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Released 24th April 2009
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One thing we’re good at in British film and TV is centring drama in a pub - just look at Corrie, Eastenders and the like. It’s a national institution! It taps into the British psyche, placing us into a position of comfort before events unfold. First-time feature writer Jamie Mathieson and debut director Gareth Carrivick have gone for this guaranteed hook with their new comedy, throwing in a bit of sci-fi, too. The result that sees three ordinary blokes’ average night out at the boozer turn into something more futuristic generally entertains and tickles, as these three ‘muppets’ prove to be more dangerous than the time-travel blips they gleefully experience.
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By casting British comedians Chris O’Dowd, Marc Wootton and Dean Lennox Kelly, Carrivick sets the ball rolling nicely. Even though each character is quite stereotypical - the loser stuck in a dead-end job with high hopes and dreams - O’Dowd wisely taps into the traits of his IT Crowd character, Roy, to thrill fans of the TV series in a role that is almost identical. You almost get the feeling that O’Dowd, Wootton and Lennox Kelly found getting into character fairly effortless, too, hardly breaking a sweat. Opposite this Brit talent is a Hollywood comedy queen in the lovely Anna Faris as the gorgeous time-traveller, Cassie, who needs their help. Although we love to see Faris play kooky characters at any time, it does seem a rather odd project to find her in - either her agent or she has a great sense of humour. But she does complement the Brit cynicism and wit well, almost like a breath of transatlantic fresh air.
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Naturally, the British obsession with toilet humour is written in, with the time blip in the pub lav that sets up some hilarious moments, including when the three leads try to recreate the exact steps to revert the dire consequences they have caused and avoid ‘versions’ of them. Throw in a couple of pints, and this is just the type of down-to-earth, low-brow comedy that any average person could have come up with in the pub - perhaps, Mathieson did just that?
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The classic Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy this isn’t, and FAQ About Time Travel is a fairly unremarkable piece of film-making that worships that treasured pub banter we so cherish, and those sincerely important questions about our existence on this planet that we’ve all had after ‘a couple’. Therefore, the film is appealing as we can genuinely relate to the characters and take delight at the absurdity and normality of the situation. The future is not yet set with an inviting vortex left open where a sequel could begin at the end - it all depends on the film’s success at the box office - so watch this space!
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By Lisa Keddie
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Synopsis
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Three men walk into a bar; two geeks and cynic. They are three ordinary blokes who all have dreams and hopes for an exciting and better future. They are stuck in boring jobs with no prospects. They are frustrated and life on the whole looks uneventful. They are about to sit down and have an average night out in their local pub, a few beers, a bit of banter and joking, and putting the world to rights. There is no reason to suspect anything unusual is going to happen.
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The first geek, Ray, has a well-known obsession with time travel, so when he is approached by Cassie, a woman who claims to be from the future, he naturally suspects a prank.
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The second geek, Toby, is obsessed with films, and upon hearing Ray’s story of the woman from the future, naturally assumes that Ray is pitching him a film plot. And Pete, the cynic, naturally doesn’t believe any of it, until he accidentally stumbles through a time leak into the future of the bar. This happens to be full of dead people, including him.
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This triggers the start of a series of accidental trips back and forth through time, during which our heroes frantically try to avoid multiple earlier versions of themselves, to avoid creating a time paradox, in an attempt to unravel the mystery of just who is trying to kill them and why.
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When Ray and Cassie get together in the garden and the world spins back on its axis, everything is back to how it should be. Or is it? When Ray mentions the other woman he met in the bar, Millie, to Cassie all hell breaks loose… Serious questions are raised, such as; exactly what are the golden rules of time travel? What exactly is a paradox? And what’s really so bad about ceasing to exist? Whose round is it? Is the sell-by date on a packet of crisps really that important? And most importantly of all, can Ray get it on with Cassie, the woman from the future?
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Film Facts
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Official site: http://www.faqmovie.co.uk/
UK Release Date: 24th April 2009
Director: Gareth Carrivick
Writer: Jamie Mathieson
Cast: Anna Faris (’Cassie’), Chris O’Dowd (’Ray’), Marc Wootton (’Toby’), Dean Lennox Kelly (’Pete’)
Distributor: Lionsgate UK
Certificate: 12A
Run-time: 86 mins
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Video on Real.com
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Trailer:
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TWO CLIPS:
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