Help me ID a time travel movie

for a friend on another board. This is his original post there.

"So, a couple of nights ago, in yet another bout of cantsleepitis, I was flipping endlessly through the channels. I came across a time travel movie. I didn’t stick around, as I came in late,. But I did see enough that I would like to see the rest (from the beginning too).

Here is what I know:

Two main characters (scruffy man, woman with Pixie cut (may be a comedian as I recognized her, can’t remember her name)), seemed to be in love, maybe even a lost love situation (mans perspective), hence the time travel to fix it maybe. The man was surprised to see the woman, asked her how she found him, she said she found the machine or such, and came after him. The man expressed a concern to fix the time travel as he is having a hard time living in two places at once. The women has to do something (maybe killing one of the men) to set it all back to normal. The movie seems to track both timelines at the same time, switching back and fourth, or maybe the people are jumping back and fourth.

And that’s all I know. No date, no actors name, no partial title, no other plot info, nothing."

Incorrect guesses, so far:

The Time Travelers Wife
Trancers 2
Retroactive
Safety Not Guarenteed
I told him if we didn’t get an answer over there in two days (which is now), I’d post the inquiry here. Sorry for the paucity of data here, but you guys have done more with far less.

Parts of it sound a little like the Butterfly Effect (scruffy man, recognizable woman, lost love, fixing the past, switching back and forth between timelines, man having trouble with the time travel). But the woman (Amy Smart) doesn’t have a pixie cut and she isn’t involved in the time travel, so it’s probably not it unless you are misremembering some things.

Additional info:

“One more thing I just remembered: At one point she is hugging the man, tightly not wanting to let go, then it switches to her hugging a pillow tightly and she seems to be silently screaming, like he was replaced by the pillow, but she is in a different place (barn, then bedroom). Same event happening, but at different times.”

I did a quick search, and the only movie that looks close is Fetching Cody, which features a scruffy protagonist.

Project Almanac was a recent time travel movie but it doesn’t sound like the one the OP is looking for.

Negative on both. Not comedic, no teenagers.

Hm, I don’t think Rachel McAdams had a pixie cut in About Time, either.

I expect your friend will recognize this movie years from now, look at the release date, and realize it came out after he saw it. That’s how it works.

No mention of accents or comedy so it’s probably not FAQ About Time Travel.

I only know of one such film and I don’t know it well. So the odds are slim this could be the one.

Could it be “Sliding Doors 1998” with Gwynneth Paltrow?

If it’s not, there is one member here named Burpo the Wonder Mutt. He knows more about movies in his little finger than I know in my whole body. With any luck, he’ll see this thread and if he does, there’s a very good chance he will be able to help you. He has helped me with some films that I thought no one would ever be able to help me with. When it comes to movies, this fellow is truly a wonder.

No pixie cut. Wait, maybe she cut her hair in one timeline, I forget. Hm.

Thumbs down for both those guesses.

A guess that is probably incorrect, but The Jacket, possibly? Adrien Brody is certainly scruffy in the movie, but I don’t think Keira Knightley has a pixie cut. I haven’t seen it in years, so I don’t really remember the details.

I just happened to notice that the Lovers is playing on the movie channel. I don’t think it precisely meets the criteria, and i have never seen it, but maybe?

That’s a negative as well.

What channel was he watching?

I have no clue, but once the answer surfaces I’d like to know. I LOVE movies about time travel, but I must have missed this one.

Could he have stumbled upon an episode of the TV Show Outlander?

Synchronicity (2015) has some matches, but one problem: it’s too new to probably be on a channel one could randomly surf to.

what about Premonition, with Sandra Bullock??

Based on plot description, no. There’s no machine involved.