We Live in Time (2024) is directed by John Crowley and stars Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Grace Delaney, Lee Braithwaite, Aoife Hinds, Adam James, Douglas Hodge, Amy Morgan, Niamh Cusack, Lucy Briers, Robert Boulter, Nikhil Parmar, Kerry Godliman, and Heather Craney. The film follows Almut (Pugh) a skilled chef, and Tobias (Garfield), a recent divorcee; as the two meet, fall in love, and experience various hardships over the course of a decade. The story jumps back and forth between key moments in their relationship that display how love can often be unconventional and unpredictable. 

This is a somewhat standard, emotionally manipulative romance that’s elevated by a couple of key factors, and one of those is the lead performances by Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. The two have fantastic chemistry and are completely believable as the grounded characters they embody. Their emotional moments translate a majority of the time, but they’re occasionally undercut by the film’s commitment to cutting back and forth in time. Emotional moments lose any surprise because they’re often revealed to the audience before the characters. I struggle to see how this editing positively serves the story and it’s often just needlessly confusing. 

Another thing that saves the movie from a lack of originality is its sharp sense of witty British humor. The lightness of this type of humor allows it to coexist with the drama without creating an imbalance/dulling one another’s effect. This also gives a certain cuteness to the couple’s interactions at the expense of Andrew Garfield’s dorky yet appealing persona. Pugh is the character we root for, but it’s never at the expense of Garfield. The script achieves conflict in a way where neither character ever comes across as immature or “wrong” – everything is pretty realistic and “adult.” I also appreciated the fact that the script implements an unexpected third act that’s more about a character’s personal growth as opposed to simply focusing on what happens with the relationship. That being said, I feel it comes at the expense of the other character’s arc.

I think the movie’s biggest problem is that its emotional moments never hit home quite as well as they should, which is a problem considering the script is clearly attempting to manipulate tears. It jumps around too much and feels almost scared to dwell in the sadder moments and allow them to truly penetrate. Along with the fact that the story is somewhat standard, it results in a disappointing experience. 

Overall, this is a competently made tear-jerker that doesn’t ask too much from its audience and is sure to appeal to the standard fan of romances. Garfield and Pugh are a warm couple to tag along with for two hours and the British sense of humor is sure to put a grin on your face. That being said, it does little new to distinguish itself in the genre and needlessly tells its story out of chronological order. It’s sure to be a date night favorite, but little else. B-