Timer: When Will You Find True Love?

Last night, instead of getting some much-needed sleep, I was tweeting with one of my Filmgirl Force friends about movies (of course). Karen from Reel Artsy (@reelartys) is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to indy films. On the subject of indy Chick Flicks, Karen  suggested I watch a movie called Timers. I had not heard of it, but the plot seemed quite interesting. It is available for instant viewing on Netflix.

Imagine that you could have a small band implanted to your wrist for a nominal fee that would count down the days until you meet your soul mate. The person you are destined to love for the rest of your life.  It tells you the days, hours and minutes until you meet The One. When that perfect One comes into your life, bells ring. Literally ring. No. this is not like nonni juice, the Japanese foot pads or anything that promises you can lose weight without diet and excercise. This is for real scientific fact. At least it is in the movie Timers.

Timer centers around Oona (Emma Caulfield), an almost thirty-something dentist, living in present-day Los Angeles, who is watching her biological clock/Timer very closely. However, Oona’s timer is blank. Does that mean she will not ever meet her true love? Not necessarily, maybe her one true love  doesn’t have a timer yet.  Thus Oona only dates men without a timer. When they have a couple of good dates, she marches them down to the Timer store (like the store in the mall where you get your ears pierced or a T-Mobile store) to get a Timer installed. But still no bells and no soul mate.  Feeling dejected, Oona gives in to the advances of Mikey, the grocery store check-out guy. So what if  he is much younger and his Timer is about to go off in a few weeks. It’s just a little temporary fun.

You Can’t Hurry Love

I liked  how the director, Jac Schaeffer created an entire society, with customs and behaviors  based on having everyone having a  Timer. Think about it if you knew you wouldn’t  meet your true love until you were 43 years old, what would you do with your life? Maybe you would have mindless affairs with guys whose Timers were about to go off for someone else; like Oona’s step sister, Steph. She lives her life in limbo, working dead-end jobs and having dead-end affairs, knowing that science has proved that she won’t find true love for another 13 years.

Getting a Timer at puberty is another custom. It’s almost like having a quinceanera or a bar mitzvah.  Oona’s mother, Marion (played by JoBeth Williams)  takes her teenage son, Jesse to get his Timer, which say he has 3 days until he will meet the love of his life. Imagine what it would be like to know the girl in your 7th grade math class will be the future mother of your children.  So all day Jesse walks around school looking at every girl to see if the Timer will ring. Nothing. So mom throws a party inviting every teenage girl in the neighborhood.

Are You The One For Me?

Timer asks so many compelling questions? What if you meet someone you really like, but your timers don’t ring? Should you end the relationship? Living in a world where you have a guarantee on true love sounds nice.  Would the certainty of the Timer take all the mystery and romance out of love? What happens when a married couple gets Timers installed and their dates don’t match?  Do they get a divorce? See what I mean? Lots of questions.

Even with all the questions, Director Jac Schaeffer has made a wonderfully sweet and quirky romantic comedy.  Schaeffer,  a female director has made a really good Chick Flick. Even though the situation is a bit off-beat, the characters are real and I thoroughly enjoyed Timer!