The “About Time” world premiere was yesterday in London. The movie had several screenings for the press earlier this week and the first reviews are coming in. The movie gets positive reviews from the critics so far, but especially the reactions from the audience via twitter seems to be very positive! We will add more reviews later on. The movie will get a preview release September 4 and goes nationwide September 6th in the UK followed by a November 1st (limited) and November 8th (wide) release in the U.S.
4/5 stars
“More than just a time-travel rom-com, this is a movie that asks you questions and doesn’t sugar-coat as many of the answers as you’d expect. Smart and sweet, funny and genuinely moving. Should probably come with a ‘there’s something in my eye’ warning.”
-Mark Dinning, Empire Magazine
3/5 stars
“McAdams is a joy, matching Gleeson’s comic timing beat for beat, and an early sequence in which Tim relives their first night together is as good as anything Curtis has ever done.”
-Robbie Collin, Telegraph
“Gleeson and McAdams (in a role to which Zooey Deschanel was once attached) have a radiant, believable chemistry that keeps the film aloft, while the other actors glide through effortlessly, even if many of the character types (the quirky younger sister, the embarrassing best friends) are a bit too familiar from previous Curtis efforts, especially Nighy’s affable, laid-back patriarch.”
-Leslie Felperin, Variety
“The chemistry between Domhnall Gleeson (charming) and Rachel McAdams (a delightful performer as always and an expert at rom-coms) grows rather than glows, and there is no denying there are some delightful moments in their fumbling romance.”
-Mark Adams, Screen Daily
3/5 stars
“The thing that really raises About Time above its romcom contemporaries, though, is the equal weight given to Tim’s two great loves. His relationship with Mary is as charming, infectious and delightful as you might expect, but his interactions with the exuberant Nighy are what gives the film its considerable heart.”
–The List
3/5 stars
“This is less a rom com than a family drama and though it loses its way in the middle, it is when Curtis allows these familial ties to shine that the film comes into its own.”
-Francesca Steele, Independent
3/5 stars
“Ditching the trademark forced theatrics, About Time finds Richard Curtis in more reflective mood. Don’t expect a life-changer, but it’s a pleasant shift of pace.”
-Matt Maytum, Total Film
2/5 stars
“There are bright points; a few awkward lines that give rise to big laughs, scenes of real tenderness between Gleeson and Nighy. You feel a true Scrooge balking at a movie message which urges you to make the most of every day, however humdrum it might appear.”
-Catherine Shoard, Guradian
“That said, About Time is not without its redeeming charms. Gleeson makes an agreeably quirky leading man while Nighy lights up the screen with his alluringly louche charisma, as ever. Fans of the cult 1987 British comedy Withnail and I will also enjoy seeing the late Richard Griffiths and Richard E. Grant reunited for one last time in an extended cameo sequence. Crucially, there are just enough laugh-out-loud moments here to excuse the lurches into shameless, tear-jerking sentimentality.”
–The Hollywood Reporter
3/5 stars
“‘About Time’ is an update of Curtis’s earlier films for a generation of filmgoers now used to playful takes on genres and weeping at John Lewis ads set in tastefully tatty, upscale redbrick suburban homes. It’s oddly comforting.”
-Dave Calhoun, Time Out
8/10 stars
“Maybe there’s a secret message in the films title, something you don’t fully comprehend until the credits start rolling. Richard Curtis may have made a film about time, but he’s also showing you something about time that we often forget. It never, ever stops. So make the most of it. Let’s hope Richard Curtis directing British feature films also never, ever stops…”
-Adam D.Harris, Spoiler TV
8/10 stars
“About Time has three of the biggest assets you can find in romantic comedy: warmth, likeability and wit. It is unapologetically, defiantly nice. It would make a wonderfully romantic date movie, especially if both parties have emotional intelligence. It is certainly the finest romcom and easily the most heartwarming feelgood film of the summer.”
-Chris Tookey, Movie Film Review
“McAdams is no stranger to being The Time Traveler’s Wife and despite her familiarity with the perils of time-hopping, she still manages to be adorable as the quirky beauty.”
-Kelly Smyth, Sky Movies
3/5 stars
“About Time feels fresh and exuberant. Gleeson proves an ideal leading man, evoking Hugh Grant with his charming clumsiness though he’s considerably more likeable. McAdams and Nighy are both fantastic too, making Tim’s love for each of them feel completely justified.”
-Adam, Seen Some
3/5 stars
“While the time-travel premise might suggest otherwise, About Time is very much a Richard Curtis film. Essentially Notting Hill with a Groundhog Day-flavoured twist, your enjoyment will depend on your liking / tolerance for Curtis’ work.”
-Stephen Carty, Flix Capacitor
“All the typical Curtis devices – misfit roommates, passage-of-time montages, a wedding – are here, along with a father-son story strand that will probably make you cry, regardless of how much you try to resist it. A sweet, easy watch; ideally, outdoors on a warm evening.”
-Leisa Barnett, Elle
3/5 stars
“His first meeting with lovely American Mary (Rachel McAdams, super-cute) in the dark in the Clerkenwell restaurant Dans Le Noir goes marvellously without intervention.”
-David Sexton, London Evening Standard