MovieChat Forums > TiMER (2010) Discussion > Enjoyed The Movie, BUT... (SPOLERS!)

Enjoyed The Movie, BUT... (SPOLERS!)

posted 14 years ago by PstrfrmlyknownasJBunce
35 replies | jump to latest

Now, I do want to get this straight... I liked a lot of the movie and I'm glad I saw it. BUT, I couldn't help but be bothered just a bit by how it wound up. The movie is essentially saying that all the characters who tried to think for themselves and make their own decisions about their lives instead of letting a machine do it for them were foolish and mistaken, and that the machine knows best after all. After quite correctly showing how terrified a 14-year-old (Emma Caulfield's younger brother) would feel about meeting "the one" that early he adjusts to it and sees the wisdom of the timer. And the characters who had decided not to get timers virtually all give in and see the light. Here it was heading straight for a good, strong message about how we should think for ourselves and make up our own minds, then it caves in. I would like to have seen it end a couple of minutes before it did... that would have been perfect.

Not to mention accepting all of that foolishness about the whole idea that there actually IS a "one and only perfect love" for each and every person.

Still, there was so much to like I can't really gripe about the movie as a whole. And nice to see Emma again...

"If fifty million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing"... Anatole France

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] montastaleygue 14 years ago

But the movie was never really about whether or not the TiMER actually worked. It was about the complications that would arise if such a device were to exist. If somehow anyone in the movie overrode the system it would invalidate the whole premise of the film. I thought it was the perfect ending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtCJAN9JCfs

[–] floopowder014 14 years ago

montastaleygue, I agree-- the movie's not supposed to be about whether the TiMER worked. In the world of the movie, the TiMER is 100 % accurate, and that's just the way it is.

I liked the ending, and I think the reason why I was fine with Oona leaving Mikey and eventually ending up with Dan comes down to two things Mikey actually said: "Life's about detours" and something like "I believe the TiMER works; I just don't believe in using them." Mikey was a "detour" in Oona's life and a chance for her to grow and develop and learn from mistakes, perhaps so she can be a better person by the time she's with Dan. As much as I loved Mikey and Oona together, I was perfectly content with their relationship just being one on the road to Oona's final relationship with her "One."

----------------------
"Marty, you're not thinking fourth dimensionally!" --Doc Brown

[–] montastaleygue 14 years ago

Exactly. Besides she could not have ended up with Mikey anyway. She didn't love him as much as he loved her...or at least wasn't as committed to their relationship. He saw them being together in a year, she didn't. But just because she doesn't end up with him doesn't mean that her time with him was not valuable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtCJAN9JCfs

[–] joejirik 14 years ago

Though I would say it left it open to rethinking what would have happened if she did not care so much about knowing (i.e. if she had removed the timer) and how this would have effected her ability to allow herself to fall in love with him.

[–] DisturbedPixie 12 years ago

if she removed her TiMER anyways, after she knew that her love would walk into her life the next day, she would have still seen Dan at the party and heard about his TiMER counting down for 5 minutes and then going blank. She would have known and if her sister tried to continue their relationship, there would have eventually been a Jerry Springer moment between the 4 of them that would be way worse than the actual ending. The TiMEr is a guarantee for a reason. Mikey is just a detour that made Oona feel alive, and that's fine. And Dan and Steph helped eachother figure out that you can have meaningful relationships whether they are the one or not. Everybody learned more about life and who they are, in this world defined by fate.

[–] Cinnyaste 14 years ago

Disagree. There's not even an inference Oona begins a relationship with Dan.

The final longshot shows them walking in separate directions after Dan's suggestion she use the track late; no invitation, not even an inkling.

There has been emotional damage from the (Timer) expectation, the loss of Mikey and Steph's hurt. If Oona and Dan did couple it would be the fruit of a poison tree. They both realize it and have beyond the technology.

[–] devanlund 14 years ago

I think the implication (which was the word you meant to use, rather than "inference"; implication refers to what the movie is trying to convey, whereas inference is what we draw from that implication, which could vary by each person) regarding Oona and Dan being together was that earlier in the movie, she dreams of her "one" wearing a strange mask, then finding at the end that Dan has his relay team wear that same mask on the back of their heads for intimidation. It wasn't just the Timer that confirmed that Dan was her one; she now believes it to be true independent of the Timer, due to the dreams she's been having.

