"The Adjustment Bureau" centers around the age-old battle of predestination vs. free will. Are we really in control of our destinies, or has everything been laid out for us ahead of time? According to this film, it's a little bit of both... if we're willing to work for it.
The movie begins with a young politician named David Norris (Matt Damon) who, after a photo of him from his college party days surfaces in the tabloids, realizes he is losing in the New York senate race. As he's preparing to give his "I'll get back up after this" speech in the bathroom, he unexpectedly meets a stunning woman named Elise (Emily Blunt). Their meet-cute inspires him to give a rather honest speech about what goes into politics and the pursuit to be liked, which apparently comes down to details as minute as how shiny a person's shoes are. This essentially wins many people over, which suggests a promising future for Norris.
Some time after that, Norris winds up running into Elise again on a bus, where they exchange more flirty banter and she gives him her number. At this point, we become aware that the Adjustment Bureau does not want these two to be together -- and their running into each other again was a mistake. Anthony Mackie's character Harry was supposed to ensure Norris spilled coffee on himself and did not end up making that particular bus. Harry has been monitoring Norris' activities for what we can only guess has been a very long time. There is a strict plan for everyone, and it's the Adjustment Bureau's job to make sure everyone is on their correct path.
Because Norris catches that bus and arrives to work earlier than planned, he walks in on a behind-the-curtain look at the Adjustment Bureau, which is essentially "going to work" on his campaign manager. Confusion ensues, and Norris is told about the bureau and what they do. John Slattery plays Richardson, who initially leads the effort to get Norris back on track. He's a rather stern guy, and he tells Norris that if he tells anyone about the bureau, they will basically lobotomize him. Also, he is never to see Elise again, although they don't tell him why.
The movie goes on, and Norris rides the same bus everyday for three years in hopes of finding Elise again. See, the bureau has burned her number and will basically thwart any effort he makes to try and reach her. As chance would have it, he sees her walking on the sidewalk three years later and they rekindle their old spark.
Obviously, this upsets the bureau, and the rest of the film is a back-and-forth situation in which Norris employs every tactic possible to be with her and the bureau keeps pushing back.
Eventually the bureau brings out the big guns with a fellow named Thompson (played by Terence Stamp). He's a scary S.O.B. who doesn't put up with Norris' antics. He tells Norris that if he stays with her, he will never be successful politician and Elise will never be a famous, world-renowned ballerina. This seems to work on Norris. Oh, and Thompson further emphasizes his seriousness by causing Elise to fall and sprain her ankle during a dance practice.
Anyway, years later he finds out Elise is getting married to a guy she never really loved. This sends Norris over the edge and he is determined to win her back at any cost. With the help of Harry, he devises a plan to get to her and rewrite their "plan" before the bureau can catch on.
I must say, I enjoyed the film overall. I thought the chemistry between Blunt and Damon was believable, and the acting on both parts was enjoyable. There was wit, humor, suspense, intrigue and passion. I liked Harry's character, too. Even though he worked for the bureau, you could see that he too questioned their activities. Who made these plans, and why? Ultimately I think that's why he helps Norris in the end.
I learned later that the movie was based on a short story, which made sense to me because I felt this film could have been shorter. It gets a bit muddled towards the middle. I enjoyed the sci-fi aspect to it, and I have always liked the dichotomy of choice/destiny. In the end *spoiler* we find out that the master plans are written by some God-like figure who runs the bureau (which I guess would mean the bureau agents are like angels...), but apparently if you're willing to risk everything to make your own choices, you somehow earn them. All that stuff was kind of odd and preachy, but I guess it had to wrap things up with some kind of Hollywood resolution.
Overall, it was a fun movie with a unique take on life.
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PG-13, 1 hr. 39 min.
Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance
Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance
George Nolfi
George Nolfi Mar 4, 2011 Wide
Jun 21, 2011
$62.5M
Jun 21, 2011
$62.5M
Universal Pictures
