working Title Films Working Title Films

Releases by Date

27 jun 2013, 16 aug 2013, 22 sep 2013, 24 sep 2013, 26 sep 2013, 01 oct 2013, 04 oct 2013, 07 oct 2013, 11 oct 2013, 20 oct 2013.

• Theatrical limited

01 Nov 2013

04 sep 2013, 12 sep 2013, 18 sep 2013, 19 sep 2013, 20 sep 2013, 27 sep 2013, 02 oct 2013, 03 oct 2013, 09 oct 2013, 10 oct 2013, 17 oct 2013, 18 oct 2013, 24 oct 2013, 25 oct 2013, 31 oct 2013, 06 nov 2013, 07 nov 2013, 08 nov 2013, 15 nov 2013, 21 nov 2013, 05 dec 2013, 06 dec 2013, 19 apr 2014, 27 sep 2014, 24 mar 2014, 17 apr 2019, 01 feb 2022, 27 jan 2014, 05 feb 2014, 25 apr 2014, 24 apr 2021, 09 dec 2015, releases by country.

• Theatrical M
• Premiere Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival
• Theatrical 12
• Theatrical 7
• Physical DVD
• Premiere Dinard Festival of British Cinema
• Theatrical TP
• Digital VOD
• Physical DVD & Blu-Ray
• Digital Prime Video
• Theatrical 0
• Theatrical Κ
• Physical DVD, Blu-ray
• Theatrical IIA
• Premiere Balinale International Film Festival
• Theatrical 12A
• Theatrical T
• Theatrical N-7
• Theatrical B

Netherlands

• Premiere Film by the Sea Film Festival
• Theatrical 9
• Physical 9 DVD, Blu ray
• TV 9 Net 5

New Zealand

• Theatrical Age Limit: 7 Years

Philippines

• Theatrical M/12

Russian Federation

• Theatrical 16+
• Premiere Belgrade

South Africa

South korea.

• Premiere Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival

Switzerland

• Premiere Locarno Film Festival
• Premiere Edinburgh International Film Festival
• Premiere New York Film Festival
• Premiere Hamptons International Film Festival
• Premiere Hawaii Film Festival
• Theatrical limited R
• Theatrical R

United Arab Emirates

123 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by mulaney ★★★★★ 18

this is the film equivalent of a warm hug

Review by cathy ★★★★½ 11

scientist: richard have u even heard of the butterfly effect? richard curtis (with tears in his eyes): have you heard of love?

Review by ellie ✨ ★★★★ 13

i'm not going to say that poor tina the lesbian was in the friendzone but imagine being friends with margot robbie as a lesbian. it'd be like staring into the sun, day after day, but not being able to tear your eyes away. you'd self-combust. how would you even focus, knowing that margot robbie was your friend? because you just know margot robbie would be the kind of friend who'd kiss you on the cheek and hold your hand in public and share a bed with you during a sleepover. like, bless her, she introduces tina to people as her "girlfriend"! considering all this, how is tina still alive and functioning ? truly, tina is the bravest lesbian of us all.

Review by gal pacino ★★★½ 17

tom hollander : surprise! i'm in this :) me : ah yes, how could i forget about my favorite english character actor. nice to see you again!

richard e. grant : surprise! i'm in this :) me : awww, delightful! great work. loved your 3 line cameo

margot robbie : surprise! i'm in this :) me : FKICNWQNWQDIQJ@J*U92u2903jfieowfnIJIASf923hr9hIDJoawfjeoj ??!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?@?/1///1//2//1???????????? WHERE DID YOU?????#!??# HOW DID YOU

Review by cathy ★★★★ 7

rachel mcadams: hi me *trying to impress her*: I can time travel

Review by Anna Johansson ★★★½ 4

goal in life: find a man who has an amélie poster in his room and who is domhnall gleeson

Review by ellie ✨ ★★★★ 3

this film teased me with lesbian margot robbie for about 0.5 seconds and then cruelly ripped her away from me

Review by DirkH ★★★★½ 17

I lost my dad when I was 6. I am now 44 years old. My mother never remarried as no one could replace the love of her life.

What does this have to do with About Time?

Every bloody thing. It utterly wrecked and uplifted me on a deeply personal level.

It's easy to dismiss this as romantic comedy fluff with a gimmick, but to me Curtis's film is so much more. He cleverly uses the time travel gimmick to lure you into thinking you're watching the next Love Actually while you're actually watching a plot unfold that has a lot to say about life, loss and, yes, love.