It's one of those movies that uses a theoretical scientific device to further the plot along and make the audience think about a world where that device exists, similar to a more romantic version of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Just like we were forced to think of a world where you could have memories erased, in this film we were forced to think of how different the world would be if we had a quantifiable way to determine who our soulmate is. It becomes a debate over fate vs. free will; if there's a timer counting down to when we'll meet our "one", then do we truly have any choices over the big decisions in our lives? Is everything in life somehow mapped out for us (not just who we end up with), whether we want it that way or not?

[–] X-Hal 14 years ago

Er... what? "Not even an inkling"? Hahaha.

- - -

Whether they find life there or not, I think Jupiter should be considered an enemy planet.

[–] jennyo88 14 years ago

"The final longshot shows them walking in separate directions after Dan's suggestion she use the track late; no invitation, not even an inkling."

Dan's suggestion of her using the track late was because it was because she woke up late that morning that she got to see him. She use to go earlier, that is why they had never bumped into each other.

Didn't you see how they were flirting with each other.
Whatever, this was the reason why I didn't like the movie.

I feel that the ending defeated the premise of the whole movie, about thinking for yourself and making your own path. Like the woman that stayed with Oona's dad even though she knew that he was not her "soulmate" according to the TiMER.

[–] DisturbedPixie 12 years ago

I think the ending that many of you wanted goes against the reality of their world. The TiMER is not a fraud, it is truth. The Movie is not and was never about proving that the TiMER was bull, it was about How the TiMER takes away those detours in life that makes life interesting. But merely showing us how these people are affected by this reality was interesting and was the premise of the film.

If the TiMER was bull, then it wouldn't be guaranteed, people wouldn't meet their soulmate like they do. The movie wasn't about how free will should triumph over fate, because that's not how this reality worked. Stubborn people can remove their TiMER and refuse to follow their path, but their path exists, and they just turn their back on it because they don't care and don't have patience.

Steph will inevitably be happier without her TiMER, but her soulmate is out there, and it's a little sad that she turned her back on him when he had continued to wait for her. Just imagine your TiMER stopping, and realizing your true love doesn't care about being with you. I hope that when they eventually meet, she remembers her day well enough to see him and his broken TiMER and lets go of her stubbornness. And he can look at her scar and forgive her because she was in so much pain. Maybe that would have been the ending that would have made this movie great, because you can see her hurt when the technicians say she cant have it reinstalled.

[–] pwpetersen 11 years ago

It does go against the reality of the world to have a different ending, but honestly the movie COULD have gone the other way as well, and that would be acceptable to the premise. There is evidence of this with the Dad and his lover who took off the Timer. The filmmakers could have EASLIY taken that part out, but they did not, maybe to open the theme of the movie a little bit. There would be a different theme and message to take away with the different ending, one that says enjoy the moment, the person you love in the moment, with all of its imperfections. It comes down to whether there is this one person you spend the rest of your life with, a soulmate.
This movie says "YES you do have a soulmate, but you still grow and enjoy life up until you meet this person." But if Oona ended up with Dan, it would have "You have to be okay with uncertainty rather than 'a guarantee' in life and love."

[–] rexpress99 10 years ago

Exactly! Thank you jennyo88! Your last paragraph cinches it for me.

[–] mar-has-8844 8 years ago

I agree with you, the ending was fine given the premise. Just because the main characters did not subvert the system, doesn't mean that we as viewers cannot see past the possibility of overriding the system.

As human beings, we tend to seek out consistency, reliability, predictability, and a higher purpose --whether through religious beliefs, work ethic, spiritual pursuits, etc -- so it is quite plausible that if a device like the timer existed, most people would not ultimately question it. Just like we do not often question why we are on the path we are on, we just tend to follow social rules and majority consensus.

Btw, I didn't interpret the ending as Oona and Dan were meant to fall in love anyway, with or without the timer, although this could be another possible reading.

And one more thought - how close minded is it to assume that one's soul mate is in the same area or even the same country? This is what bothered me most about the premise of the film. The world would be much less diverse (although there are hints of diversity, both ethnic and class-related, in one of the timer's matches) and much more boring.

[–] maileehawj 14 years ago

Agreed. No matter how much I try to wrap my mind around it, I just can't. Movie would have easily been a 8.5 in my books but because of the ending, it's like a 3.5...There was NO lesson learned. The characters go through all these struggles only to find out that they should have just stayed where they started. A complete 360. You finish where you started. They went through all that struggle for nothing.

