In Time - Time is Money and 99% don't have enough

In Time (formerly Now, and before that I.M. Mortal)
Director: Andrew Niccol
Stars: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and a bunch of other young Hollywood types

Wow, I don't know that a movie has ever been released with such timeliness.  Seriously, this is the ballad of the folks "occupying."  The deal is time has replaced money.  Everyone physically ages to 25 (and that's it) and then their clocks start.  At 25 you get a year and most everyone (uh, 99%?) has to earn more time.  However that time you have and earn gets spent on rent, coffee, bus rides, food, etc. and the price of everything keeps going up and up and up.  So it's cool that you age to the point where you're probably the best you'll ever look but you spend your days, hours, minutes worrying about the time you have left.  If you're wealthy you live in constant fear of being robbed and attacked for your time.  Everyone's got complaints.

JT's character, Will, lives in the ghetto time zone of Dayton and gets gifted with a century of time from a wealthy man whose mind has aged even though his body has not.  Of course it's assumed by the timecops that Will stole his time and killed the guy.  EVEN THOUGH HIS SUICIDE IS ON CAMERA!  Will decides the best way to spend his new time is by going to the richest time zone, East Greenwich.  In fact there were lots of cute little nods to names and places that have to do with time.  He meets Seyfried's character, Sylvia, in East Greenwich and coincidentally she's the daughter of the richest man alive.  Stuff happens, they end up on the run Bonnie and Clyde style and try to find ways of giving those in need more time Robin Hood style.  All while trying to take down the man, aka her dad, played by Vincent Kartheiser (Connor!) and out run the timecops who are led by Cillian Murphy.

Mostly the movie was fine if a bit all over the place.  The idea (and story) is a nifty one but there were tons of plot problems.  Add on the issues of time passing on screen (dark night to sunny day in an hour) not really jibing with the time passing on Will's arm.  Oh, right, your clock is glowing on your arm (as seen above) so there's no way to not be aware of it unless, you know, you constantly wear long sleeves or kicky gloves like Sylvia does.  Also a lot happened very quickly but with no set up, plan or explanation.  The viewer just kind of had to accept what was happening without giving it too much thought.

This is the kind of cast, filled with gorgeous 25 year olds, that give aging Hollywood actors coronaries. Seyfried was good but I could have done without the wig.  I liked the chemistry with her and Timberlake but she's adorable and a good actress so I'm guessing it'd be hard not to have chemistry with her.  I do have to give her major props though.  People run a lot in this movie and Seyfried did a lot of running in really tall heels.  My hat is off to her.  Cillian Murphy was as incredible as he usually is.  Seriously, the dude is great and should be getting much more work.  Conversely Alex Pettyfer was as terrible as he usually is and I was left scratching my head. I always wonder how these "It" actors/actresses get chosen.  Dude should get way less work than he does. But I will admit that I like the way he looks.  Vincent Kartheiser (Connor!) was good but instead of being weasel-y Pete from the 60's he was weasel-y Philippe from the not-too-distant future.  The poor guy has landed solidly in the land of the typecast. 

And what about Justin, you ask?  Well as a matter of fact, I'm currently sitting here watching JT rapping and singing with Jimmy Fallon and wondering why he doesn't give acting a rest for a bit and put out a new album.  Does that answer your question?  He wasn't horrible.  He just wasn't great.  Matt Bomer (LOVE HIM) did more in his very few minutes of screen time than poor JT did in the whole movie. 

So not bad but not great either.  It got stomped this weekend by Puss in Boots which I wanted to see but had fears of a theater full of kids.  Plus my cheap theater only had one non-3D showing. Stupid 3D.