The cast is uniformly excellent, but Bill Nighy is on a…

Review by bre ★★★★½ 1

they went for a “quick little walk” and i have not stopped crying ever since

Review by andrea🌹 ★★★★ 2

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 WHERE IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!! WHERE ARE THEY!!!!!!!!🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

Review by Frandi Peralta ★★★★★ 5

This movie is beautiful, lovely, and romantic. I hate it. 5 stars.

Review by Lucy ★★★½ 5

the existential crisis this is currently putting me through 😭

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Product Description

The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim's (Domhnall Gleeson) father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can't change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life—so he decides to make his world a better place…by getting a girlfriend (Rachel McAdams). But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can't save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. From filmmaker Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral), About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all.

• Deleted Scenes with Intros by Director Richard Curtis
• Blooper Reel: Making Movies Is a Serious Business
• "The Luckiest" Music
• Ellie Goulding "How Long Will I Love You?" Music Video
• Feature Commentary with Director Richard Curtis and Cast Members Domhnall Gleeson, Bill Nighy, Vanessa Kirby, Lydia Wilson & Tom Hollander

For more than three decades, filmmaker Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral) has crafted his signature voice in the world of movies and television, giving audiences unforgettable characters who have alternately allowed us to laugh at our ever-so-human foibles and to share a tear at the extraordinary journeys that accompany our ordinary lives. Now, with About Time, Curtis gives us his most personal film to date. At the age of 21, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) discovers he can travel in time… The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim’s father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life—so he decides to make his world a better place...by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think. Moving from the Cornwall coast to London to train as a lawyer, Tim finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary (Rachel McAdams). They fall in love, then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he’s never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again—and again—but finally, after a lot of cunning time traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches and to save his best friend from professional disaster. But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can’t save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. There are great limits to what time travel can achieve, and it can be dangerous, too. About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all.

Product details

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.40:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.4 ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ about-time
• Director ‏ : ‎ Richard Curtis
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, NTSC, Color, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 4 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ February 4, 2014
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Lindsay Duncan
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ Spanish, French
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Nicky Kentish Barnes
• Language ‏ : ‎ Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BEIYGK2
• Writers ‏ : ‎ Richard Curtis
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #828 in Comedy (Movies & TV)
• #1,063 in Drama DVDs

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PG | 107 min | Biography, Drama, Family

The relationship between writer AA Milne and his son, Christopher Robin, and how this became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh.

Director: Simon Curtis | Stars: Domhnall Gleeson , Margot Robbie , Kelly Macdonald , Vicki Pepperdine

Votes: 29,855 | Gross: $1.74M

13. I, Tonya (2017)

R | 119 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

Director: Craig Gillespie | Stars: Margot Robbie , Sebastian Stan , Allison Janney , Julianne Nicholson

Votes: 242,803 | Gross: $30.01M

14. Peter Rabbit (2018)

PG | 95 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

A rabbit sneaks into a garden to steal food, and they get a new challenge with a new owner.

Director: Will Gluck | Stars: James Corden , Fayssal Bazzi , Domhnall Gleeson , Sia

Votes: 48,131 | Gross: $115.25M

15. Terminal (I) (2018)

Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

A film noir taking place in a train terminal at night. Add two male assassins, a female assassin, a waitress, a teacher, a janitor, and a crime boss. Add revenge. Who says mystery is a lost art?

Director: Vaughn Stein | Stars: Margot Robbie , Simon Pegg , Dexter Fletcher , Mike Myers

Votes: 25,377

16. Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018)

R | 104 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy

An illustrious British boarding school becomes a bloody battleground when a mysterious sinkhole appears at a nearby fracking site, unleashing unspeakable horror.

Director: Crispian Mills | Stars: Jassa Ahluwalia , Asa Butterfield , Jamie Blackley , Finn Cole

Votes: 16,297 | Gross: $0.00M

17. Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History

Mary Stuart's (Saoirse Ronan's) attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.

Director: Josie Rourke | Stars: Saoirse Ronan , Margot Robbie , Jack Lowden , Joe Alwyn

Votes: 55,347 | Gross: $16.47M

18. Dreamland (I) (2019)

R | 98 min | Drama, Thriller, Western

A teenager's adventures as a bounty hunter take an unexpected twist.

