The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Director - George Nolfi
Starring - Matt Damon & Emily Blunt
4 stars
This movie, straight of the bat, is a little more than meets the eye. On the exterior, it can easily appear to be a love story. The catalyst behind every major plot point is due to the characters acting on the desires of their heart. Fighting to preserve a love that may or may not exist. Think you’ve seen it before? It’s probably because you have. I urge you to find a film that doesn’t possess at least one love story in its plot. Whether it dominates the narrative or not, love is always there, and The Adjustment Bureau is just another example where love is a major issue that is addressed. Fortunately, this is more than just a story of forbidden romance.
So what is more than meets the eye for this film, you ask? Anyone who knows me would know that I could easily dish out 4 stars to a film that has a good love story. This couldn’t be more truthful, but for this one, it wasn’t the romance that had me hooked. And this is where the other sceptics come out to play. Anyone who has heard anything about The Adjustment Bureau knows that it revolves around events that don’t actually happen in the normal world. Everything we have come to learn in the past 2000+ years of civilisation on this planet suggests that there is no such thing as a team of unique, slightly supernatural beings who control every little event in your life. A group that abides by the plan that has been given to you and ensures to make slight adjustments if you start to teeter of track. This is not how life works… or so we think? Now, I’m not suggesting that this actually does happen. In fact, I know that it doesn’t. No, this George Nolfi directed feature has not in anyway brainwashed me but I do applaud the way he went about justifying this bizarre notion. Anybody who has at least a little bit of imagination can sit back and think to themselves ‘hmm, this really can be happening’, and BANG, just like that you are able to enjoy this film on another level because you aren’t constantly thinking, ‘yeah but that can’t happen’. It was this aspect that got the ball rolling for me and eventually led into a very enjoyable cinematic experience.
So that’s what it’s all about. Two people meet and hit it off. As fate would have it, they meet again, only this time it is not according to plan. This second meeting was not supposed to happen and as it turns out, the pairing of these two individuals puts their very futures largely off course. So what do you do? You adjust it of course. You bring in the bureau and ensure that they don’t meet ever again. You explain the situation to one of them and make sure he knows that if he blabs about the adjustment bureau he will have his memory erased. Pretty shocking consequences. This is when the story hits off as the question of how hard will you fight for love is asked.
Both of the leads, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, were sensational and brilliantly casted. I think this movie suited Damon wonderfully. He was never out of his comfort zone and was again playing a role that we are so accustomed to seeing him in. Blunt worked well off Damon and really ended up standing out from it all. The on screen chemistry worked a treat and the narrative’s overall success was really born out of the believability of this pair’s relationship.
As I mentioned earlier the idea of this adjustment bureau wasn’t all that difficult to get your head around. It was in no way confusing but so often film goers who aren’t open to the (sometimes far fetched) possibilities in this world will sit there hating every second of it because in the feeble little minds they know this is not actually happening. Still, I thought the process was justified suitably and the movie was able to soar because of this.
The last half hour was pretty action packed and I really can’t remember sitting on the edge of my seat like that for some time. They’d thrown the line in the water, I gobbled it up and I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to see what has going to happen next, what has behind the next door (see the movie, you’ll get it!) and more importantly, how it was going to end. It’s this feeling of exhilaration combined with the plain old unknown that gets the blood pumping. There’s nothing like that feeling when you’re sitting in your chair in front of the big screen. It’s what going to the movies is all about.
So I genuinely do give this the tick of approval. I remember first hearing about it months ago and immediately typing it in my phone in my ‘to watch’ list. It was a long time coming, and the yearning to watch a film for months and months is often a dangerous thing as your expectations, unbeknown to you, cheekily begin to creep up and up. Rest assured, expectations were met, movie was enjoyed and a good time was had by all. I guess it was just part of the plan?
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