Timer

source: Timer

A well done movie. The concept of there being a timer, which will let you know when you meet your soul-mate is well integrated into the story and is actually fairly believable in the story. Yet I have to give this away, because it really pisses me off when writers do this. There's an open ending, and one is left with no definite outcome. This always makes me feel robbed of my money, cause I feel the writer didn't finish his work. I mean, don't want to pay money to see a movie, that I have to think up the ending to myself. You don't buy a car thats not all finished either. Other than that, it would be worth watching, but that kind of ending?

This is a well-acted and well-written romcom. It is enjoyable, without the belly-laughs, due to its good cast and direction. The premise, that implanted timers will reveal a person's true love, is intriguing. Emma Caulfield is very good as the somewhat overwrought Oona, whose timer never seems to get any traction. Michelle Borth is fine as her acid-tongued step-sister/roommate, Steph. John Amedori is quite watchable as the young timerless Mikey, whose affair with Oona she has to view as a stepping-stone relationship, due to his younger age, lack of standing, and lack of timer. Their romance is enjoyable to watch develop. The plot proceeds in pretty standard romcom fashion, but very well done and pleasant - almost heart-warming. I'd say the movie is a relief to watch, as it entertains without the frenetic Hollywood one-liner-per-minute and gross-out requirements. Timer slightly lets us down in some minor ways, and these have to do with closure. Oona visits her estranged record-producer father with a disk of her young paramour's work, but we hear no more about it. The fate of Oona's teenage brother and his timer-discovered one-and-only really is not explored. And in the end, none of the relationships (including Oona's) are resolved beyond the vaguest hint of what may happen to these pleasant people. I would have approved lengthening the movie enough to resolve these issues one way or another. That aside, Timer is a pleasant journey into modern (future?) romance and surely worth a watch. And if you don't require your movie endings tying a neat package, so much the better.

I thought that the idea of the TiMER was very clever. I also enjoyed the movie very much until the end. Why would these people let themselves be ruled by these devises? I was saddened to realize that these characters ultimately could not think for themselves. I found the ending very depressing. The 4 main characters were heartbroken because they felt science was better at choosing their loves than they were. Also, we were left with too many unanswered questions: 1. What happens to the sister? Does she finally meet her true love when she reaches 43? 2. Do Oona and her father reconcile? 3. What does Oona's father think of the band's music? 4. Does Oona confront her mother after learning that it was her father's idea to get TiMERs?

Other reviews have given the details, so I'll stick to overall impressions. This movie moves a little slowly, and there are no belly laughs or sophomoric humor. It also poses some questions without answering them, which enrages some people (you know who you are, so avoid this movie if you like everything to be tied in a little bow). I tend to like movies that leave you thinking, so this was refreshing for me. The movie is intelligent, and sweet and comforting like a mug of hot chocolate on a cold day. The acting was quite good, everyone was very believable in their roles and no one was over the top. If you like quirky comedies that grow on you as the movie progresses, you won't be disappointed.

I was actually genuinely enjoying this film. It was challenging notions of true love in a way that was actually challenging - if you met someone and fell in love, would you give up true love for them? Steph isn't going to meet anyone any time soon and has decided to take a chance with Dan. Oona is delaying living her life because of the possibility that at any moment, her time could suddenly change. They both decide together to get their timers removed, inspired by someone who is absolutely certain the person she is with isn't her "one" and simply no longer cares. I think the movie should have ended there. Mikey even says it: our lives should have a little bit of mystery. Everything suggested that the movie was going to end there. And then Prince Charming comes waltzing in and devastates three people's romances. But it's okay, because they're "destined to be together." This movie fails on a comedy level because of the serious twist ending, it fails on a romance level because there is nothing romantic about the meeting of any person with a timer we see. I as an audience member was rooting for Mikey and Oona, I was rooting for Steph and Dan. And then to have those relationships shunted to the side just because that wasn't the true path means I just wasted my time watching these people waste their time. I have a lot of questions that this movie throws in the air and then doesn't answer. How many people's timers have suddenly stopped working because the other person got the timer removed? Is there just a craigslist out there of people looking for people who got their timer's removed? What happens if someone's "the one" has died before they met? Do they qualify to be a "the one" then? What about the fact that Oona is a child of a "doomed" relationship? If Oona had never been born because her dad had never been with her mom, would Dan have wound up with Steph instead? Or would he just have never had a "the one?" All the couples we see are roughly the same age, but if this is based just on chemistry, isn't it possible there could be some really uncomfortable pair-ups? People with language barriers? People with age differences? What's gonna happen when her dad meets "the one?" This movie could have said something really progressive about the problematic nature of serial monogamy. Instead, as far as this movie is concerned, you really are wasting your life on every romantic encounter you have until you meet "the one" and no matter who they are or whether your sister is also in love with them, you have an obligation to yourself to chase after them. I feel hollow and frustrated and disappointed now.