Director: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte | Stars: Finn Cole , Margot Robbie , Travis Fimmel , Kerry Condon

Votes: 8,378

19. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

R | 161 min | Comedy, Drama

A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio , Brad Pitt , Margot Robbie , Emile Hirsch

Votes: 848,153 | Gross: $142.50M

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Rachel mcadams' accidental time travel movie series explained.

Rachel McAdams has appeared in at least four different time travel movies. However, her character is never the one who travels through time.

Rachel McAdams has bizarrely starred in a series of movies that all involve the concept of time travel. Unlike a regular film series or franchise, there is no connecting tissue between these movies, except for the presence of Rachel McAdams and her time-traveling love interest. Unfortunately, in every single one of the movies involved in this accidental series, McAdams' characters never get the chance to travel through time themselves; they are always pigeonholed into the role of the time traveler's lover.

Born in Canada in 1978, Rachel McAdams broke into stardom in 2004 with back-to-back roles as Regina George in the seminal high-school comedy Mean Girls and as heiress Allie Hamilton in the Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Notebook . Since then, McAdams has appeared in a litany of romantic comedies alongside critically acclaimed dramas like the Best Picture-winning Spotlight , which was based on a true story . But, disappointingly, even in the more fantastical movies she appears in, McAdams is often relegated to a more down-to-earth role as the main character's love interest.

Related: How Does Time Travel Work in The Time Traveler's Wife?

Rachel McAdams Has Been A Time Travel Love Interest 4 Times

Rachel McAdams has played the love interest of a time traveler on four separate occasions. The first time was as Clare Abshire, the titular role in Robert Schwentke's 2009 drama The Time Traveler's Wife . The film follows Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana), a man that involuntarily travels through time which causes obvious problems in his marriage to Clare. The second occasion came two years later in Woody Allen's Best Original Screenplay Oscar-winning romantic comedy Midnight in Paris . Here, McAdams plays Inez, the dismissive and materialistic fiancée to Owen Wilson's screenwriter, who mysteriously travels back to the 1920s when the clock strikes midnight during his holiday to Paris.

Another two years later, in 2013, came the romantic comedy About Time , directed by Love Actually's Richard Curtis . Rachel McAdams portrays Mary, an American book publisher and love interest to Domhnall Gleeson's Tim. In About Time , the men in Tim's family have the unique ability to travel back in time to moments in their past and can use this ability to change their lives. So naturally, Tim uses his power to woo McAdams' character, though, after an unsuccessful fling with Margot Robbie's Charlotte.

McAdams' last time travel movie, to date, arrived in the form of Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange in 2016. She plays Christine Palmer, a surgeon and former love interest of Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Stephen Strange. During the movie's climax, Strange defeats Dormammu with an infinite time loop, thanks to the Time Stone hidden within the Eye of Agamotto.

Doctor Strange 2 Finally Broke A Rachel McAdams Pattern (Sort Of)

While not a time travel movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness did at least break the previous four movies' pattern of snubbing Rachel McAdams by placing her firmly on the sidelines. In the sequel, a variant of Christine Palmer joins the titular hero and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) in navigating multiple dimensions. So while Rachel McAdams still has not had the chance to play a time-traveling character herself, at least one version of Christine Palmer got to explore the multiverse.

More: Every Way To Travel The MCU's Multiverse

Margot Robbie's 20 Best Movie Roles, Ranked

Posted: April 29, 2024 | Last updated: April 29, 2024

20) Z for Zachariah

With a silly midwestern accent and a love triangle involving Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine, the actress's role in Z for Zachariah places her in an uncomfortable position. Her character, Ann, is simply trying to survive a nuclear apocalypse, but the two men can't help but spend all their time fighting for her love and attention.

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19) Peter Rabbit

Robbie voices Peter Rabbit's sister, Flopsy Rabbit, and serves as the narrator in this computer-animated adaptation of the famous British children's book character. Despite mixed reviews, the film grossed over $351 million—probably because the rabbits were cute as hell!

18) Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway is much like its predecessor, though the sequel adds a funny meta-storyline where Thomas writes the Peter Rabbit books in the movie. Robbie still does a great job as Flopsy, the narrator.

17) The Legend of Tarzan

Though The Legend of Tarzan had audiences wishing that Tarzan had stayed animated, the live-action film did have something right going for it in Robbie. Playing Jane, the jungle man's love interest, she added some emotion to what was otherwise a turgid CGI affair.

