Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)

While drinking at their local pub, three social outcasts attempt to navigate a time-travel conundrum.

Director:

Gareth Carrivick

Writer:

Jamie Mathieson

Stars:

Chris O'Dowd, Marc Wootton, Dean Lennox Kelly

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Chris O'Dowd	...	Ray
Marc Wootton	...	Toby
Dean Lennox Kelly	...	Pete
Anna Faris	...	Cassie
Meredith MacNeill	...	Millie
Ray Gardner	...	Mellor
Nick Ewans	...	Barry
Arthur Nightingale	...	Old Man

Storyline

The script, written by Jamie Mathieson, follows three social outcasts -- two geeks and a cynic -- as they attempt to navigate a time-travel conundrum in the middle of a British pub. Faris plays a girl from the future who sets the adventure in motion.

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Plot Keywords:

pub | time travel | time travel comedy | parallel universe | quantum | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC Films

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Le petit guide du voyage dans le temps

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, Dog Lamp Films, HBO Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

As the three main characters leave the cinema there are three posters shown behind them: "A Boys Life" (the original title of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)), "Watch The Skies" (the original title for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)) and "Paradox" (working title for Back to the Future Part II (1989)).

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Goofs

In the café after Ray gets fired from his job, the same extra walks past Ray twice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ray: Time travel. It'll turn your brain into spaghetti if you let it. Best not to think about it. Best just to get on with the job in hand. Which is destroying the enemy before they're even born and have a chance to threaten us. We're expecting any resistance to be light, because the ancestors of our enemies have yet to evolve any thumbs... or indeed spines. But that does not change the fact that they may one day evolve into a species that may pose a threat to us. And for that reason, ...

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Crazy Credits

SPOILER: After the end credits have finished, a 20 second scene features Toby (Dean Wootton) being chased by an animalistic double. As Ray (Chris O'Dowd) and Pete (Dean Lennox Kelly) look on, a double of Pete says "this is all getting a little bit too complicated."

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Connections

References Doctor Who (1963)

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Soundtracks

Geno
Written by Roland/Archer
Performed by The Count Down Singers

User Reviews

A big surprise and in a good way

I was not sure about this film at first. Don't get me wrong, I like comedy(when it's done right of course) especially ones from the '70s, '80s and '90s, but when it is done wrong it's awful. But I was fearing whether it would be anything like the Friedberg-Seltzer spoof movies which I hated, detested even. After seeing mixed reviews and the above average IMDb rating, I decided to give it a chance.

And I am glad I did, because I thought it was a good movie, not outstanding, but it was funny and smart even with its problems and limitations. Admittedly, Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel is low-budget, but it doesn't look completely slip-shod. The story is original and well structured, when the film started though I was like "oh dear" but as the film got going it got better, while the writing was funny, smart and tongue-in-cheek. The direction is competent, the music is good and the pacing I had little problem with either. The acting is spirited, especially with Chris O'Dowd and Marc Wooton who both show a lot of spontaneous boyish charm that make their characters appealing. I agree in some ways the characters border on stereotypical but the acting and writing is enough to not make it matter that much. Anna Farris starts off a little stiff but once she gets into the film and her role she gets better. Even the title was funny and amusing.

Overall, I liked it. It is not the best movie I have ever seen, but it was funny and smart and it was refreshing to see something that was actually funny.(Friedberg and Seltzer take notes) 8/10 Bethany Cox