365 Films: Day 1, TiMER (2009)
Jan. 1st, 2012 01:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I'm doing a challenge this year where I watch (and theoretically review) one new movie every day. We'll see how it goes, but today I watched TiMER, a romantic comedy set in an alternate universe where people can get a digital clock implanted on their wrist that counts down to the second they meet "the one".
It's a pretty cute movie, honestly, more so than I expected. I mean, it's a romantic comedy, and it doesn't avoid the trappings of the genre in any way, but it still works somehow. The interplay of each sibling's plot came together nicely if not necessarily happily, and while I'll admit that I wasn't overjoyed by the "twist", I can see what it's trying to say.
As much as the movie contrives to throw roadblocks in their relationship, I'm kind of how thrilled by how close Oona and Steph are, even when they're fighting. They laugh it off when Oona's (pretty odious) mother declares that they were "destined to be sisters", but it's so inherently true, and the movie is clearly aware of that. Despite anything else I questioned in the movie, I completely believed the pair of them as the kind of friends that sisters are; a little tense, a little hypocritical, but behind each other to the very end. Their argument in front of Mikey being mirrored with their argument in front of Dan was a really nice, natural touch, because clearly they've fought the same way about different things for years.
Mikey himself is pretty cute! It's kind of a terrible entrance, but he grew on me a lot, especially because they didn't shy away from illustrating the age difference. It was nice to see their relationship being pretty generally accepted age-wise, and that they really did like each other as people. (Personally, I would fall pretty hard for any guy who offered me cereal to tide me over while he yelled at his roommates.) It also manages to incorporate one of my favorite tropes into the "blossoming relationship" montage -- a clip of Oona delightedly playing video games with Mikey's roommates -- so I can't even fault it for montageing.
I admit, I was kind of hopeful it'd address the semi-hilarious awkwardness of Soledad and Jessie more directly, and in a focused lens. When the plotline first started developing, I thought, "A subplot on race and class in modern America?", which was probably stretching, but it's still a pretty huge disappointment that all we get is "Mexican Thanksgiving" or whatever the fuck that was.
It's a good movie! People should see it, if only because I really, desperately want a bunch of TiMER AU fic in every fandom, and I don't want to have to write it myself. If you're like me, and have trouble seeing eye-to-eye with parents/relatives re: movie tastes, it's pretty generally appealing as long as no one minds a couplereally hot sex scenes.
It's a pretty cute movie, honestly, more so than I expected. I mean, it's a romantic comedy, and it doesn't avoid the trappings of the genre in any way, but it still works somehow. The interplay of each sibling's plot came together nicely if not necessarily happily, and while I'll admit that I wasn't overjoyed by the "twist", I can see what it's trying to say.
As much as the movie contrives to throw roadblocks in their relationship, I'm kind of how thrilled by how close Oona and Steph are, even when they're fighting. They laugh it off when Oona's (pretty odious) mother declares that they were "destined to be sisters", but it's so inherently true, and the movie is clearly aware of that. Despite anything else I questioned in the movie, I completely believed the pair of them as the kind of friends that sisters are; a little tense, a little hypocritical, but behind each other to the very end. Their argument in front of Mikey being mirrored with their argument in front of Dan was a really nice, natural touch, because clearly they've fought the same way about different things for years.
Mikey himself is pretty cute! It's kind of a terrible entrance, but he grew on me a lot, especially because they didn't shy away from illustrating the age difference. It was nice to see their relationship being pretty generally accepted age-wise, and that they really did like each other as people. (Personally, I would fall pretty hard for any guy who offered me cereal to tide me over while he yelled at his roommates.) It also manages to incorporate one of my favorite tropes into the "blossoming relationship" montage -- a clip of Oona delightedly playing video games with Mikey's roommates -- so I can't even fault it for montageing.
I admit, I was kind of hopeful it'd address the semi-hilarious awkwardness of Soledad and Jessie more directly, and in a focused lens. When the plotline first started developing, I thought, "A subplot on race and class in modern America?", which was probably stretching, but it's still a pretty huge disappointment that all we get is "Mexican Thanksgiving" or whatever the fuck that was.
It's a good movie! People should see it, if only because I really, desperately want a bunch of TiMER AU fic in every fandom, and I don't want to have to write it myself. If you're like me, and have trouble seeing eye-to-eye with parents/relatives re: movie tastes, it's pretty generally appealing as long as no one minds a couple