"About Time" Review

Bill and Domhnall participate in the
worse game of "hide and seek" ever.

DIRECTOR: Richard Curtis
CAST: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams,
             Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander
RUNTIME: 123 minutes
PLOT: On his 21st birthday, Tim (Gleeson)
             discovers he has the ability to travel
             in time that he inherited from his
             father (Nighy) Putting this gift to use,
             he looks for the love of his life.


RICHARD CURTIS IS ANYTHING BUT 
TYPECAST. With a CV boasting more variety than an evening at Charlie Sheen's house, and with writing credits on everything from Mr Bean to Blackadder to Four Weddings and a Funeral, he delivers another warm and heartfelt film with About Time. His third outing combining writing/directing roles, he delivers his most thought-provoking yet touching film to date.                
 
   Where Four Weddings and Notting Hill delved into how friends become surrogate families, whilst   also having a bumbling, charmingly befuddled Englishman chasing an out-of-his league American woman, About Time, from its opening voiceover, enforces the necessity of being surrounded by a loving household, despite our leading character, Tim, lacking an impenetrable circle of friends. Outlining his adoration for his parents, sibling and addled uncle with whom he shares his home with, he shows his great sensitivity by immediately acknowledging that mates and girlfriends have fallen by the wayside.
 
   Due to the title and synopsis of the film clearly outlining its content, Curtis wastes little time in the what's, why's and how's of the central family's unique skill but delving into the wooing of a potential girlfriend, something which the director/writer tackles with relish, giving one of the auteur's of awkward comedy a new platform on which to play. From the early attempts with his childhood flame, to moving out of his parents house to try his luck with the women of London, we see Tim stumble through his romantic pursuits through, often numerous, do-overs and second chances, which only

Mum's comment on Domhnall's
sweater didn't go down well. 

makes him much that bit more relatable, sweet and honest.

Domhnall Gleeson, in his first long overdue starring role, brings an extremely pale, ginger, nerdy charm to his character. Channelling his best Hugh Grant, with an hint of Simon Pegg's affability and a splash of Martin Freeman's quick draw wit, excels and shines in a portrayal that in other's hands could appear sleazy or stalkerish with repeated advances on unsuspecting women.

    His American sweetheart, Rachel McAdams, delivers a subdued yet subtle performance as the adorably cute Mary, whilst experiencing great chemistry with her English beau in refreshingly dry back and forth. Tom Hollander almost threatens to steal the show as Tim's foul-mouthed playwright landlord, who doesn't seemingly have a redeeming quality about him yet entertains thoroughly in his expletive filled rants.
 
   It is this central relationship where the film thrives, roaring along at a frantic pace as we experience the typical signposts of courting (First date, Sex, Meeting parents) with the added time travelling slant giving the film the repetitive laughs that Bill Murray delivered in Groundhog Day. Towards the second and third act, the film slows and comes full circle. By highlighting Tim's desire to relive his past, Curtis shows the danger of missing his present. Or, even more paradoxically worse, changing chunks of it entirely. By taking advantage of this lull to hit home with great emotional weight, providing tender and touching moments that threaten the tear-ducts, whilst also, metaphorically reflecting the slowing of the tone, presenting a long term relationship where the initial passionate, nervous beginnings are replaced with a slow burning devotion.
 
    The Curtis criticism of the past ("Curtiscisms" if you will) flare up yet again. Love is portrayed as ultra-idyllic and unrealistic, with no pitfalls at all even with the added complication of a time-bending spouse. The unlikely partnership of Gleeson and McAdams thrills yet doesn't fool (Would she REALLY go out with him?) and the character of the kooky sister (relative newcomer Lydia Wilson) is far too overplayed and self-assertive to be likeable, with secondary storylines, despite often hitting their mark, feeling like they are tacked on. However, you fail to bat an eyelid as you're swept along with the story, coupled with the gorgeous Cornish countryside and modern-rustic streets of West London. If Curtis bows out of directing after this film, then he has finished with a film that will live long in the memory. Oh, and Bill Nighy nails it. Again. Of course he does.

VERDICT: Well-written, solid performances and hugely likeable. Curtis turns back the clock and is back to his very best.

