The Time Travelers Wife is meant to be one of those movies that grabs you by the heart, and then breaks it. If you can accept the science fiction angle you may get caught up in the drama. If not, the entire movie may seem a little confusing.
As a child, Henry discovers that he has the ability to travel through time. He does not control when it will happen or where he will go. It is triggered when he is angry, excited or frustrated. He usually travels to places and times within his own life span. Most of the trips do not last long, then he goes back to his normal lifetime. He encounters himself many times. He also travels naked as nothing material can go with him. He is forced to steal clothes.
During one of his time travels, he meets a little girl, Clare, in a meadow behind her parent's home. They talk and become friends. She also starts leaving some clothes for him. The idea of a middle aged man, wearing only a blanket, talking to a little girl alone in the country is odd, if not a bit disturbing.
The time travel angle may take some getting use to. One day at a library, the adult Clare runs into Henry, who has no idea who she is. He has yet to travel back in time and meet her. Since he knows of his abilities, he accepts her story as truth.
They fall in love and get married. They argue over his constant and sporadic absences. They buy a house. They try to have children. Take away the time travel and you have two very normal, average, unexciting people. One day a future Henry briefly appears naked and bleeding in the middle of their house, obviously foreshadowing something bad.
My wife liked the love story, but could not get past the time travel confusion. At one point Clare cheats on Henry with Henry. It did not bother me so much, but then I was bothered by the politics. Henry's Mom is a trained singer and his dad is a professional violinist. Clare's parents are rich and her dad hunts. Can you guess their politics? Henry even has to warn his Dad prior to the wedding that, "They are Republicans." Another scene has Henry beating up some guy and calling him a homophobe, because Henry was wearing some woman's clothes he stole. In typical twisted liberal logic, it is okay for Henry to be a thief, but not okay for another man to make fun of how he is dressed.
The entire movie rests on the gimmick that Henry travels through time. It happens often and it keeps things interesting considering that the main characters are none too exciting. Ron Livingston has a small role as a friend. He should have been the comic relief, but is given very little to do. Although the final scene of Clare running through the woods to see Henry may put a lump in your throat, it is not enough to make up for all of the gooey scenes of Henry and Clare merely staring doe eyed at each other.
