Time Freak Blu-ray Review
Jeremy Werner
February 26th, 2019
I can only think of three time travel romance movies that are remotely good. But two of those films I thought of, DONNIE DARKO and GROUNDHOG’S DAY, rely heavily on its other elements while the romance or time travel are merely key components to the overall package. The third, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, could be viewed as the purest form of that obscure genre, but I believe that it’s a metaphorical meditation on how the lifelong dreams we have tend to fade away as we get older. There’s really no metaphor or other overpowering genres in TIME FREAK. So it’s basically a time travel romance movie with a few comedic elements, and it barely, if at all, works.
In the midst of a break-up, Stillman (Butterfield) has cracked the code to time travel. That sentence itself sounds silly since the last time I got broken up with; I only managed to lose my appetite for a week along with four pounds of body fat. So with the key to time travel in hand, Stillman lays out his entire relationship with his former lover, Debbie (Turner), and highlights the highs and lows. He’ll be revisiting all the lows and fixing them as he sees fit. In tow is Stillman’s best friend, Evan (Gisondo). The duo goes all the way back to when Stillman and Debbie first met as well as other contentious moments during the relationship.
The movie is really rough at the beginning. Butterfield and Turner have absolutely no chemistry, even when they’re at each other’s throats. The time travel elements don’t take long to show up as Stillman tries to patch things up during the break-up with a handheld time machine of his own creation. But as the film progresses, this love they supposedly have for each other appears to be non-existent. If anything, there’s more of a developing bromance between Stillman and Evan. As for the contentious bits of the relationship between Stillman and Debbie, they’re very milquetoast and at best, simple misunderstandings that could be done away with a heartfelt apology. For example, Stillman goes back at one point to stop himself from getting upset over Debbie’s friends making fun of his favorite movie. OK?
This movie really doesn’t come into its own until the final act. That’s when the film has some interesting commentary on modern relationships and what constitutes as a legitimately healthy connection. In an effort to make everything perfect, Stillman forgot that fights happen and that’s where growth occurs. It’s not shoved down viewers throats, but it resonates loudly enough to where most viewers will be able to understand the lesson that Stillman needs to learn. As for how he learns it and if he actually will not repeat the lesson, the movie kind of leaves it open-ended which I was surprisingly happy with.
The ending kind of saved the film from the scrap heap, even though I’m sure there’s an audience for TIME FREAK and that they’ll absolutely love it. I’m not that audience. It’s far from being a romantic sci-fi film like ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND or HER, but I’m certain it could have been. Outside the acting, nothing ever really comes together. It’s just humdrum and forgettable. There are some inspired moments and a little bit of comedy from Eric that actually does work. Overall TIME FREAK has a clever concept, but fails to capitalize on it.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p HD Widescreen 1:85:1) Visually the movie looks fine and nothing is really bothersome.
Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) There’s nothing wrong with the audio.
Commentary with Director Andrew Bowler: Bowler starts out strong, yet mousey, but quickly loses steam as the movie reaches the halfway mark. He does give some background on the story, characters, and plot. However, he does sometimes mumble and you might have a difficulty understand him. Fans of the film may find a lot of good in this, but I didn’t.
Commentary with Writer/Director Andrew Bowler and Producers Raymond Mansfield, Matthew Rhodes and Gigi Causey: I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this on a blu-ray where the director does a solo commentary as well as a commentary with others. I can only assume Bowler’s solo commentary came afterwards, maybe because he felt like he wasn’t able to talk about what he wanted. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have. This group isn’t buddy-buddy, but they do have some inspired moments talking where they dive into the meat of the movie.
Making TIME FREAK (9:05): A standard EPK that is just the right amount of information over the right amount of time. This is a solid behind-the-scenes feature.
TIME FREAK – The Original, Academy Award Nominated Short Film (11:25): The short film has been mentioned in the previous commentaries and the feature, so it’s great that the blu-ray includes it. While a little amateurish, I definitely enjoyed the brisk nature of this short film as opposed to the bloated film. While I wouldn’t recommend the movie, I’d recommend the short.
Theatrical Trailer
