The Time Traveler's Wife

Plot Summary

The narrative centres on Henry DeTamble, who first time travels as a child in the early 1970s during a car accident that kills his mother, Annette DeTamble. He survives by inadvertently traveling back two weeks, and moments later is helped by an older version of himself who has also traveled back. His travels are involuntary, unpredictable, and leave him arriving at destinations completely naked, forcing him to master skills like lock-picking and theft to survive. In 1991, Henry meets Clare Abshire in the library where he works, but she is overjoyed as she has already met his future self throughout her childhood in a meadow near her family home.

Their relationship develops non-linearly, as Clare grows from a girl with a crush to a woman in love with a man who frequently disappears from the present. As a child, Clare is upset to learn Henry is married, but when she turns 18, two years before their meeting at the library, an older Henry kisses her, leading her to realize he is her future husband. The central romance is perpetually strained by Henry's condition, as his disappearances take a toll on their relationship. To make up for this, Henry buys a winning lottery ticket due to having the numbers in advance, but their problems persist.

The couple's desire to have a child is thwarted by Henry's genetic disorder, which causes their unborn fetuses to time travel and results in numerous miscarriages. They seek help from a renowned doctor, but after continued failures, Henry has a secret vasectomy to end their suffering. However, Clare gets pregnant one final time by a visiting younger version of Henry and carries the baby to full term. Before the child is born, Henry travels forward and meets their pre-teen daughter, Alba, who tells him she is also a time traveler with increasing control and that he will die when she is five.

During Alba's fifth birthday party, Clare is devastated to discover Henry's impending death. After suffering from severe frostbite from a time jump gone wrong and temporarily using a wheelchair, Henry time travels again. He is accidentally shot by Clare's father, who is hunting elk. Henry returns in time to die in Clare's arms. Some years later, a younger Henry visits Alba and Clare, giving Clare hope that he will visit again. However, he tells her not to spend her life waiting for him, hoping this encounter would provide a proper closure for Clare and Alba.

Production History and Development

The film rights to Audrey Niffenegger's novel were optioned by Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B Entertainment, in association with New Line Cinema, before the book was published in 2003. In September 2003, New Line Cinema hired screenwriter Jeremy Leven to write an adapted screenplay of the novel. Several high-profile directors, including Steven Spielberg and David Fincher, briefly expressed interest in the project, though no negotiations took place. In March 2005, director Gus Van Sant entered negotiations with New Line Cinema to helm the project, but these did not hold, and in November 2006, director Robert Schwentke was instead hired to take over.

In January 2007, New Line Cinema hired screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin to rewrite Leven's script. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams were cast in the lead roles in April 2007. Principal photography commenced in Toronto on September 10, 2007, with additional shooting in Hamilton, Ontario, standing in for Chicago and the story's meadow settings. The film was originally planned for a fall 2008 release, but it was postponed with no official explanation from the studio for some time, creating speculation about the project's status.

When asked about the delay, Rachel McAdams stated the reshoots were delayed by two specific factors. McAdams explained, "We wound up doing a reshoot, and Eric was the holdup … He had to shave his head for a different role, for Star Trek, I think … We did an additional scene in the meadow, so we were also waiting on the meadow to look the way it did [the first time we shot]. So we were waiting on the seasons. Basically, we were waiting on nature and Eric's hair." The film was ultimately released by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 14, 2009, almost a full year after its initial planned date.

Cast and Characters

The film stars Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble and Rachel McAdams as Clare Abshire. Ron Livingston also appears in the film. The story follows Henry, a Chicago librarian with a paranormal genetic disorder that causes him to randomly time travel. He tries to build a romantic relationship with Clare, whom he meets when she is a child and who later becomes his wife. Their relationship is challenged by Henry's disorder.

• Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble: A librarian with a paranormal genetic disorder causing involuntary time travel, who must build a life across multiple timelines.
• Rachel McAdams as Clare Abshire: An artist who meets Henry's future self as a child and later becomes his wife, maintaining their relationship despite his unpredictable absences.
• Ron Livingston as Gomez: Henry's friend and a lawyer who is also in love with Clare, providing a source of stability and personal conflict within the story.
• Jane McLean as Charisse: Clare's best friend who later marries Gomez, completing a secondary romantic storyline in the film.
• Stephen Tobolowsky as Dr. David Kendrick: A geneticist who studies Henry's condition and attempts to provide scientific explanations for the phenomenon.
• Brooklynn Proulx and Tatum McCann as Clare Abshire at ages 6 and 8, respectively, depicting her early formative encounters with Henry in the meadow.
• Hailey McCann as Alba DeTamble at age 5, the couple's daughter who inherits the time travel ability.
• Alex Ferris as Henry DeTamble at age 10, showing the character's first traumatic travel during his mother's fatal car accident.

Fiona Reid and Philip Craig play Clare's parents. Maggie Castle and Brian Bisson play Clare's siblings. The wedding band is played by Broken Social Scene. The film was shot in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario.

Music, Score, and Soundtrack Production

The film's score was composed by Canadian composer Mychael Danna, who recorded his music with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Ocean Way Studios during the fall of 2008. Danna's composition supports the film's romantic and melancholic tones, connecting emotionally resonant moments across different time periods within the disjointed narrative structure. The official motion picture soundtrack was released as a digital download on August 11, 2009, by New Line Records, three days before the film's theatrical debut. The inclusion of Broken Social Scene's performance within the film as the wedding band adds a distinct Canadian musical element to the soundtrack, directly linking the film's Ontario production location to its diegetic sound and providing a recognizable moment for Canadian viewers.

