thoughts on About Time (spoilers)

Domhall Gleeson plays Tim, who learns on his twenty-first birthday that he, like all of the men in his family, can time travel-- all he has to do is go into a closet, close his eyes, and clench his fists, and he'll be back in any moment from within his own life that he chooses.  What's fairly humorous-- and fairly realistic, I think-- is that he rarely goes back to do anything too major; usually, he just goes back a few minutes to save himself from an awkward or moderately regrettable moment.  He goes back to kiss the girl on New Year's Eve instead of shaking her hand and embarrassing both of them.  He stops himself from blurting out something stupid the first time he meets his future in-laws.  Occasionally, he tries to go back and help a friend or family member, but this usually results in messing things up horribly for himself.  He helps an actor in a friend's play remember his lines and misses his first meeting with his future wife (Rachel McAdams).  He tries to help his sister (Lydia Wilson) avoid spending years with a no-good boyfriend and accidentally prevents the birth of his first child.

The lessons he eventually learns-- that every little detail doesn't need to be perfect when you're surrounded by people you love; that sometimes you need to let people live with and learn from their mistakes instead of trying to keep them from making them at all; and that you should live each day like you're not going to get a "do over," because most people don't-- aren't super profound.  However, the characters are all very sweet and lovable, and I was moved to tears on more than one occasion.  My single favorite sequence happens after his father (Bill Nighy), who shares the gift of travel, tells him that he should live each day twice: the first, with all of the regular anxieties and irritations of daily life, and the second, almost the same, but stopping to notice all of the things he missed the day before.  He does this, and stops to catch the smile of the cashier who sold him a cup of coffee and a sandwich, and the beauty of the courthouse that he rushed through on his way to court.  He eventually realizes that he should just notice these things the first time around.  Again, not necessarily an *original* observation, but an important one.

It's...just a really lovely little movie.  Tim's a nice guy.  Mary's a nice girl.  He has a good relationship with his quirky family, especially his father.  His and Mary's problems are so normal-- occasionally saying the wrong thing and facing family issues like the illness and death of a parent and having a sister who worries you.  The lesson he learns is about learning to appreciate all the good you already have instead of trying so hard to make it perfect.  It's all very sweet.  I enjoyed it very much.