16) About Time

Over-correcting for the creepiness of The Time Traveler's Wife , which dropped a few years prior, About Time tries for the time-traveling romantic comedy once again, focusing on various meet-cutes and second chances. Robbie has a near-perfect supporting role early in the film, portraying a woman who would never be caught dead next to Domhnall Gleeson, even if he had the power to travel through time.

15) The Big Short

Though only a single appearance as herself, The Big Short's cameo proved that the best Margot Robbie character is Margot Robbie. Even when she's reciting financial mumbo jumbo in a bathtub, she's still a star.

14) Amsterdam

Robbie stands out in Amsterdam , as packed with stars—including Christian Bale and John David Washington—as it is. Amsterdam has some fun moments and twists, but it buckled under its hefty ambition —and bombed at the box office. Fans of the genre should still enjoy it, though.

13) Terminal

Robbie takes the lead role in Terminal , a thriller about an assassin on a hunt for revenge. Robbie also helped produce the film, co-starring Simon Pegg and Max Irons, which fit right into her wheelhouse as a convincing femme fatale.

12) Asteroid City

Robbie has a small, but profound role in the latest Wes Anderson movie . She plays the deceased wife of Jason Schwartzman’s character. Augie—and the actress who embodies her in the play-within-the-film.

11) Bombshell

Telling the story of Fox News anchors Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, Bombshell details the fall of CEO Roger Ailes due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Robbie, however, plays Kayla Pospisil, a made-up character for the film that endures some of the worst of what women experienced working at the network. The humanity she brings will have you wondering if Kayla isn't real after all.

10) Babylon

Damien Chazelle’s sweeping story of 1920s Hollywood wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Robbie committed to her character, Nellie LaRoy. Like some real actors from the time period, LaRoy was a huge it-girl in silent movies—but she struggled to transition when films adopted sound.

9) The Suicide Squad (2021)

Suicide Squad may have introduced the superhero world to Robbie's Harley Quinn, but it wasn't a film where she could truly shine. Neither was the James Gunn-directed remake in 2021, though Robbie had a larger, infinitely more enjoyable role. Her portrayal as the Joker's on-and-off again partner in crime redefined the character for a modern audience.

8) Dreamland

Dreamland is the closest Margot Robbie has ever gotten to starring in a Bonnie & Clyde remake—a part she seems born to play. She stars as Allison Wells, a bank robber wanted for murder, in this period drama, which was also produced by her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment.

Robbie stole the show as a con artist once again in Focus , this time wrangling some of the attention away from her co-lead, Will Smith. Showcasing her will-they-or-won't-they chemistry with Smith, it's evident why her near-type casting as a woman drawn to crime has lasted through a decade of phenomenal work.

6) Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood

Robbie may have had to fight to get some more lines in Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood , but Tarantino's tinsel town epic wasn't all about capturing footage of her feet. Playing Sharon Tate, Robbie was able to provide the late actress with a sense of life and redemption—altering history to avoid murder and become friends with Cliff Booth (Leonardo DiCaprio) instead.

5) Mary Queen of Scots

Playing Queen Elizabeth is one of Robbie's biggest roles, starring alongside Saoirse Ronan in Mary Queen of Scots . The playful period drama depicts two cousins as they compete for the throne of England, intertwined in patriarchal drama and duty to their kingdom. We hate to see two women pitted against each other, and so did British history after 20 years of political turmoil.

4) The Wolf of Wall Street

As rich as Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) gets in The Wolf of Wall Street , he still only has half the power as his wife, Naomi Lapaglia (Margot Robbie). In one unforgettable scene, she makes him crawl to her on his hands and knees before holding him off with her high heel on his forehead and making him beg. That'll go down in cinema history.

3) Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

Birds of Prey was the female-led Harley Quinn film that Robbie's DCEU character deserved. Following her split with the Joker (bye!), she joins up with fellow female badasses for rollerblading, bodega breakfast sandwiches, and high-octane crime fighting. Director Cathy Yan allows her to imbue the character with lovable mischief and sympathy, revolving around a story about protecting young women from Gotham's nastiest kingpins.

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Barbie wouldn’t have worked if its lead was anything but stellar—and Robbie nailed it. She plays Stereotypical Barbie, who is struck by a sudden existential crisis in the matriarchal society of Barbieland. The only solution? Journey to the outside world to cure it. Every Barbie and Ken pulls their weight in the movie, but Robbie truly stuck the landing, making Greta Gerwig’s live-action adaptation a huge success.

