Time is money

October 28, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Moira Macdonald

The Seattle Times

Everyone in Andrew Niccol’s “In Time” looks no older than 25, and that’s not some middle-aged optical illusion: In this futuristic tale, aging stops at 25, and those who wish to live longer must earn, steal or inherit time, which is the only currency.

This makes for, as you might imagine, a world that looks like a college-town nightclub — one in which the young and handsome Justin Timberlake gazes at the young and lovely Olivia Wilde and says, “Hi, Mom.”

Once you get used to this state of affairs, the movie’s fairly diverting for a while, as Niccol (writer of “The Truman Show”; writer/director of “Gattaca”) milks the concept for all it’s worth. We see “99 seconds only” stores; find new meaning in the phrase “Can you give me some time?” and hear a prostitute attempt a unique negotiation (”I’ll give you ten minutes for an hour”).

Meanwhile, a story plays out: Will (Timberlake), a blue-collar worker from the poor end of town — where nobody ever wastes time — is given a large gift of time from a mysterious stranger. The Timekeepers (authorities who monitor any large exchanges of currency) are soon chasing Will, and he recruits a beautiful heiress, Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried, oddly bewigged) to help him as he tries to flee. All the while, his clock keeps ticking — literally, as it’s a running time code on his arm.

It’s all very stylish and starkly elegant (with cinematography by Andrew Deakins, best known for his beautiful work on many Coen Brothers movies), and nicely cast, with quirky supporting turns by Cillian Murphy and Vincent Kartheiser. (Somebody should cast these two as brothers, by the way.) But as Will and Sylvia frantically race against time, “In Time” loses its steam; it’s an intriguing concept, rather than a compelling story.

Before the movie’s over, its time is up.