The enormous success of 1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral, both the highest-grossing British film in history at the time of its release, as well as a $245 million worldwide box office smash, made a star of its screenwriter, Richard Curtis. He was nominated for an Academy Award, among other plaudits, and went on to pen the scripts for Bean, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones’s Diary. In 2003, with the kaleidoscopic ensemble comedy Love Actually, Curtis was pushed into directing as well as writing, resulting in another huge hit.

The British-set, time travel rom-com About Time, starring Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams, is his third film behind the camera, and it presents an amplified version of the triumphs and shortcomings most characteristic of Curtis’ work. There is abundant charm, as well as a genuinely sweet-spirited view of the world; it is also dependent on plot turns that don’t withstand much scrutiny. While studded with moments of amusement and delight, About Time feels very much like the mangled film adaptation of a much richer and more rewarding novel. For the full, original review, from Paste, click here. (Universal, R, 123 minutes)