1) I, Tonya

Competitive figure skater Tonya Harding's career ended when she was accused of orchestrating an attack on her 1994 Winter Olympics rival, Nancy Kerrigan. Ironically, Robbie's portrayal of Harding in I, Tonya had the reverse effect and brought her the greatest role of her career so far. Exploring the nuances and pressure the figure skater was under before the big event, Robbie showcased her ruthlessness and determination.

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Revealed Robbie in a cover story with British Vogue , “Right, it comes with a lot of baggage! And a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that come a lot of exciting ways to attack it.” Here's what we know about the doll drama so far.

When will the film release?

Barbie hits theaters on July 21, 2023. Warner Bros. announced the news with a first look at Robbie in character, covered in pink.

The Warner Bros. project was first announced in 2019, but numerous other projects—and, not to mention, a pandemic—have kept Gerwig and Robbie busy in the interim. Variety confirms that Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach would finalize the script after completing work on the Baumbach-directed 2022 film White Noise .

Who's playing Ken?

It was announced on October 22, 2021, that Ryan Gosling was in final negotiations for the role of Ken, the well-known romantic interest of Barbie and a wonderful choice for a leading man to star opposite Robbie. Apparently, Gosling initially rejected the role, saying he was too busy, but the delay in production lined it up with a free spot in his calendar. The news came after Gosling wrapped on the Russo brothers' Netflix film The Gray Man , acting alongside Chris Evans.

On June 15, 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures released a jaw-dropping first-look image of Gosling in the infamous role—with bleached blonde hair, a denim vest and a spray tan, no less. However, Gosling is not the only one playing Ken.

Who else is in the cast?

Barbie is a massive star-studded production featuring multiple Barbies, Kens, and humans. After long keeping character details close to the vest, the film shared its full roster on social media.

The doll cast includes: Robbie, Hari Nef ( Transparent ) as a doctor Barbie, Emma Mackey ( Sex Education ) as a Barbie with a Nobel Prize in physics, Dua Lipa as a mermaid Barbie, Ana Cruz Kayne ( Painkiller ) as a Supreme Court Justice Barbie, Sharon Rooney ( My Mad Fat Diary ) as a lawyer Barbie, Emerald Fennell ( The Crown ) as Midge, Issa Rae as a president Barbie, Kate McKinnon ( Saturday Night Live ) as the Barbie who’s “always in the splits,” Nicola Coughlan ( Bridgerton ) as a diplomat Barbie, Alexandra Shipp ( Tick, Tick...Boom! ) as an author Barbie, and Ritu Arya ( The Umbrella Academy ) as a Barbie with a Pulitzer.

The various Kens are portrayed by: Gosling, Kinglsey Ben-Adir ( One Night in Miami ), Scott Evans ( Grace and Frankie ), Simu Liu ( Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ), and Ncuti Gatwa ( Sex Education ). And there's Michael Cera as Allan.

The human cast includes: America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt (young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War ), Connor Swindells ( Sex Education ), Jamie Demetriou ( Fleabag , The Afterparty ), and Will Ferrell, who’s said to be playing the CEO of a toy company. Let's also not forget Dame Helen Mirren, who's taken the honorable role of narrator.

Other previous reports stated that Marisa Abela ( Industry ) and Rhea Perlman ( Cheers ) are also in the cast. Further details about the roles remain tightly under wraps.

What will the story be about?

Gerwig will pen the script with Marriage Story 's Baumbach, which means this won't be your typical toy-to-television adaptation.

“People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t...,” Robbie told British Vogue .

After months—or honestly, years—of keeping mum, Robbie opened up slightly about the film's premise to Vogue . She said that when her production team pitched the idea to Mattell, they told the company, “We of course would want to honor the 60-year legacy that this brand has. But we have to acknowledge that there are a lot of people who aren’t fans of Barbie. And in fact, aren’t just indifferent to Barbie. They actively hate Barbie. And have a real issue with Barbie. We need to find a way to acknowledge that.”

To help Robbie get into character, Gerwig recommended listening to an episode of the podcast This American Life where a woman doesn't introspect. “You know how you have a voice in your head all the time?” Robbie told Vogue . “This woman, she doesn’t have that voice in her head.”

Vogue reports that the Barbie storyline is somewhat inspired by the 1994 book Reviving Ophelia , which Gerwig read as a kid, that details problems girls face when they enter adolescence. “They’re funny and brash and confident, and then they just—stop,” the director told the magazine. While writing the screenplay, she realized that the film would ultimately cover: “How is this journey the same thing that a teenage girl feels? All of a sudden, she thinks, Oh, I’m not good enough .”

