Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel

This is a British made film, actually a co-production between BBC films, Dog Lamp Films and HBO Films, but made here in the UK. I saw it mentioned last year on TV and thought it was one I would never see as it didn't make it to any of my local cinemas. But thanks to it being a BBC co-production, it aired in TV this week and I'm really glad I got to finally see it. Three friends, Ray, Toby and Pete work at an amusement park. Ray has just been sacked from his job after making his depiction of life in the Space Corps to a bunch of kids a little bit too realistic. He is a bit of a sci-fi geek and is really into the concept of time travel. Toby, also a bit of a geek, is an aspiring writer and is always jotting down ideas in a black book he always carries with him. Pete is just an ordinary guy out with his mates. After work they decide to go to the cinema and then on to the pub. They were not impressed with the film they saw and decide to write a letter to Hollywood on the back of one of the pages from Toby's book. With glasses empty, Ray is volunteered to get a round in. He goes through to the next room where he meets Cassie, a girl who claims to be from the future. She has come back to fix a hole in time. Ray initially treats this chance meeting as a joke, but things are about to get very serious for the three friends. Obviously made on a very small budget with most of the action centred on the pub, but nonetheless a very well made film. Quite a short film at only 83 minutes, but this, to me, was just about the right length. Decent performances all around, so honourable mentions must go out to; Chris O'Dowd as Ray, Marc Wootton as Toby, Dean Lennox Kelly as Pete, Anna Faris as Cassie and Meredith MacNeill as Millie. As a bit of a fan of Sci-Fi I really enjoyed this film. I found it clever and witty and it put me in mind of the great British TV comedy 'Red Dwarf', although it's not set in space. A nicely written script with likable characters and not too many clichés, to me, (and I'll probably get slagged off for this) even better than 'Shaun of the Dead' (shock!). I read that the director, Gareth Carrivick sadly died earlier this year from Leukaemia. He had worked in TV on many shows I have enjoyed over the years, particularly comedy and I think this was a good one to finish on, nice work sir! Recommended. My score: 7.4/10

Three disaffected thirtyish men go for a drink in a pub and have a night to remember. After one of them has a chance meeting with a strange girl and another has a mind-bending experience on using the toilet, all three find they have travelled in time and inadvertently changed the future. The film borrows freely from science fiction films, TV and fiction (The Terminator, Doctor Who and Ray Bradbury's story A Sound of Thunder are among its more obvious influences). The premise is unusual for a comedy and the start of the film seems promising but, after its first half hour, it quickly becomes tedious. I laughed only once or twice in the whole film. The characters are just not as endearing as they're meant to be and the plot meanders, lacking the excitement of The Terminator and the appeal of Doctor Who. The writer seems uncertain of where to take the story and throws in various gimmicks which seem to go nowhere. I just didn't find it a satisfying story. In any science fiction or fantasy story, "suspension of disbelief" is vital, but the storyline for me just wasn't credible. After some impressive effects in the opening scene, the rest of the film's relatively few special effects look cheap and feel as if they don't quite belong to the same film. Despite its short running time, it seemed quite long to me - never a good feeling.

This movie is so far one of the best British comedies I've ever watched. The dialogs are funny, the story is well planned, and although you might not expect any high climax's due to it's limited production fee's, my heart was beating right out of my chest when the climax was reached!! The character development was great, the beginning was funny and charming but I was slightly worried/put off by the beginning to think it was going to be boring, but stick with it for 5 more minutes and I'll swear you won't regret it! Anna Faris delivers a great performance as she sparks the silver screen with her natural abilities of a comedian and all the other actors such as Chris O'Dowd, Dean Lennox Kelly etc.. both interacts realistically with each other, forming brilliant chemistry. This movie is for 'Science Fiction' lovers as well as people who are generally into space and time travel. There aren't any really mushy and romantic scenes, a mild sense of swearing, but all for the cynical outcome. DO WATCH! You might want to re-watch it again and again!

I got this movie based on the good rating here on IMDb. What followed was one of the worst 70 minutes of my life. How someone can rate this flick 7, 8 or 9 is beyond me. This movie is basically 70mins of three pretty dumb brits talking about time travel paradoxes, with the majority of the movie playing in the pub plus a few outside shots. This movie seems like a ultra-low budget movie which FAILS in many aspects. ) It is not funny at all. I got this assuming it is a "witty" comedy. Maybe i just don't understand British humor (excuse me: "humoUr"), but there was really nothing funny about it, except you think that three nerdish brits (British nerds?) in a pub talking about time travel is a funny thing. ) Needless to say it didn't satisfy in the "Science Fiction" area either...and FAR from "keeps you on the edge of your seat". For crying out lout, what about that movie keeps you on the edge of your seat? I started twitching about 40mins into the movie with a strong desire to turn it off and watch something else. Sadly, i watched it all the way through. The best thing is, when you actually think that the movie might become interesting..it is OVER. It is over after a "staggering" short 70mins. I give this movie a 3 for "good attempt" and "odd British humour weirdness"...but i am still trying to find that time-rift in my own bathroom, to go and get my wasted time back. Don't get me wrong, i love British humour, there is lots out there which is great...but this one was just a really, really DUMB movie.

