The Time Traveler's Wife

Tracing its fantasy antecedents back to supernatural romances such as Somewhere in Time, Ghost, Kate and Leopold, and others, this adaptation of the novel by Audrey Niffenegger focuses on the love affair between elusive librarian Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) and artist Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams). Clare first meets Henry when she is only six years old and he is a grown man—stark naked, hiding in the shrubbery. Over the years, he randomly visits (always unclothed), and she comes to adore him, stashing some of her father's old clothes in the bushes for him to wear. Bizarre? Yes. Believable? No. Eventually, Henry explains how after a fiery car crash that killed his mother (Michelle Nolden), he discovered that he had a “chrono-impairment,” a condition that catapults him involuntarily backward and forward in time, losing all of his clothing en route. Along with his attire, his money also evaporates, compelling Henry to shoplift and steal. While Niffenegger's novel ultimately transcended its illogical plot, screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin's melodramatic adaptation does not, and the film is further hampered by both Robert Schwentke's heavy-handed direction and the fact that Bana and McAdams generate zero chemistry (it's as if they're occupying different time periods even when they appear together in the same scene). A creepy, convoluted romantic drama, this is not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Love Beyond Words” featurette (21 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray version is “An Unconventional Love Story” featurette with costars Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana (26 min.). Bottom line: a small extras package for a misfire adaptation.] (S. Granger)