Rated PG-13 for violence, some sexuality and partial nudity, and brief strong language.
Starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy
Directed by Andrew Niccol (Lord of War and Gattaca)
In Time is not worth your money…or time.
When Will Salas is falsely accused of murder, he must figure out a way to bring down a system where time is money — literally — enabling the wealthy to live forever while the poor, like Will, have to beg, borrow, and steal enough minutes to make it through another day.
I’m gonna jump right in by talking about the cast. I’m still surprised how big of a fan I am of Justin Timberlake…especially since I still have nightmares about N*Sync. (Yeah, I hope you are now singing “Bye, Bye, Bye” all day.) But his performance was just average in this one. And as much as I like Timberlake, I don’t really care for Amanda Seyfried. Her performance again is average, which in my opinion is a vast improvement from some of her other films.
Then there is the story. And while I could argue that it was interesting and clever, the truth is it is another Hollywood political film that is disguised as an action movie but unapologetically pushes an agenda on the audience. No I don’t have a degree in economics or political sciences and I’m not going to argue the finer points of redistributing wealth, but I also hate walking out of a movie feeling like I need to debrief with Glenn Beck.
The action sequences are ok…nothing ground-breaking. There are a few chase scenes and gunfights, but again nothing that made me say WOW. Speaking of the chase scenes, Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried do a lot of running. I mean a lot of running. And in a movie where no one ages past 25 and time is the new currency, the hardest thing to believe was that Amanda Seyfried was really running in those high heels.
If time really were money, I would say “skip it.” But since money is actually money, I say watch it “only if it’s free.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
For a PG-13 film they packed a lot of sex & nudity (or almost nudity) into this one. Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried play strip poker and when she loses a hand she removes her shirt leaving her bra and panties. Then there is some kissing until they are interrupted. In another scene they go skinny dipping and we see too much skin.
We see several people “expire” when their countdown clocks hit 0. These genetically predetermined deaths aren’t particularly graphic. The victims look as if they were stricken by a sudden heart attack. They gasp, grimace and then die.
As far as profanity, there is one f-word, three s-words and a few other profanities.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: Early in the film there is a scene between Will and Henry where Henry asks him, “If you had as much time as I do, what would you do with it?” Will says, “I sure as hell wouldn’t waste it.”
What are some of the biggest time wasters in our culture today?
If you woke up tomorrow with only 24 hours to live, what would you do?
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: Read I Peter 1:23-25
- For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
Read the Parable of the Rich Fool found in Luke 12:13-21
- 13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
So how should we live in light of that fact?
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: We need to embrace life and be careful not to take it for granted.
So what are some things we can do this week to embrace life? What can we do to make sure we don’t waste our life?
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.