Plot: What’s it about?
Victor (Douglas Henshall) would give anything to be able to turn back time. You see, about eight months ago, Victor cheated on his girlfriend of six years, Sylvia (Lena Headey), and decided to leave her for the new woman instead of trying to patch things up. Now, she’s due to marry another man, whom she met at the gym, and Victor is depressed over the state of events, wishing he had one more chance at Sylvia. The night before the wedding, Victor meets a female bartender and spills his guts, then tries to convince a pair of garbage men to toss him in their truck with the rest of the rubbish. The garbage men aren’t the usual trash takers though, and thanks to some of their magical turns, Victor finds himself eight months back in time, with the chance to save his relationship with Sylvia. He denies the affair, becomes faithful to Sylvia again, and begins to change his ways to better suit her. But then at a dinner with Sylvia and one her friends, the man Sylvia was to marry shows up as the date of Sylvia’s friend, and sparks fly between them. It seems like Victor’s plan isn’t working, and that fate will screw him over no matter what he does. But perhaps fate isn’t being cruel, it just has something else in mind for him…
I saw the trailer for this movie on another Trimark release, and it looked good, so I decided to give it a shot. I guess those marketing guys know what they’re doing after all, huh? Since I am a fan of romantic comedies, I expected to like this movie, but I didn’t think it would be this good. The storyline is excellent, and keeps things romantic without going too sappy on us. While Victor did cheat on his girlfriend, the movie makes us like him, and we want to see him succeed. As the chain of events unfolds, things get very interesting, and while it could take a depressing or over emotional turn, things resolve in a believable fashion. While the story may seem predictable, remember that you’re watching a romantic comedy, there’s a reason you watch this genre of film, right? There is plenty of comedy in this romantic comedy as well, both physical and dialogue driven types. The movie happens in a small circle of people, but there is enough variety and charm within them that the movie seems deep with character. If you’re a fan of the genre, don’t miss this movie, it’s one of the upper echelon.
This movie, like all good romantic comedies, has some wonderful lead actors, but instead of two leads, this film has three. The more the merrier I say, and the threesome works well within this storyline. The main reason I liked this movie so much was the performance of Douglas Henshall, who has won me over as a fan. Without a doubt, I will look up his previous work, while waiting for his future efforts. I rank his overall performance among the very best performances in the genre, perhaps the best among men. Usually in these films, the emphasis revolves around the woman’s feelings, but here the man gets the focus. Henshall works magic with his facial expressions alone, and really makes the movie work. The leading ladies are played by Lena Headey (The Remains of the Day) and Penelope Cruz (Woman On Top, All The Pretty Horses), and provide ample sexuality and charisma. The supporting cast here includes Charlotte Coleman (Map of the Human Heart, Beautiful People), Neil Stuke (Sliding Doors, Circus), Mark Strong (Sunshine), Elizabeth McGovern (The Favor, Wings of the Dove).
Video: How does it look?
Twice Upon A Yesterday is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. The image is very strong, with little print wear and no compression errors either. The colors look sharp and bright, and flesh tones are natural and consistent as well. Contrast levels are also well done, with well delineated shadows and high visible detail.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc sports a wonderful 2.0 track for audio, which really creates a nice sound environment for the film. While the audio is usually in the background, it still manages to come to life at times, especially during the carnival scenes. The music sounds great, and dialogue comes across well, with no volume issues or distortion.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The disc contains the trailer for this movie as well as trailer for Separate Lives and Kicking And Screaming, two upcoming Trimark titles.
