If you’re reading this review, you likely fall into one of two groups. Either you’re the kind of person who will enthusiastically check out a movie entitled Time Travel Is Dangerous, or you’re the kind of person who needs some persuading. Presuming you’re the first kind of person, trust me when I tell you it’s a fun little comedy and you’ll enjoy it. However, should you be the second kind, keep reading.

I get where you’re coming from, I do. Movie theater attendance has been declining for years. There are a number of reasons for that, and one that I think is significant is the fact that audiences have become incredibly risk averse. I get it. Tickets are expensive. Gas is expensive. Snacks are expensive. People largely have forgotten how to behave in public. On top of that is decision fatigue. If you’re not certain you’ll enjoy a specific movie, or if you’re overwhelmed by thousands of choices, sometimes it’s easier to rewatch something you’ve seen, or simply dick around on your phone. 

So when I come before you to talk about Time Travel Is Dangerous, based on the title alone, you might feel trepidation. Again – I get it. I’m here to tell you that this is a goofy and fun mockumentary with zero rough edges. If you’re looking for something that’s not too long, doesn’t actively insult your intelligence, and won’t add to the existential horror we’re all living through, this movie has you covered.

We’re introduced to Ruth (Ruth Syratt) and Megan (Megan Stevenson), the proprietors of ChaChaCha.* Their North London vintage store has fallen on hard times. Stocking older items that are in good shape can be a challenge. Finding those older items, which are hidden within an avalanche of crap, is even more of a challenge. If Ruth and Megan can’t find a way out of the financial hole, their shop is toast.

Conveniently for them, they find a way! It comes in the form of a strangely designed bumper car that they discover out back in the trash. Turns out the bumper car is actually a time machine, and included with the fantastical gizmo are a box of VHS tapes. The tapes feature the complete run of an old children’s science TV show, starring Ralph (Kiell Smith-Bynoe), Valerie (Laura Aikman), and Robert (Johnny Vegas) as Botty the Robot. 

Turns out that Ralph and Robert invented the time machine, which gives Ruth and Megan an idea that is both great and terrible. They’ll go back in time to nab stock for their store, meaning that every “old” item on sale is now in pristine condition. To be clear, when I say “nab,” I mean “steal.” That’s not great from a moral perspective, but it’s incredible for their overhead.

For people who run a vintage shop, Ruth and Megan are remarkably incurious about both the past and the possible effects of repeated time travel. That’s a big old bummer, since they accidentally break part of reality and Megan is sucked into a transdimensional abyss. To rescue her, Ruth will team with a semicompetent group of local inventors led by Martin (Guy Henry), and there’s a nonzero chance of things going pear shaped.

To steal some verbiage from my son, Time Travel Is Dangerous is almost one hundred percent a vibes movie.** The vibe director Chris Reading is going for is laid-back silliness. Ruth and Megan encounter Old West shootings, a tear in the space-time continuum, and a deranged game that feels like a transdimensional version of Calvinball with deadpan good will. Presumably, Reading had a microscopic budget, yet his film never feels cheap. It’s got a charming handmade quality, as if everyone pitched in to create ingenious practical solutions instead of throwing money at problems. I suspect Reading’s decision to make the film a mockumentary was to create a tone similar to a sci-fi version of The Office. That choice didn’t hurt things, but it did remind me just how played out the mockumentary genre is.

Along similar vibes lines, the screenplay by Reading, Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare, and Hillary Shakespeare is pleasantly ridiculous. The script’s first principles are simple – be funny. It largely succeeds, and the jokes are good-humored and never punch down. It also has an entertaining focus on the group dynamics of clubs. I enjoyed the running gag of Guy, the self-appointed head of the inventor’s club and his pathological need to be in control. I occasionally wished that the script was more ambitious, and I couldn’t help thinking of the dizzying insanity I found in Tim Travers and the Time Travelers Paradox. I had to remind myself, though, that this is a script about people using a time machine to stock a vintage store, and calibrated my expectations appropriately. 

From top to bottom, the cast shows up and is game to get very silly. The dynamic between the put-upon Ruth and the free-wheeling Megan is energetic, and they have real chemistry that presumably comes from being real life friends and business partners. The various members of the inventors club are also a lot of fun, particularly Tom Lenk as the extremely prissy Alex. 

Stephen Fry’s voice also shows up briefly as The Narrator, and I should emphasize the word “briefly.” As I watched the film, I had the impression that the narration would be more of a running joke. I loved that, since I’m a huge fan of Fry. Unfortunately, the narration is barely used. Fry is heard so little that I wondered if the production could only afford him for a day. 

We all know that movie watching has become a weirdly high stakes endeavor. Viewers take run time, budgetary considerations, and their own short and long term emotional states into consideration. But I beseech you; take a deep breath, unclench, and enjoy Time Travel Is Dangerous. This is the kind of low stakes, low stress, all-fun film that we need right now.

*The store is real, and Ruth and Megan are the real owners. 

**Isn’t it cringe when one of the olds uses slang? No cap!

Tim Brennan Movie Critic

Tim has been alarmingly enthusiastic about movies ever since childhood. He grew up in Boulder and, foolishly, left Colorado to study Communications in Washington State. Making matters worse, he moved to Connecticut after meeting his too-good-for-him wife. Drawn by the Rockies and a mild climate, he triumphantly returned and settled down back in Boulder County. He's written numerous screenplays, loves hiking, and embarrassed himself in front of Samuel L. Jackson. True story.