If anything else the movie teaches you that anybody who is a possible love interest shouldn't be taken seriously if your timers don't sound when the eyes meet. And like the main character, you'd spend your entire life just listening for that sound when you could be out there experiencing first, second or third loves.

[–] hotshothound 14 years ago

I don't think the movie was about the inevitability of fate vs. thinking for yourself at all. It was more about how you shouldn't be afraid of ending up where fate is taking you and living life at the same time. Oona spent so much time obsessing about her timer that she never actually enjoyed dating or connected with any of those people. Steph lived in much the same way. By the end, they had a better understanding of the saying "life is not about the destination, but the journey." It wasn't for nothing; they lived life instead of waiting.

[–] mpretty8 9 years ago

But the point was maileehawj that there wasn't a struggle for nothing. The struggle in life is always something and regardless we're going to go against what we believe and don't believe and make our own choices no matter what rules or things we think. So with or without those timers they would have gone through random struggle for in the end be with each other. In life we have detours and we think we're in love and things happen; you end up falling for someone your sister likes. The point is that in the end our path is our path and you can mess with it however you want but it was saying that in the end you still end up with your ONE!

[–] kytt 14 years ago

there are some things that it doesn't cover, like what if the person dies and things like that, not to mention that there's only 1 soul mate? it doesn't give much room for casual romances. it just made life look like there wasn't much of a purpose but to find a soul mate and that's it.

but i did enjoy it. i thought it was an entertaining and very original story. even with all the "what if's..." about the subject, i think they did a good job developing the story.

and i agree with you about how it should've ended a couple of minutes beforehand. i didn't like how, in the end, it makes it look like she's just going to end up with that guy anyways. i mean, he seemed so different when he was talking about his dead-wife, and then that sudden change? if he truly believed that she was his soul mate, then why get a timer? why not just date that girl he liked? i think he was stupid.

[–] intelearts 14 years ago

We really felt you couldn't try to analyze the concept to any depth - what is they lived in London and you're in Sydney - how would that work? What if the levels didn't match / matched another etc; etc;

I guess it was a cute move best takek for what it is: a nice romantic comedy with a little twist....

[–] PstrfrmlyknownasJBunce 14 years ago

This discussion kind of reminds me of a song by Yoko Ono that appeared on the Lennon/Ono "Double Fantasy" album. The song was called "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him", and the title was also the first line of the lyrics. Second line: "If he finds her in this lifetime"...

"If fifty million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing"... Anatole France

[–] sallyjrw 12 years ago

>>if he truly believed that she was his soul mate, then why get a timer? why not just date that girl he liked?<<

I agree. That didn't make any sense to me either ... that he would get a timer when he already felt he had a soul mate.

[–] Dog112 14 years ago

The movie is essentially saying that all the characters who tried to think for themselves and make their own decisions about their lives instead of letting a machine do it for them were foolish and mistaken, and that the machine knows best after all.

I think the movie satirizes this viewpoint.
.

[–] topher-48 14 years ago

Exactly.

The premise of the film only makes sense if the darn thing works. If it didn't work, then it would be a much more obvious and simplistic film - technology baaad, free will goooood.

The film's much more interesting question is whether it would actually be a better world even if the technology worked as promised.

It's the difference between being unhappy because you don't get what you want, and maybe being unhappy because you do. Computers, cable TV, ipods, they all work. Genetic engineering may work too. But will these things actually make us happier, even when they work as promised?

This movie reminded me a bit of Pleasantville, and a bit of season 4 of Angel (the Jasmine religion).

[–] saprater 14 years ago

I thought the same way as you did at first...that there was no "lesson" and no point to the plot since they all ended up where the timers wanted them to be. However, after reading a few of the other posts on here and mulling it over, I realized that the timers were just a tool. The movie wasn't to expose the timers as fakes or rebel against the corporation. I'm going to sound cliche here but it was about the journey, not the destination.

This movie really reminds me a story I read in school called "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings." It was a work of magical realism. The story is about a winged man that crashes into a poor village and the villager's response to his presence. I remember being so confused by the story and so deflated by the ending because they never explained why the old man had wings or why he crashed into the village. I was so caught up in this unexplained mystery that I didn't realize that I had totally ignored the true point of the story: the villagers and their interactions with the man and his influence over their lives. He was a tool. A key to open up their characters. Nothing more. But I become so used to concrete answers that I overlooked it all b/c I wanted the happy ending/complete mystery solved ending that most stories have.

