Domhnall Gleeson plays Tim Lake, the protagonist, who finds out the men in his family can time travel. Tim declares to his father, played by Bill Nighy, that he will use his power to find true love. The first time Tim tries his new talent, he returns to a New Year’s Eve party and triumphantly corrects his romantic missteps.

The movie follows his move to London, where he uses his ability to secretly help his friends. Tim meets and re-meets Rachel McAdams‘ character, Mary, multiple times and uses his power to get her to fall in love with him when his various attempts fall short.

But he finds his powers come with certain restrictions. He can only travel back to places that he has physically been to in his lifetime. He also learns that he cannot change the past after he has a child without changing that child. In a emotional scene involving his sister and the bad choices she has made, he understands that some aspects of life cannot be changed and have to play out despite awful consequences.

The movie is not only about romantic love, but also about family love— particularly between father and son. Tim’s father teaches him the ultimate lesson of time travel, to cherish the day without needing to go through it twice.

The movie had some shaky camera work at the beginning of the film as well as a few plot holes; the restrictions that came along with time travel were sometimes forgotten for the sake of moving the film forward or creating heartfelt moments. Bill Nighy brings great humor to the moments he’s on screen. McAdams is familiar in the role of Mary and as always does a good job. The scenery is very English and fun to watch. The story ends with a good life lesson and makes the time spent in the movie theatre worth cherishing.