Interview with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana
Robin Rowe gives this thought-provoking yet sad romance 3 stars ***

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 9/17/2009 – “A love story is more interesting when the two people are going through life’s ups and downs and their love must persevere,” says The Time Traveler’s Wife star Rachel McAdams. “I think a love that can withstand the biggest obstacles is inspiring and the obstacle Clare and Henry face is certainly very challenging.”

“In any love story, you need things that dramatically drive and test the relationship, and our two characters obviously have plenty of that,” says The Time Traveler’s Wife star. Eric Bana. “But their relationship ultimately has enough building blocks that you believe they are truly in love. I think it’s a very intimate and moving story and it leaves you with a lot to think about.”

The Time Traveler’s Wife is based on the best-selling novel by Audrey Niffenegger. A man is cursed with a rare genetic anomaly causes him to live his life with a randomly shifting timeline, leaping back and forth through the years without control. A girl believes they’re destined to be together, even though she never knows when they’ll be ripped apart. Originally published in 2003, The Time Traveler’s Wife sold millions of copies worldwide.

“I read the book a few years ago and thought it was such a beautiful love story,” says McAdams. “When the movie came about I was very excited by the prospect of playing Clare. I was so intrigued by the character. I love that she’s an artist. I found her full of fascinating contradictions. She’s very wise and at the same time a bit naïve. She seeks out the extraordinary, she falls in love with a time traveler, but she also desperately wants something stable in her life. She’s committed to this man and everything that comes with him, but she’s struggling to make a home and have a normal marriage.”

“I read the book when it was in manuscript form and immediately thought it was beautifully written and had a very intriguing concept,” says The Time Traveler’s Wife producer Nick Wechsler. “It didn’t fit into any one genre. The foundation is a love story, but there’s that science fiction twist of time travel, which makes it unpredictable. Rachel also has this natural warmth and charisma that was so important for the part. She was incredibly insightful about Clare. We knew immediately that we wanted her for the role. After meeting with Eric, our instincts were that he and Rachel would be a great combination, and they were.”

“I’ve been a fan of Rachel’s and wanted to do a movie with her,” says Bana. “I’d also seen some of Robert’s work and thought he was a really interesting director, both visually and stylistically. We had a good chat about how we each saw the film and his interpretation of the material and I came away really excited about playing Henry.” Robert Schwentke had directed Flightplan.

“Playing Henry at different ages allowed me to explore different sides of the same person and the impact on his relationship with Clare,” says Bana. “We all change over time. None of us is the same person we were ten years ago. Life makes an imprint on us, how we behave, how much patience we have, how forgiving we are, how stubborn. It gave me room to make choices about what was right for the role at different times.”

Because the romance between Clare and Henry does not progress along a linear timeline, directed Robert Schwentke gave McAdams and Bana a rehearsal period to explore the relationship between the characters at each stage. “Those weeks were spent examining each scene and translating the time travel into specific behaviors and everyday conflicts,” says Schwentke. “Time travel is the crucible, but the emotional truth in the scenes is grounded and relatable. It was a chance for all of us to become connected before our first day on the set.”

“Rachel was incredibly easy to work with,” says Bana. “She came into rehearsals extremely well-prepared. She knew the material very well and had very clear ideas, but never at the expense of other actors.”

“Eric is one of the most generous actors I’ve ever worked with,” says McAdams. “He’s a wonderful listener and he’s very patient and supportive. He’s someone you can lean on in a scene. I couldn’t have asked for a better time-traveling husband.”

The Time Traveler’s Wife presents a new twist on time travel. Rather than a science experiment gone wrong, time travel is a medical condition somehow related to epilepsy. Henry never knows when he’s going to have one of his episodes that will send him hurtling through time. Clare is beautiful dutiful wife who copes with her husband’s time traveling affliction as best she can.

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a romantic, think hard film about life and love. Unfortunately, it’s marred by an unhappy ending. Be prepared to leave the theater not very happy about an otherwise outstanding film. It’s not that the ending is wrong. It’s just not fun.

Do Hollywood directors care about the people of Peoria, the core audience for mainstream American films? Whether it’s Julie & Julia, a light-hearted family film marred by being one long tobacco commercial, or District 9, the year’s best sci-fi flick and yet disgustingly gory, or this movie, Hollywood is leaving money on the table by not giving audiences what they want: to be entertained and feel good.

Set in Chicago, The Time Traveler’s Wife was shot mainly in Toronto.

Rachel McAdams appears next in Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes, starring with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. She’s also in the upcoming Roger Michell comedy Morning Glory, starring with Harrison Ford, Patrick Wilson and Diane Keaton.

The Time Traveler’s Wife
Running Time: 1 hr. 48 min.
Release Date: August 14th, 2009 (wide)
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, brief disturbing images, nudity and sexuality
Distributor: Warner Bros.