The timers are like an element of magical realism. Just look at the improbability of them. They were never meant to be "solved" or "overthrown." Like the other posters said, it was the interactions of the characters in this alternate world where timers existed that was the true focus.

Here's a little snippet from Wiki (though it's the same on other source cites as well) on magical realism: Magic realism is an aesthetic style or genre in literature in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality. These magical elements are explained like normal occurrences that are presented in a straightforward manner which allows the "real" and the "fantastic" to be accepted in the same stream of thought. It has been widely considered a literary and visual art genre; creative fields that exhibit less significant signs of magic realism include film and music.

[–] Ayane_Kama 14 years ago

The machine is expected to work accurately and correctly. "Caving" to the machine isn't exactly the idea behind the movie, I feel. It seems as though the movie is trying to prod at the question of whether or not meaningless love is worth it (or, if loving someone who you won't stay with is worth it).

If you remember, in the vehicle the mother talks about how easy her daughters have it -- how, they do not have to 'suffer' through the agony of a broken heart because of the Timer. That poses the question: are those moments in life worth skipping over? If you had the chance to skip over the mishaps, would you?

We are to assume that Oona would end up her "one," anyways. The Timer just verifies it.

As far as the "foolishness" about there is one love, I believe that the movie addressed that. Rich, Oona's father, was dating a girl who had the timer removed because she loved Rich and not her "one." It also mentioned that 2% of people are unsatisfied with their "ones." So, in a way, it posses that as a question: "is their only one person out there for you?"
The guy that ends up being Oona's 'one' (whose name escapes me) believed that he had already found his soulmate. So, maybe that suggests that there are multiple potentials. Just a thought.

[–] athnay 14 years ago

Yeah the ending sort of unraveled a bit - a shame, it was going pretty well before that.

But still, they keep saying in the movie that the timer is for peace of mind and yet we watch 3 different siblings having 3 different timer issues and the anxiety and angst that is wrought from each situation - knowing too soon, not knowing at all, and knowing it won't happen for a really long time. It still suggested that maybe the timer wasn't better to have after all - she didn't need her timer to bump into Dan again - that was another timing matter entirely. And she enjoyed herself more when she abandoned the idea of the timer, starting to enjoy the journey to wherever she was supposed to end up.

I wish they had resolved Steph's story better though, at least hinted that she had more coming than random hookups, a job she didn't enjoy, and possibly losing being able to commiserate with her best friend/sister over timer woes.

[–] sallyjrw 11 years ago

>>But still, they keep saying in the movie that the timer is for peace of mind and yet we watch 3 different siblings having 3 different timer issues and the anxiety and angst that is wrought from each situation - knowing too soon, not knowing at all, and knowing it won't happen for a really long time.<<

That's exactly what I loved about the movie. I liked The Time Traveler's Wife where the main character said "I'm not going to tell you things about your future because it's just going to make you crazy." Here people know something about the future and it's making everyone crazy. The average person likes to think they want to know the future but if they actually did know the future it would drive them crazy.

What else did you need for Steph's story? Does she have to find a relationship? She had her timer removed because she decided she wasn't going to be a slave to it. I thought she was going to be find someone and probably wind up divorced when she meets her One. That's what happened to Oona's mom.

[–] craigbenting 14 years ago

I love how some people loved this movie, then decided to hate it because IT (the movie) didn't deliver the life message that you wanted. Don't you get it?

No THING outside of you can make your decisions FOR you.

But that's what people look for. Answers from computers, GPS devices, etc.

In the end, the timer didn't make the decision for Oona's brother, he did. It didn't magically point to the destination like the GPS on an iPhone.

The same for Oona's sister and Mikey, both without timers. The same for Oona and Dan, both with timers. The timer, like so many modern tools, was a distraction from the real source of the decision, the human beings.

There are no easy answers in life, and our "tools" can't provide them.

The movie delivered its message if you chose to listen...

[–] Dog112 14 years ago

No THING outside of you can make your decisions FOR you.

But that's what people look for. Answers from computers, GPS devices, etc.

Like a new kind of bureaucracy.

Like the characters in Brazil (the movie).