The Time Traveler’s Wife movie storyline. In the early 1970s, Henry DeTamble is in a car accident that kills his mother but which he survives by inadvertently time traveling back two weeks. Moments later, Henry is helped by an older version of himself who has also traveled back. Unable to control the timing or destinations of his traveling, Henry finds himself drawn to significant people, places, and events in his life but is incapable of changing events beyond the minor differences his presence creates.
In 1991, Henry meets Clare Abshire in the library where he works. She is overjoyed to see him although he is actually meeting her for the first time. Clare explains that she met Henry’s future self when she was a child, and that he informed her then that they would meet in the future, which is happening at the moment. Since childhood, Henry has been Clare’s best friend and visited her. As a child, Clare developed a crush with Henry, and she was upset after learning that he is married.
When Clare turned 18, which is two years before their meeting at the library, the older Henry kissed Clare, leading her to realize that he is romantically involved with her and thus is her husband in the future. They begin a relationship, which is challenged by Henry’s disorder. His sporadic time traveling is further complicated by the fact that he arrives at his destinations completely naked. From an early age, he learned how to pick locks and to steal clothing to endure his travels.
The Time Traveler’s Wife is a 2009 American romantic science fiction drama film based on Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 novel of the same name. Directed by Robert Schwentke, the film stars Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, and Ron Livingston. The story follows Henry DeTamble (Bana), a Chicago librarian with a paranormal genetic disorder that causes him to randomly time travel as he tries to build a romantic relationship with Clare Abshire (McAdams), who would become his wife.
The film opened third behind District 9 and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, grossing $19.2 million on its opening weekend. Grossing $101,229,792 worldwide (over $63,000,000 of which was grossed in the United States) on a $39,000,000 budget, the film was a financial success.
About the Production
Your future is my past. For you, none of it has happened yet, but for me…I’ve known you since I was six. – Clare
The day Henry saw Clare for the first time she had known him for years. From the time she was a young girl, he had been her best friend, her confidant, her not-so-secret crush.
Henry is a time traveler. He has a rare genetic anomaly that forces him to live his life never knowing when he will suddenly find himself in another place, another year. The man Clare has known all her life is Henry in years to come. On his travels back in time, he had met the girl who would become his wife. Now grown up, Clare has finally caught up with Henry…and introduces herself to the man she has loved all her life.
Director Robert Schwentke asserts that its title notwithstanding, “The Time Traveler’s Wife” is not a science fiction film. “It is an emotional journey about two people in a relationship, and the time travel is the catalyst for things that both strengthen and test their bond. You could argue that time travel is the thing that brought them together, but it ultimately causes all sorts of conflicts. So I saw it as an opportunity to make a great love story, but at the same time we were able to weave some undercurrents into the fabric of that relationship. That feels more truthful to me, especially in a story that starts out with two people who are given the incredible gift of finding the person with whom they belong. It’s important that at some point they earn it.”
The director’s outlook is shared by the film’s stars. Rachel McAdams, who plays Clare, observes, “A love story is more interesting when the two people are going through life’s ups and downs and their love must persevere. I think a love that can withstand the biggest obstacles is inspiring and the obstacle Clare and Henry face is certainly very challenging.”
Playing the role of Henry, Eric Bana adds that the concept of time travel and the fact that Henry and Clare can be separated in an instant “is very difficult for them in terms of how much control they have over their own destinies. In any love story, you need things that dramatically drive and test the relationship, and our two characters obviously have plenty of that. But their relationship ultimately has enough building blocks that you believe they are truly in love. I think it’s a very intimate and moving story and it leaves you with a lot to think about.”
“The Time Traveler’s Wife” began as the debut novel of artist and writer Audrey Niffenegger. Originally published in 2003, it became a runaway bestseller, with millions of copies sold worldwide. Producer Nick Wechsler recalls, “I read the book when it was in manuscript form and immediately thought it was beautifully written and had a very intriguing concept. It didn’t fit into any one genre; the foundation is a love story, but there is that science fiction-esque twist of time travel, which makes it unpredictable.”
“It was a very innovative way to tell a love story that is timeless in every sense of the word,” producer Dede Gardner says. “We all felt that in reading the book, as well as in seeing the movie, there has to be a little leap of faith where you just accept Henry’s condition and what happens to him. It helps that you have in Clare a woman who believes it utterly; her faith in him and the situation is key to the rest of us going along. So it’s about faith and destiny and consequences. It’s about how hard love can be but also how completely magical and wonderful it can be.”
Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, who won an Oscar® for his screenplay for “Ghost”-another film that blended romance with a supernatural element-wrote the screenplay for “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” He reveals that he had become enthralled by Audrey Niffenegger’s book early on. “I read it even before it was published and was totally captivated by its vision and the breadth of its imagination. I thought the story was profoundly told and I wanted to help translate it to the screen, so I pursued this project with a vengeance,” he admits.
“Any time filmmakers approach adapting a book of substantial length into a movie, it’s a daunting task,” Wechsler remarks. “It’s not just the size, it’s the structure- staying faithful to the architecture of the book, but allowing for the screenwriter to bring his own creativity to the project. We struck gold with Bruce Joel Rubin.”
Rubin offers, “The book is very complex and it was especially challenging to juggle all the different timeframes. I decided the love story would dictate the flow of the movie. Scene by scene, the romance had its own journey through time, but as long as that journey made emotional sense, it never betrayed me.”
Schwentke notes that he was also guided by emotion in his approach to the film. “Our storyline is not dictated by a chronological timeline, but by the arc of their relationship.”
Gardner remembers that when they were selecting a director to helm the film, “We felt that Robert had a special understanding of this story. He is incredibly precise but also very passionate, which is a combination that felt uniquely suited to this project.”
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean, Michelle Nolden, Arliss Howard, Katherine Trowell, Matt Birman, Brooklynn Proulx, Carly Street, Bart Bedford, Fiona Reid, Maggie Castle
Screenplay by: Jeremy Leven, Bruce Joel Rubin
Production Design by: Jon Hutman
Cinematography by: Florian Ballhaus
Film Editing by: Thom Noble
Costume Design by: Julie Weiss
Set Decoration by: Patricia Cuccia
Art Direction by: Peter Grundy
Music by: Mychael Danna
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, brief disturbing images, nudity and sexuality.
Distributed by: New Line Cinema
Release Date: August 14, 2009
Views: 90