Robbie trusted Gerwig, but she had a simple request before singing on. “I’ll follow your vision. Whatever you want this Barbie movie to be, let’s do that. Except I just have one favor,” she recalled telling the director on The Kelly Clarkson Show . “Please, please, please can we have a Dreamhouse where she has a slide that goes from her bedroom down to her pool, because that is my goal in life.” We get it.

Is production for Barbie over?

On July 16, 2022, a few members of the Barbie cast shared a celebratory photo to commemorate wrapping on the film. Both actresses Hari Nef and Sharon Rooney posted the picture to Instagram. The image included Gerwig as well as Robbie and America Ferrera from their last day on set, all yelling at the camera.

Also in the pic were Alexandra Shipp and Ana Cruz Kayne, plus a few other members of the studio ensemble.

“Barbie, a true gift,” Rooney wrote in the caption.

Greenblatt told ELLE of filming Barbie , “Everyone had such a great time making it, and it really shows on camera.” She added that while filming in London, Robbie and Gerwig arranged for the cast to screen films relating to Barbie every Sunday at Electric Cinema in Notting Hill.

What has Greta Gerwig said about the experience?

Gerwig co-wrote the screenplay as well as directing. In an appearance on Dua Lipa's At Your Service podcast post-production, Gerwig said it was actually a nerve-wracking choice to take on the Barbie project.

“It was terrifying. I think there's something about starting from that place where it's like, ‘Well, anything is possible!’” she said. “It felt like vertigo starting to write it. Like, where do you even begin? What would be the story?”

She continued, “I think it was that feeling I had that it would be really interesting terror. Usually, that's where the best stuff is. When you're like, ‘I am terrified of that.’ Anything where you're like, ‘This could be a career-ender,’ then you're like, ‘OK, I probably should do it.’”

The experience ended up being great, even working with the executives at Mattel, who have creative control over the doll fashion line.

“They have given us such trust and such freedom, and I think that is incredibly rare. Whatever we wanted to be, they did not try to micromanage it. I was very much supported in what I wanted to do,” Gerwig explained. “I usually know on a gut level whether something feels right.”

In July, she told Rolling Stone that Mattel was “incredibly open” to feminist critique because “it’s a lie any other way.”

“It felt like we had to give the counterargument to Barbie, and not give it short shrift, but give it real intellectual and emotional power,” she said. “And Mattel was incredibly open to it. I said, ‘We have to explore it, because it’s a lie any other way. And we can’t make it a lie.’ I think they heard it.”

Is there a trailer?

Finally, yes. Warner Bros. shared the first teaser for Barbie on December 16, featuring Robbie's arrival as the iconic doll. It's also a big visual and musical reference to the opening scenes of 2001 A Space Odyssey . “Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been...dolls. But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls. Until...” a voiceover says in the clip.

The footage ends with some blink-and-you'll-miss it glimpses of the over-the-top film, including cast members Ryan Gosling, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, Issa Rae, and Simu Liu.

Another teaser followed on April 4, showing a bigger, colorful look inside Barbie Land and its multiple Barbies (including Robbie, Rae, Shipp, and Mackey) and Kens (like Gosling, Liu, and Ben-Adir). Michael Cera's Allan makes an appearance too. The eye-popping preview ends with Barbie driving towards the “real world” in her bubblegum pink convertible, only to find Gosling’s Ken has stowed away in the back seat, along with his neon roller blades. Watch below.

The main trailer, released on May 25, shows more of Barbie's excursion into the real world. All is going well in Barbie Land when she starts noticing that things are going awry: she falls off of her building and (gasp!) the eternal tip-toe-arches of her feet have gone flat, so she can no longer wear heels. Kate McKinnon's Barbie suggestions she goes into the Real World to find out what's going on. Once Robbie's Barbie arrives to her destination (with Gosling's Ken in tow), shenanigans ensue. Watch below. The trailer teases a new song by Dua Lipa, too.

And then in early July, a clip from the film was released that focused on Gosling's Ken recovering from a brief injury after trying to surf, even though his job is “beach.”

What songs are in the Barbie soundtrack?

Barbie the Album is also dropping on July 21, including a bunch of new and original songs from a variety of A-list stars, including Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, Charli XCX, Karol G, Fifty Fifty, Haim, Ice Spice, and more. Ryan Gosling is in the track list too. Check out the list of artists below.

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