What an original film! As far as rom-coms go this one is far better than most, it was entertaining, funny and thought provoking. The idea of being able to recognise 'the one' is intriguing and the plot plays with this concept cleverly yet without ever taking itself too seriously. The characters were likable, (and Dan, played by Desmond Harrington is definitely easy on the eye, girls mmm!!) Mikey was sweet too (a very believable and entertaining performance from John P Amedon). Without giving anything away, it was a great story and I liked the ending too. All in all a great film for a girly night. And whats wrong with that?

While the above review would say that this movie was somewhat inspiring, I would tend to disagree. Timer is a movie which promises to challenge the stereotype of one person for everyone, but in the end re-enforces it. There really isn't one person for everyone, and I was hoping that the movie would relate this to the audience, but the ending was flat and awful. The main character falls for a complete stranger after having a wonderful time with a perfectly wonderful younger man. (nope, not buying it). What this says and tries to re-enforce to us as an audience is that we should all date our own age, and anything other isn't the right person for us. Examples Her father has a timer but it isn't synced with the woman he's living with (much younger than him) Her mother and step-father both have timers and they are the same age. She is 30 and her love interest is 22, the timer doesn't think they should be together. She and her sister's love interest both have timers that sync and they are roughly the same age. Their younger brother is 14 and his timer goes off seeing another 14 year old girl. I was, for the most part, completely into this movie before the ending. It was well acted and had some great ideas. But, it turns out there is no enlightenment at all, just the same old society influenced bullshit, one person for you, the same age as you, and there's no one else for you. Bottom line, this movie is just a huge let down. Maybe it was my fault for wanting it to be deeper and have a more meaningful ending. But no, it's just the same old crap you've seen before. Don't waste your time with this one, it's a huge let down.

I'm a bit surprised by the harsh reviews on here. I consider my tastes in movies to be rather picky, so for me to say a rom com is 9 out of 10 stars is rare to say the least. I loved the concept and I thought it was executed extremely well. It asked and answered a lot of "what if" questions without going over the top, managing to stay grounded in it's characters. I appreciated the ending, not too cynical or sappy, just very well written and acted. Sure more questions could have been explored, but I appreciate that they left a lot of strings untied just to keep the focus on the main plot. It easily could have gotten off course, but the story remained tight, witty and empathetic. I 100% disagree when people said it was calculated, boring and slow. I think maybe I was watching a different movie. I was engaged the whole time and laughed out loud at several points. I especially appreciated the sisters' relationship, and their commitment to each other even when faced with impossible decisions. It's not always about getting the guy, and getting the guy isn't always the fairytale ending you wanted it to be. Realistic (as much as a sci fi/rom com can be). Lovable. Just an all around good movie. Plus I love Emma Caulfield from Buffy, which is an added bonus. ^_~

TiMER (2009) A really fabulous, tightly written, tightly focused movie. It has a smart, sci-fi hook: people can wear a "timer" that predicts when they will meet their true love. This becomes the device around which the really charming, lovable characters play with the idea of true love, and love, and relationship, and the predictability (or not) of all of that. And it is done without a shred of darkness--I mean, it's an upbeat, rose-colored view of this oddly painted future. There's a hint of Juno in the tone, and maybe Sex and the City in the sorting out of relationships by the two main women. The production, or feel, of things isn't as low budget as you might think given its low budget, but it is filmed with a modern television kind of flatness, or brightness. For all the Big Brother eeriness to it all, the world of these two half sisters and their prospective boyfriends is downright happy. Even the old folks home is a comic paradise, more or less. What really makes the picture work are the two leading women, who play their upbeat diffidence and sarcasm with wide eyes and cute smiles. Their fast comebacks are razor sharp but never quite slashing. Equal to them but in a smaller role is their chipper mother, a paradigm of American good will wearing blinders. And the one boyfriend, the cute (of course) guy who plays in a band, happily immature, is also spot on. So, with a cast like this of complete unknowns playing their hearts out with delicacy and fearlessness, following a quirky and impossible futuristic notion, you can't help but kick back and laugh.