Timer

Timer is a conceptually driven sci-fi rom-com that attempts to make some big statements on the mysteries of love. The title device is a body-heat-powered wrist implant that literally counts down to the moment a person will find his/her soulmate—but works only if the potential partner also has one of the voluntarily inserted timers. Problem is, concept trumps character here, as writer-director Jac Schaeffer's finely chiseled L.A. Gen Y'ers are mostly devoid of substance and purpose. Eye-candy orthodontist Oona (Emma Caulfield) is already 29 and has invested her entire romantic future in the mechanism, yet it continues to remain blank with no true beau on the horizon. This frustration makes her desperate and irrational enough to sleep with Mikey (John Patrick Amedori), a 22-year-old grocery clerk/indie-rock drummer who (frighteningly enough) turns out to be the most soulful and contemplative character in the film. Oona's sister Steph (Michelle Borth) is also looking at a null on her timer, and she masks her traumatic feelings with one-night stands and a thick coating of protective irony around every syllable she utters. In the end, Schaeffer delivers an all too obvious message touting the power of real instinctive feelings; when Oona is finally forced to choose between faith in technology and following her heart, her ultimate choice is admirable, but simply not a believable reflection of her personality. Not recommended. (M. Sandlin)