David O'ConnellThe Time Traveler's Wife
November 11th 2009 03:02
Only the skeletal outline of Audrey Niffenegger’s runaway bestseller The Time Traveler’s Wife remains in Robert Schwentke’s much anticipated adaptation. It’s always a daunting task to transport a popular piece of fiction to the screen but the potential mostly evaporates with the random disappearing acts of its tortured protagonist, Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana).
Destined for a life with one true love Claire Abshire (Rachel McAdams) – though he doesn’t know it when we first meet him – Henry’s troubled existence is defined by his inability to remain in the one place for long stretches. Never seen as anything other than an inexplicable curse, his 'ability' may be good for striking lottery gold with a bit of advance knowledge, but melting away like a popsicle on a summer sidewalk at crucial moments of his life is deflating, to say the least, for those he leaves behind.
The screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin – who hasn’t produced anything of note since Jacob’s Ladder nearly 20 years ago - has to trim way too much of the meatier internal workings of the star-crossed lovers’ lives that brought to book to life. It’s a standard criticism of screen adaptations, but it’s never truer than it is here.
The casting of Bana, whose career overseas has become a frustrating one, proves to be a risky choice that doesn’t pay off. Henry’s glum outlook combined with a profound despair at the arbitrary, uncontrollable nature of his ailment, make it difficult to gain access to him on a deeper level. He looks stiff and uncomfortable at times, though the inherently stilted dialogue he's lumbered with has him at a disadvantage from the beginning. His accent feels, as ever, like a wonky, cheap impersonation and the early stages of the film insist he wear a ridiculous, distracting hairpiece.
Full credit to McAdams for being able to generate a fraction of the fateful romanticism that propelled the novel along; again, she’s working with an abbreviated outline of Niffenegger’s original creation but there’s a degree of conviction in her portrayal of Claire that fails to materialise in so many other areas of the production.
Schwentke, a young German who was drafted in to helm the superior, but equally fantastical Flightplan (2005), turns in a mildly endearing, hard-to-hate, but essentially turgid translation of a much loved book. There’s not much in the way of an individual stamp here, this troubled production - filmed in Canada - showing the effect of its extensive post-production tinkering. The support roles are so underwritten as to seem like fleeting figments of the imagination.
The romantic heart of The Time Traveler’s Wife remains intact, its dreamy implausibility made palatable because of the impending doom that occasionally darkens its sentimental outpourings. Any fantasy is surely owed a few radical leaps of faith, and though the final one is hard to defend on the grounds of it skimming a little too close to logic-busting absurdity, it does herald in both tears from the heavily-stacked female audience and - more pointedly - the end credits.
Destined for a life with one true love Claire Abshire (Rachel McAdams) – though he doesn’t know it when we first meet him – Henry’s troubled existence is defined by his inability to remain in the one place for long stretches. Never seen as anything other than an inexplicable curse, his 'ability' may be good for striking lottery gold with a bit of advance knowledge, but melting away like a popsicle on a summer sidewalk at crucial moments of his life is deflating, to say the least, for those he leaves behind.
The screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin – who hasn’t produced anything of note since Jacob’s Ladder nearly 20 years ago - has to trim way too much of the meatier internal workings of the star-crossed lovers’ lives that brought to book to life. It’s a standard criticism of screen adaptations, but it’s never truer than it is here.
The casting of Bana, whose career overseas has become a frustrating one, proves to be a risky choice that doesn’t pay off. Henry’s glum outlook combined with a profound despair at the arbitrary, uncontrollable nature of his ailment, make it difficult to gain access to him on a deeper level. He looks stiff and uncomfortable at times, though the inherently stilted dialogue he's lumbered with has him at a disadvantage from the beginning. His accent feels, as ever, like a wonky, cheap impersonation and the early stages of the film insist he wear a ridiculous, distracting hairpiece.
Claire (Rachel McAdams), Henry (Eric Bana) and the offending follicle mop.
Full credit to McAdams for being able to generate a fraction of the fateful romanticism that propelled the novel along; again, she’s working with an abbreviated outline of Niffenegger’s original creation but there’s a degree of conviction in her portrayal of Claire that fails to materialise in so many other areas of the production.
Schwentke, a young German who was drafted in to helm the superior, but equally fantastical Flightplan (2005), turns in a mildly endearing, hard-to-hate, but essentially turgid translation of a much loved book. There’s not much in the way of an individual stamp here, this troubled production - filmed in Canada - showing the effect of its extensive post-production tinkering. The support roles are so underwritten as to seem like fleeting figments of the imagination.
The romantic heart of The Time Traveler’s Wife remains intact, its dreamy implausibility made palatable because of the impending doom that occasionally darkens its sentimental outpourings. Any fantasy is surely owed a few radical leaps of faith, and though the final one is hard to defend on the grounds of it skimming a little too close to logic-busting absurdity, it does herald in both tears from the heavily-stacked female audience and - more pointedly - the end credits.
I was thinking roast tonight Henry...................Henry? Are you there!!!???
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Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I have been meaning to read the book for a while now.....your review just convinced it is the best introduction to this story for me.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic