Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

The Time Traveler's Wife: It's a sweet tale - of love that knows no bounds.


Adapted from the novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger, this is the story of a special man, and a special relationship. 

Eric Bana plays Henry, a time traveler.  What does this mean, exactly?  Well, Henry has a weird genetic anomaly which causes his physical body to jump from one time/place to another, with very little warning when it's about to happen.  To add a little more complication to this already strange phenomenon, while Henry's body "jumps", his clothes don't.   So, Henry can be having a perfectly normal conversation when all of a sudden, where Henry just was, now there's only a pile of clothes.  And a naked Henry finds himself in some other place and time. 

We meet Henry, first as a little boy, but most of the story focuses on an adult Henry.  Henry has learned to deal with his strange situation, for the most part.  He's become adept at leaving himself clothing where he expects he might need it.  Add some petty thievery and a little breaking and entering, and Henry's life is about as normal as it could possibly be, given his situation.

But along the way, he meets Clare, and the two fall in love.  The child Clare thinks of Henry as a special friend who pops into her life periodically.  The adult Clare (Rachel McAdams) is in love, and the two marry.

The rest of the movie follows this relationship and the special situations that arise when the husband is literally there one minute, and gone the next.

I enjoyed the movie, and was intrigued throughout.  I have not read the book, so I can not compare the two, nor can I talk about which is better.  I suspect, though, that those who read the book first would dislike parts of the movie, particularly the pacing.  A lot happens in those 100 minutes.  Without knowing anything about the story beforehand, viewers might be a bit confused at times.

Particularly confusing is the fact that the adult Henry is shown at several different ages ranging from 30-something to late 40-something.   Yet, he pretty much looks the same in nearly all of the scenes.  In one scene, he has gray hair, and even comments on it.  Yet in other scenes, where Henry is that same age or older, I guess they forgot to gray his hair.  It makes the movie a bit hard to follow; it would have been better if his looks had been altered to reflect the various ages.

On the other hand, the performances were pretty good, particularly the young actresses.  Brooklyn Proulx is adorable as the little-girl Clare.  Later, two talented sisters, Hailey and Tatum McCann play a different child, at two different ages.   Using sisters who look so much alike to portray one child was a brilliant casting call! 

I also thought the direction was superb.  The special effects were pretty good, but were not over-done, to the point of distraction. 

In the end, I loved the love story.  For a woman to agree to marry such a man touches my heart.  And for a wife to stand by as her husband leaves her time and time again gives me hope that love really can endure.  There were a few low points in their marriage, times when I was annoyed at how they treated each other, but for the most part, they were a husband and wife who worked together, despite difficult times. 

Give this movie a try!

Recommended: Yes