The Time Traveler's Wife

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The Time Traveler's Wife

PG-13

2009

1h 47m

Romance

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

38%

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152 Reviews

59%

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250,000+ Ratings

Chicago librarian Henry De Tamble (Eric Bana) suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to drift uncontrollably back and forth through time. On one of his sojourns, he meets the love of his life, Claire (Rachel McAdams), and they marry. But the problems and complexities of any relationship are multiplied by Henry's inability to remain in one time and place, so that he and his beloved are continually out of sync.

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Critics Consensus

Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/12/2017

C-

But I should say, if you take out the part about the dumb premise, the acting is quite good--it almost makes you forget you're watching the big screen version of the tv show "Quantum Leap."

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David Fear

Time Out

11/18/2011

2/5

That the actors can pull off such Oprah-friendly, sci-fi-inflected sap and keep straight faces is the most fantastic thing about this loopy love story.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

11/05/2009

3/5

While the script could have done more to exploit Bana's sense of humour, it does profit from his directness. There are no false heroics.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/26/2020

2.5/4.0

It's far too breezy to be taken seriously and way too creepy to ever allow an audience to surrender to the romance.

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

07/21/2012

3/5

The Time Traveler's Wife is a chick flick all around, and fans of the chick flick genre are going to eat this movie up.

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Dave White

Movies.com

04/04/2011

2/5

The movie also introduces the concept of time-traveling fetuses, yet we're never treated to this in any visual way.

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Chase B

@endzeitlor Jul 20

Pretty solid and had a good time

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William C

@WildBill78 Jul 2

Romantic and timeless. One of my favorites.

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Roxana I.

@RT69216026 Apr 9

Rachel McAdams it’s a great actress, despite the creepy story honestly it’s a great film and I like the script, as a big fan of hers this is one of her good movies, very experimental and honestly I never knew what to expect so it keeps you entertained

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Markus A

@Excalibur866 Mar 27

Nope! Creepy AF! Kid falls in love with a time traveller guy 30 years older than her who comes back in the future and nails her?!?!?!?! All kinds of uncomfortability here. What the actual were they thinking with this storyline. Not romantic - confusing, creepy and awkward.

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CadeandKit R

@CadeandKit Dec 3

The film weaves together Henry’s traumatic childhood, the loss of his mother, and how he grows up learning survival skills because every jump leaves him stranded, naked, and in danger. Cade and Kit highlight how the story makes time travel feel intimate, not cosmic. Would you want to know the date of your own death? Cade says absolutely not...it would pressure every moment. Kit says yes, she’d use that knowledge to be more present and intentional. The movie closes on Henry’s death and the later moment where a younger version of him appears to Clare and Alba one last time, tying the story together with a soft emotional release rather than a sci-fi twist.

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Nicholas t

@nicktalbert2025 Sep 24

Just romance bad and farted

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Robert Schwentke

Director

Rachel McAdams

Clare

Eric Bana

Henry

Arliss Howard

Richard DeTamble

Ron Livingston

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Synopsis

Chicago librarian Henry De Tamble (Eric Bana) suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to drift uncontrollably back and forth through time. On one of his sojourns, he meets the love of his life, Claire (Rachel McAdams), and they marry. But the problems and complexities of any relationship are multiplied by Henry's inability to remain in one time and place, so that he and his beloved are continually out of sync.

Director: Robert Schwentke
Producer: Nick Wechsler, Dede Gardner
Screenwriter: Bruce Joel Rubin
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Plan B Entertainment, Nick Wechsler
Rating: PG-13 (Nudity|Brief Disturbing Images|Sexuality|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 14, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 2, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $63.4M
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS