The Adjustment Bureau
I had been looking forward to seeing this one for a long, long, long time. Don't know if any of you remember but it had been slated to come out last summer... then fall... then maybe winter, before finally finding a spot in March. Usually that means bad things for a movie. After all, summer, fall, winter? These are Academy Awards qualifying seasons. No one remembers movies from February or March. Of course, I'd like to think that the rules changed when Shutter Island was pushed to February. That movie kicked ass! But usually... I guess.. the rule is that movies released in February and March kind of suck.
So...Did The Adjustment Bureau suck? Well, no, actually it didn't. It was pretty darn good. Not quite on par with Shutter Island, but good nonetheless. Certainly COULD have played well in the Oscars seasons, but knowing the Academy (ok, I don't KNOW the Academy per se, but from what I understand about the Academy...) it wouldn't have stood a chance for any awards. But that's not really the movie's fault.
So...here's the deal: I'm not going to be able to write as much about the plot as I'd like and some explanations are going to be lacking... and not because I suck as a writer either. I think it'll be better for the folks who see it to know as little about the finer plot points as possible. It's not really a twist-filled adventure but I still think it'd be better not to give away too much. This much you could reasonably snag from the trailer- which if you've seen many movies over the last year or so, you'll have seen about 50 times. The movie is essentially explores the question of free will... specifically, what would happen if we really didn't have it...or, rather, what would happen if you found out that your decisions weren't your own. What would happen if everything truly DID happen for a reason... and that reason was that your life had a plan...and every time you were inclined to stray from the plan, something nudged you back on. It's a pretty interesting idea to explore, and the way it is explored is compelling as well. Viewing the question through the lens of a love story was a pretty good...if predictable...way to relate the issues and consequences involved with it. After all, why else would New York Senate candidate David Norris (Matt Damon) stray from a pretty awesome plan? Love, of course. It's the ultimate curve ball. And so David tries to stray from his plan when he meets the unquestionably awesome Elise (a fantastic Emily Blunt). And well, things get interesting for him from there. Lots of compelling questions tied into it. Couldn't help but wonder what I would do in the situation. And so the movie unwinds into a pseudo-action/love/chase movie. It's definitely engaging and really pretty entertaining, but the meat of the movie is in the questions being asked and the situations you're left to grapple with and the implications involved with these situations and questions. All good, heady stuff. It makes you think.... or...really it asks you to think. And those of you willing to be engaged by it, I imagine will have a good time with it. I did.
But that isn't to say that the movie as a whole or the way it unfolds are altogether perfect or perfectly satisfying. There are some disappointments here. There are, for instance, some pretty gaping plot holes that may raise some questions that have nothing to do with the core questions the movie is designed to have you ask yourself. More like well why wouldn't they just...? types of questions. These weren't major, major issues in my mind because I was willing to go with it. I suppose these types of holes develop when a movie becomes strained by it's own complexity. Or at least when the filmmakers struggle with the decisions of what to explain and what they feel they don't need to explain. I don't know. It just didn't bother me. At least not significantly. The ending was also a bit problematic. I don't know if it's just that they tried to explain too much or they spun it all the wrong way...or maybe it was done right, but just delivered wrong. I don't know what exactly it was, but the way they brought everything to a close was a little unsatisfying to me. But, in terms of drawbacks... that was it.
I think what really helped me get beyond the drawbacks were the awesome casting and the fantastic performances. Especially in the case of the leads. Matt Damon as an earnest politician? I can't imagine a more perfect role. And Emily Blunt was as charming and engaging on screen as any actress I have seen in a long time. I loved the role for her. She absolutely nailed it...at least for the most part. She fast becoming one of my favorite actresses. The rest of the cast was fantastic as well. The dialog was at times encouraged some wooden performances but for the most part I couldn't complain.
Yeah, actually that's a pretty good way to sum up the entire flick. It wasn't perfect on the whole. But it was really good. As far as a way to spend a couple hours of my life? I'm certainly not going to complain.
Grade: A-
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