Movie poster for ‘About Time.’ Courtesy walkingla.com

If a young, charming British man could time travel within his own life, what would he change?

Find out at 6:30 p.m. Thursday when Mesa Public Library screens “About Time” (2013, rated R) in the upstairs meeting room theater.

When Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) finds out from his father (Bill Nighy) that all the men in his family can travel back in time, he does what any respectable 21-year-old heterosexual male would do; uses his new power to trick women.

Now, “trick” misrepresents somewhat what Tim aims to do. He’s no scoundrel. He only wants to fall in love, and be loved in return. But even so, I couldn’t help but cringe as he “replayed” various conversations, undergarment-removal difficulties, and acts of physical congress in order to better his performance. His eventual wife (Rachel McAdams), after all, has to get it right the first time, and never knows that the love of her life gets to cheat.

That said, most of the “rom com” antics take place in the first half of the movie. The second half offers more interesting situations. Tim has the girl, but now he also has a family, a sibling for whom he feels responsible, and aging parents. Life has become more complex, and so have the consequences of his secret excursions into the past.

Director Richard Curtis (“Love Actually” and “Notting Hill”) hasn’t created a classic here, but “About Time” does remind audiences that we only get to live each day once, and that it’s up to us how we live it. And, we get to see the great Bill Nighy, who, even without tentacles, makes an excellent dad.

As with all screenings in the Free Film Series, admission to this week’s philosophical romance is free, thanks to the Friends of Los Alamos County Libraries.

For more information, call the library at 505.662.8240 or check online at http://www.losalamosnm.us/library/Pages/default.aspx under “Upcoming Events.”