All I knew about the movie going into it was that it starred Greg Kinnear and Isla Fisher, oh, and that it’s directed by Christian Ditter of Love, Rosie and How to Be Single fame. I expected something perfectly amiable, and it delivers just that.
Kinnear and Fisher play married couple Eric and Jen, who have decided to separate. They tell their three children Emma (Shay Rudolph), Max (Mason Shea Joyce) and Taylor (Easton Rocket Sweda) at dinner. But the decision doesn’t stick. Suddenly the day rewinds itself, and we’re back to the start of the same day once more. We slowly learn that a family heirloom – a grandfather clock – has the ability to allow those who desire it to go back in time.
It was initially broken when the family received it, but the brilliant Taylor has fixed it and utilised its abilities. He’s gone back in time countless times now, reliving the day and making adjustments that would hopefully push his parents into making a different decision. However, Taylor begins to realise that such a monumental task may be too much for him alone, and soon his siblings also get involved so that they can take care of any obstacle that might prevent their parents from choosing to stay together.
Sweda is such a scene stealer. He doesn’t say much throughout the film – Taylor is autistic and has selective mutism – but we can see the rich, deep love he has for his parents, and the lengths he will go to help them see why they should continue to stay together. It’s also heartwarming to see Taylor’s growing relationship with each of his siblings.
The movie’s concept is kind of a mixture of Groundhog Day and The Parent Trap. When it comes to these types of ‘relive the day’ type movies, they have to be careful not to become repetitive, since we’re basically shown the same events all over again. The Present manages to avoid this pitfall, as each time we restart the day we follow a different family member, which helps us get a better idea of the whole picture.
Where the film is lacking is in the development of the parents and their relationship. We’re thrown immediately into the action, so we have to kind of guess what went wrong with the relationship from the snippets shown to us. Even their names may escape us, since they’re referred to as mom and dad for most of the film. A little more insight into their relationship would have allowed there to be a greater sense of the stakes involved, and thereby allowed the audience to be more invested in their recoupling. Kinnear and Fisher are good actors though, and do so much with so little – Kinnear especially. When we get to see the day from his point of view, there’s juxtaposition between his facial expressions and the tone in his voice. He’s trying to convey a sense of lightheartedness, yet his face tells a different story, and reflects how truly painful this decision is for him.
Sometimes what we think is broken can still be fixed, like a clock or a relationship, and maybe a little help from the people around us can help us see that. While the ending could have been more impactful – it feels a bit abrupt and unplanned, maybe because of budget cuts – The Present is the kind of fluff that’s perfectly enjoyable.
Review screener provided.
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