Abramovich lifts the
Champions League trophy

Roman Rule: How long till football clubs become Americanised franchises and is "Hire and Fire" the future? 

On the evening of the 19th of May 2012, Didier Drogba converted the deciding spot kick in a tense penalty shootout to seal one of the most famous final victories for Chelsea Football Club in their extensive history. 

Approximately 11 months later, the situation is less elation and more damage limitation. Following a turbulent season in which FA Cup and Champions League winning coach Roberto Di Matteo was cruelly sacked in November, following a key defeat in Italy to European powerhouse Juventus, despite sitting top of the Premier League in October after an emphatic 4-2 win over London rivals Spurs. 

Ex-Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez came in, slapped with a "Interim Manager" tag and instructed to hold the team together until the long overdue appointment of ex-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, provided he made himself available following his self imposed exile, with Benitez's appointment met with the chagrin of Chelsea fans everywhere. Guardiola has now signed a 3 year deal with German giants Bayern Munich, to take over as manager at the beginning of the 2013/2014 season, leaving Chelsea to back Benitez until the end of the season and leaving Mr Abramovich with a severed amount of egg on his face.

Chairman Bruce Buck and
Chief Executive Ron Gourlay: Whos in charge?

The often overused expression of "transition season" has been far too commonplace in Abramovich's tenure as Chelsea owner and is set to be labelled this yet again if this yields yet a trophy-less season. Despite Chelsea's managerial hot seat being as stable as a North Korean peace treaty in recent years, no one can argue that he has delivered undoubted success. 3 Premier League Trophies, 3 FA Cups, 2 League Cups and 1 Champions League (2 Community Shields if we are pushing it) coupled with 9 managers (10 if we included Ray Wilkins 1 game in temporary charge), show the level of achievement Abramovich has instilled into the club. 

With a mass influx of American owners and chairman into the Premier League (Randy Lerner at Aston Villa, John W Henry at Liverpool, Stan Kroenke at Arsenal not to mention the Glazer family at Man Utd) are these historic English clubs being simply regarded as franchises to deliver instant success coupled with a lack of emotional involvement? In the modern NFL, the average coaching tenure is only 3.2 seasons, exemplified by the fact that their season only running from September to early January. Bruce Buck, an American lawyer, is the current chairman at Chelsea Football Club and a key adviser to Abramovich himself. The fact of the matter is a man coming from no footballing background has become the no.2 person at one of the biggest clubs in the country, where he has a say in the "Hiring and Firing" of these beloved managers and players in the modern game. Men like Roberto Di Matteo and Jose Mourinho. Has football finally bitten the bullet and become a huge, global,  financial juggernaut where clubs are franchises? The emergence of newly founded franchise clubs like MK Dons, AFC Wimbledon and Rangers, where they simply change location or enter bankruptcy, out of the wreckage of their former teams would suggest so.

50 Million Pound man: Was Torres signed by Abramovich?

If the Premier League goes the way of the NFL or Major League Baseball, then the most worrying aspect of that would be the role of the "General Manager". Similar to the controversial position of "Director of Football" or "Technical Director", this position concerns with off the field matters such as Player and Staff Contracts, Transfers and Head of Scouting. At a club where Abramovich, reportedly, played an important role in the signings of Andriy Shevchenko and Fernando Torres for combined fees of £85 Million, is the threat of an owner or chairman, appointing themselves a General Manager and organising transfers and contracts, possible in the Premiership? Even more concerning would be the fact that a huge majority of the time GM's have no professional playing or coaching experience. Out of 30 Major League Baseball teams, only 5 of their General Managers played professionally and only a few others playing at College or High School level. None of them have any coaching experience whatsoever. 

Football Clubs could be heading the way of McDonald's or Starbucks, something that would be regarded as utterly ridiculous 15 or 20 years ago. The future of football is on a knife edge, with the vast influx of foreign owners growing in English football across all the divisions. Would a salary cap bridge the gap between teams who have and teams who haven't? Possibly. Is FIFA's long awaited protocol of Financial Fair Play a way to remove the possibility of quick buying and selling of teams? Perhaps. Roman's ruble's have undoubtedly pushed Chelsea into the position they are in today, but is he looking to expand his dictatorship further into more worrying territory?