The Time Traveler's Wife Movie Review

Henry DeTamble was 6 years old the night his mother died.

Given the fact that he was riding in the backseat of her car, he probably would have died in that explosive accident, too. Except that in the milliseconds before impact, he just ... faded away.

It was Henry's first experience with time travel, courtesy of what he would later learn is a "genetic anomaly" in his brain. It saved his life--and made it a lot more complicated.

Especially when it comes to love.

Fast-forward three decades to the day Henry (now working as a librarian in Chicago) meets a radiant young woman named Clare for the first time. At least, it's the first time for him. Clare, it turns out, has known Henry since the day an older version of time-traveling Henry interrupted her solo forest picnic when she was just 8. For years she's been waiting for Henry's future and her past to catch up in the present. And now they have.

Love blossoms instantly.

And Clare is determined not to let the complicating fact that Henry frequently zips off to different times and places--an ability he has no control over--put a damper on their passion.

Marriage quickly follows.

But Henry's unpredictable time travel will test the couple's commitment to their "for better or worse" vows in ways neither could have foreseen ... no matter how much they think they know about the future.

The Time Traveler's Wife is a complex, heartstring-pulling adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 best-selling novel. As with many time-travel stories, at times it feels as if you need a chart to try to figure out whether the narrative's internal logic holds up or not--especially when two different versions of the same character show up simultaneously.

But then again, this isn't the kind of tale that you're supposed to overthink. It's a love story, pure and simple. Everyone involved is a protagonist, while the enemy, so to speak, is Henry's unwanted time-travel abilities.

Director Robert Schwentke said of the narrative arc, "It is an emotional journey about two people in a relationship, and the time travel is the catalyst for things that both strengthen and test their bond. You could argue that time travel is the thing that brought them together, but it ultimately causes all sorts of conflicts. So I saw it as an opportunity to make a great love story."

Producer Dede Gardner adds, "It's about how hard love can be but also how completely magical and wonderful it can be."

Those observations accurately capture the film's poignant, sentimental tone. But there's one other important adjective we need to add to the list: sensual. Amidst The Time Traveler's Wife's emotional resonance are scenes showcasing its stars' bodies--as Henry travels through time, and as he and Clare become more than just romantically involved.

In that sense, this film reminds me of another Rachel McAdams movie, The Notebook. Both feature nonlinear storylines that ultimately focus on the theme of faithfulness amid marital trials. Both indulge in physical expressions of emotional passion.