In Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009), director Gareth Carrivick crafts a delightful, if uneven, sci-fi comedy that thrives on its modest ambitions and British wit. The screenplay, penned by Jamie Mathieson, is the film’s beating heart, weaving a tapestry of time-travel paradoxes with a refreshing lack of pretension. Three mates Ray (Chris O’Dowd), Toby (Marc Wootton), and Pete (Dean Lennox Kelly) stumble into a temporal anomaly in a pub bathroom, sparking a narrative that feels like a love letter to low-budget ingenuity. The script’s strength lies in its ability to balance heady concepts with pub banter, making quantum mechanics feel as approachable as a pint of lager. Mathieson’s dialogue crackles with humor, particularly in O’Dowd’s deadpan delivery, which anchors the film’s chaotic energy. Yet, the screenplay occasionally stumbles, with some gags landing flat and a third act that feels rushed, as if the film itself is caught in a time crunch.

The acting trio elevates the material, with O’Dowd’s everyman charisma stealing scenes. His Ray, a sci-fi nerd with a knack for overthinking, embodies the film’s charm: earnest, flawed, and deeply human. Kelly’s Pete provides a sharp counterpoint, his cynicism grounding the absurdity, while Wootton’s Toby occasionally overplays the buffoon, risking caricature. Carrivick’s direction keeps the pace brisk, but the film’s low budget shows in its limited locations mostly confined to a pub and a few exteriors. This constraint, however, becomes a strength, turning the pub into a temporal crossroads that feels both intimate and infinite. The cinematography by John Pardue is functional, prioritizing clarity over flair, though a few clever shots like a time-looped montage of spilled drinks add visual wit. The music, a mix of jaunty pop and subtle electronic cues, complements the film’s quirky tone but lacks memorable distinction.

What makes Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel resonate is its refusal to overreach. It’s not a grand treatise on time travel but a playful exploration of friendship and fate, wrapped in a B-movie aesthetic. Its flaws a slightly disjointed climax and occasional tonal wobbles are forgivable given its infectious enthusiasm. The film invites viewers to ponder life’s what-ifs without losing sight of the joy found in a shared laugh over a pint.