JAMES VS HIS FUTURE SELF **** Canada 2019 Dir: Jeremy LaLonde. 94 mins
Uptight scientist James (Jonas Chenick, who co-wrote the script with LaLonde) is visited by a nihilistic future version of himself, Jimmy (Daniel Stern) who tells him he must give up his dream of inventing time travel or be condemned to a life of loneliness—without Courtney (Cleopatra Coleman), the woman he’s always loved. James doesn’t want to go along with his plan, however, so Jimmy takes things into his own hands.
JAMES VS HIS FUTURE SELF is an earnest and endearing film. Funny and charismatic, Stern shines as world-weary Jimmy. He packs in the appeal and works the hell out of LaLonde and Chenick’s phenomenal script. His relationship with Courtney is particularly delightful. They have the kind of chemistry that adds a beautiful realism to the story—you really believe he’s always been in love with her, which makes her budding relationship with James even more impactful.
But this film is more than a love story. It’s also a science fiction story, a story about the importance of family, and it will definitely make you laugh. (The dick jokes really land.)
JAMES VS HIS FUTURE SELF is a funny and charming piece of Canadian cinema that uses time travel as a device to remind us that it’s not the past or the future that matter—what’s most important is living in the present.
Review by Julia Lynch