Release Strategy, Box Office Performance, and Home Media

The Time Traveler's Wife was released theatrically in the United States on August 14, 2009, by Warner Bros. Pictures as part of the late summer movie season. The film opened in third place at the domestic box office during its debut weekend, behind the science fiction film District 9 and the action movie G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, earning a solid $19.2 million in its first three days of release. The film was subsequently released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 9, 2010, by New Line Home Entertainment, approximately six months after its theatrical run. This home media release marked the final DVD distributed solely by New Line, as the company had been absorbed by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2008, and its home media operations were fully integrated into Warner Home Video by 2010 following the absorption of New Line Home Entertainment.

Critical and Audience Reception Analysis

Critical reception was mixed, as quantitatively reflected by major review aggregators that compile professional assessments. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 38% approval rating based on 154 reviews collected, with an average score of 5.10 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot's contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average methodology, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100 based on 31 critics, formally indicating "mixed or average" reviews according to their scale. Audience reception, particularly from fans of Audrey Niffenegger's source novel, was generally more favourable, as viewers were drawn to the emotional core of the central love story despite the narrative challenges posed by the complex time-travel concept and the film's deviations from the book.

Canadian Connections: Filming Locations and Personnel

The production of The Time Traveler's Wife has several notable links to Canada, primarily through its filming locations and key creative personnel. Principal photography took place entirely in Ontario, with Toronto and Hamilton providing the urban and natural backdrops for the story set in Chicago and its surrounding meadows, generating significant economic activity and employment for the local film industry during the fall of 2007. The score was composed by Oscar-winning Canadian composer Mychael Danna, whose extensive filmography includes numerous major international productions. The casting of Canadian actress Rachel McAdams in the lead role of Clare Abshire created a direct connection for domestic audiences, while the film also features supporting Canadian actors including Fiona Reid, Philip Craig, Maggie Castle, and Brian Bisson in family roles. The cameo appearance by members of the Toronto-based indie rock band Broken Social Scene as the wedding band embeds a specific piece of Canadian music culture within the film's diegetic world, creating a recognizable moment for viewers familiar with the group.

Adaptation Process and Author's Perspective on Filmmaking

Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 novel was a major international bestseller, and the author had contemplated a film adaptation even as she was writing the book. In an interview, Niffenegger stated, "I've got my little movie that runs in my head. And I'm kind of afraid that will be changed or wiped out by what somebody else might do with it. And it is sort of thrilling and creepy because now the characters have an existence apart from me. This adaptation process necessitated the omission or simplification of certain subplots and characters from the expansive source material to fit the conventional cinematic format, a common challenge when translating detailed literary works to film.

Related Adaptations, Cultural Influence, and Legacy

The 2009 film adaptation sparked renewed interest in the property, which later led to a television series adaptation over a decade later. The film's core concept of a romance fractured by time travel has influenced other works in the genre, including the 2013 film About Time, which explores similar themes of using time travel to shape one's personal life and relationships. The story's structure also connects it to a broader category of films featuring time loops and non-linear narratives, such as those listed in the "See also" section of its Wikipedia entry, cementing its place within the science fiction romance genre. The film continues to be available through home media and digital streaming platforms, maintaining its presence in popular culture over a decade after its initial release.

Questions about The Time Traveler's Wife

What was the critical response to the film?

Critical reception was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 38% approval rating based on 154 reviews, with an average score of 5.10/10. Metacritic assigned a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Critics noted the film might satisfy novel fans but criticized narrative contrivances.

Where was The Time Traveler's Wife filmed?

The film was shot in Toronto, Ontario. Filming began in Toronto on September 10, 2007. It was also shot in Hamilton, Ontario. The production used these locations in Canada for principal photography. The need to match the seasons for reshoots in an outdoor meadow location was a factor in the film's delayed release. This Canadian filming provided the settings for the story of Henry and Clare.

Why was the release of the film delayed?

The film's release was postponed with initially no official explanation from the studio. Rachel McAdams later noted the delay was due to additional scenes and reshoots. These could not be completed until the season at their outdoor location matched previously filmed footage. Star Eric Bana had to regrow his hair following his work on the 2009 film Star Trek. The film was originally planned for a fall 2008 release but was ultimately released on August 14, 2009.

Who composed the music for the film?

The score for The Time Traveler's Wife was composed by Mychael Danna. He recorded his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Ocean Way Studios during the fall of 2008. The official motion picture soundtrack was released as a download on August 11, 2009, by New Line Records. This music accompanies the romantic and tragic elements of the film's narrative.

How did the film perform at the box office?

The film opened third at the box office behind District 9 and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. It grossed $19.2 million on its opening weekend. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a commercial success. This financial performance followed its production by New Line Cinema and release by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Is there a TV version of The Time Traveler's Wife?

Yes, there is a television series adaptation titled The Time Traveler's Wife. This TV series is listed in the See also section of the encyclopedia article for the 2009 film. The series represents another adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's original 2003 novel. It exists as a separate project from the film starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams.

Sources and further reading

• The Time Traveler's Wife (Wikipedia)
• The Time Traveler's Wife, Eric Bana (amazon.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-05.