life is good but cheesy...About Time

I loved his earlier films: Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill and Love Actually. So it seemed logical to see Richard Curtis's recent film, About Time. This time, Domhall Gleeson plays Tim, the 20 something geeky lawyer, in search of love. However, I do think I preferred Hugh Grant, or perhaps I am over that deep seated insecurity that audiences find so endearing. This time, the movie adds a new dimension through exploring the relationship of sons with their dad. Bill Nighy plays the father who confesses to his son on his 21st birthday, just as his father had confessed to him, that men in this family can travel in time. It provides the perfect cover for Tim to relive those awkward moments and become the masculine hero he wants to be. But his transformation seems very forced and the resonant British stiff upper lip seems pervasive to me. Sadly, I wonder if his cute American wife Mary (Rachel McAdam) is meant to attract her country's viewers. The comparison to the movie Sliding Doors does not convince me. Perhaps I have grown out of these quaint English eccentricities?