The conceit here is that the central character's father informs him that the males in their family - i.e. themselves - can travel backwards in time and relive it. Which enables them to reshape events or even chunks of their lives that they're unsatisfied with, back as far as to some checkpoint that they don't want to cross and invalidate (i.e. the birth of a child). The protagonist uses this ability in large part to shape his relationship with Rachel McAdams. Now, you might be saying "I remember this basic setup from 20 years ago, when it was called 'Groundhog Day'". Indeed, this is a similar setup. But this is a very different film. "Groundhog Day" was ostensibly comedic on the outside, but fairly dark and depressed on the inside. This film is less overtly comedic, and quite warm and life-affirming on the inside.
Positive warm gooey feelings about what life is or can be are what makes this film special. We've all heard as many feel-good maxims as we can stand about how life is a gift, appreciate each day as if it were your last, etc. etc. They bounce off us and generally fail to move us. By inventing a slightly complex story involving time travel, and then investing us into the characters, the filmmakers here are able to illustrate these persepctives in a new way, that can get straight to your heart, even if you're a relatively jaded individual like me.
I do think that this film will be wildly popular if and when people get exposed to it, and will probably gain a following through the years. It's a great film, a great experience. Rating : A.
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