When a filmmaker decides to use time as a metaphor for futuristic wealth, as in "In Time," it opens the floodgates for other clever cliches.
Just living one day at a time. Hey, can you spare a minute? Hold on a second!
And it might have worked, if not for a two-dimensional script, silly plot points and ridiculous sound effects.
Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) lives in the poor part of town with his mom (Olivia Wilde). Yes, I did say "mom." Never mind that he's actually three years older than she is, 'cause in this world, one lives to be 25, and then you're basically on "borrowed time" -- so everyone looks the same age.
The first year following your 25th birthday is free (that's nice). After that, you have to beg, borrow or steal for any additional time. And when the clock runs out, or if some malcontent "cleans your clock," it's game over. Period. Done.
Will meets a guy (the pretty boy from "White Collar") who has more than a century left on his clock, but is tired of living. So he wills Will his remaining time and checks out.
Now that Will has all of the time in the world, he slips into the rich part of town, where the high rollers frolic, but Will sticks out like a poor, sore thumb.
A rich heiress, Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried), is drawn to this new bad boy because either he smells of desperation -- or maybe it's Justin's signature fragrance, "Play Intense," a whimsical mix of citrus and tropical.
So he slaps on a James Bond tux, buys a futuristic Jaguar E-Type for a mere 58 years and goes trolling for more time -- not for himself (although the fancy Jag suggests otherwise), but for the unfortunate masses back in the 'hood, you know, the 99 percenters.
So this becomes "Robin Hood" meets "Bonnie and Clyde," with a hint of "Time Bandits" and a dash of "Logan's Run" -- all of which are infinitely better than this film.
Where does "In Time" make its wrong turn?
Well, there is literally a wrong-turn moment. You'll recognize it by the lovely silver convertible spinning like a top into the Los Angeles River basin, which is apparently only used in movies, but where both occupants escape miraculously unscathed. Really?
The other silliness comes in the actual transfer of time. The process is accomplished by people either clasping arms or by a metallic device placed over the wrist.
The most ridiculous spot comes in a fight to the death, featuring two men clasping arms and grimacing. Wow, such violence. The movement of time appears to have something to do with telepathy and watching the glowy, green arm counters go up or down (hint: down is bad).
I haven't even mentioned the unflappable timekeeper/cop (Cillian Murphy), who was the most mysterious and interesting part of the movie -- until suddenly he wasn't.
Plain and simple, "In Time" is 109 minutes spent in futility.
Steve Salles can be reached at films@standard.net.
