Today’s quick review: The Time Traveler’s Wife. Henry (Eric Bana) suffers from an inexplicable condition that causes him to spontaneously travel through time. At a low point in his life, he meets Claire (Rachel McAdams), a young woman who says she has spoken with him many times in the past. The two quickly fall in love—Henry for the first time, Claire for the second—but Henry’s condition makes their life together a challenge.
The Time Traveler’s Wife is a fantasy romantic drama about a love story that plays out across time. Henry is given frustrating glimpses of his past and his future, while Claire is left waiting for her husband to come home. The Time Traveler’s Wife is a sentimental story full of casual paradox and personal hardship. Its original premise makes it an interesting and emotionally potent puzzle, but its story won’t resonate with everyone.
The Time Traveler’s Wife puts its premise to good use. Henry’s condition at once sets up a romantic tale of predestined love and a tragic one full of absences and unanswered questions. Ordinary living turns into a delicate puzzle, and only the love Henry and Claire have for each other keeps them grounded. For some fans of romance, Claire and Henry’s interactions throughout time will be enough to make the story a truly touching one.
However, other viewers will have a rougher time. For all that Henry’s time travel opens up new possibilities, it also makes for a passive story. Claire and Henry are left waiting for whatever surprising his random jumps have in store for them, with no way to control when they happen or where he will go. As such, the story feels static: one moment of longing stretched to the length of a movie and peppered with complications.
How much you get out of The Time Traveler’s Wife will vary considerably. Sentimental viewers who like romance for its own sake will find The Time Traveler’s Wife to be a sweet story with an interesting premise, real love, and real heartache. But for some viewers, the romance will never click, leaving it an interesting premise without a lot of forward momentum.
For another romantic drama about two soulmates separated by time, try The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. For a romantic drama with a similarly wistful tone, try The Notebook. For a more upbeat romance about time travel, try About Time. For a more mundane drama about a couple going through similar hardships, try Penny Serenade.
[7.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/). I give it a 7.0 for a soundly constructed but ultimately static love story; your score will vary.