This film is about three mates talking about time travel in a pub. They ended up doing some actual time travelling much to their surprise. Most time travel films do not make sense or have serious plot holes, but this plot is great. The story is creative, clever and well written. It keeps me interested and engaged throughout the film. The three mates are authentic and unpretentious, just like real characters we meet on a daily basis. This enhances the attraction of the film, making it even more engaging. Full length films under 80 minutes usually are bad, but "Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel" is a pleasant exception! I really enjoyed watching "Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel", and I would recommend it to my friends without hesitation.

All I really want to say is that there is another film out now called "I Believe You" which has a similar idea (ie Time Travel on a budget). FAQ is much better, funnier and larger in scope than "I Believe You" could hope to be. I watched the 2 side by side almost and FAQ is by far a better film. While trying to fill out my 10 lines I'll say one scene didn't work for me. The party scene didn't really seem to pay-off. Possibly there was more there but it was edited out. As it stands it's probably the weakest scene. Watch it if you can. I can't imagine anybody not finding Chris O'Dowd the main actor anything but charming and easy to watch.

Ray (Chris O'Dowd), Toby (Marc Wootton) and Pete (Dean Lennox Kelly) are out in the pub for the night, going through their usual rounds of beer, crisps and complaints about general things including movies, music and their dead-end lives in general. Well, they think they're facing a brick wall, but really things are about to get a little sci-fi—or, science fiction, if you're picky about that sort of thing. You see, when one of the guys goes into the toilet, he discovers that there's a "time-leak" somewhere within that causes them to leap back and forth along a timeline that risks all of them destroying the entire universe as they know it. Sound really nerdy? Well, it is. Except, it's not pedantic nerdy, but actually smart, witty and engagingly imaginer (don't ask). The resulting movie is one that excels in both situation and character comedy, whilst also telling a really good story to boot—while there are flaws in the entire design (most of which occur in the later stages as things get more and more complicated) Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel is a short, but sweet take on the science-fiction comedy that knows how to strike up a laugh or two, but not at the expense of story or character. Even though just about one of the three central actors has had major exposure on British TV and more recently, cinema, the performances are pitch-perfect. Striking a firm balance between realism and expertly timed gags, Dowd, Wootton and Kelly provide the movie with enough charm and "boy humour" to prevent the movie from sinking in a pile of convoluted, unfunny esoteric nonsense. Rather, the light-hearted presence of the three allows the feature to breathe with a sense of personality; while the film deals largely with two eccentric nerds and one slightly less nerdy partner in crime; these guys aren't your typical silver screen cutout stereotypes usually afforded to such personas. Instead, director Gareth Carrivick strives to maintain a sense of realism about his movie which permeates throughout. Rather surprisingly this manifests itself not just in the characters, but in the hammy, sci-fi plot itself which involves the three jumping around time and avoiding bumping into themselves—thus avoiding deadly paradoxes. The extent to which writer Jamie Mathieson goes to avoid even the sternest of science-fiction nerds from having a fit over Grandfather Paradoxes and erroneous Chaos Theory debauchery is extremely welcome and really helps pad out the story even more than it is. Indeed, it could be argued that even though there are numerous timelines opened throughout the course of the movie, no real conflicts or holes are created at least until the final ten minutes. From here, things to get a little bit shifty for the sake of providing an ending that will please the average audience member, but even a little wink and a nod throughout this conclusion helps keep the movie's narrative in place. What results is a story that's not only refreshing through its willingness to go weird on you, but also through the sheer fact that weird never overcomes the viewer's suspension of belief. In the end, FAQ About Time Travel does just about enough to strike a firm balance between story (which some will argue is king), character and silliness to ensure that your average viewer will be catered to. And while it isn't very likely that you will be blown away by the feature nor will it be emblazoned on your memory, the experience that is offers no matter how temporal, does well to entertain there and now. With some spot on performances and a tight script, Frequently Asked Questions is a smart and very funny take on the science-fiction genre that mixes situation with character humour effectively. A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

Utter tosh. A poor sci-fi comedy which is totally unbelievable with the emphasis on the fiction rather that the science. The acting is poor, the dialogue is unnatural and ridiculous, it meant to be humorous and it's just not. A lot of the plot seems like is was written by a schoolboy with zero coherence. I get the feeling it was attempting to emulate the success of 'Shaun Of The Dead' but it is 3rd rate in every way. Do not bother to find out how bad this film is. Don't know who was funding this film, had a BBC ident at the beginning and I hope that none of my licence fee went towards making this excuse for a film. Why do IMDb reviews have to be so long I've not got the time to write long reviews, just want to discourage people from watching this terrible film. Thanks.

A great little movie about the Chaos Theory. If you enjoy any SciFi (mainly DoCWho) you should give this little flick a watch if it ever pops up on your set. Acting is very solid from Dowd who carries the film perfectly, the other actors keep pretty safe but Dowd really shines, Farris is ditsy as usual but is very cute and likable as a character (and a person) still. Direction is quite minimalistic and just focuses on the chaos itself and hardly relies on modern visual effects, mainly great props and sets that set a surprisingly good atmosphere considering this is a budget movie This little movie could have a cult following if it is received well. 8/10 -2 for been too short, but at least it leaves the possibly open for a sequel :)