Directed by:
George NolfiScreenplay:
George NolfiCinematography:
John TollComposer:
Thomas NewmanCast:
Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, Michael Kelly, John Slattery, Lauren Hodges, Terence Stamp, Dan Marshall, Jon Stewart, James Carville (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he’s ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York. On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) - a woman like none he’s ever known. But just as he realizes he’s falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself - the men of The Adjustment Bureau - who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path… or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
On top of a clichéd romantic subplot, complete with a final dash to rescue love, there’s a lightly exaggerated sci-fi element meant to explore themes like determinism and free will. Meanwhile, the guys in hats are just a cheap bunch of cockblockers that the office director might as well have put to polishing the handles of portal doors. Maybe what was missing at the end was a little touch, like Coldplay in Wicker Park, to give it a similar impact. Instead, I endured an unconvincing whiner who hops around like a lovesick bunny after Emily Blunt (which is understandable) and the hopes I placed in Terry Stamp's post-coitum pill also went unfulfilled. Ultimately, New York itself and Anthony Mackie, who becomes another Bagger Vance for Damon, are the most effective elements.
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I fell in love with the movie the moment David fell in love with Elise. The first time they met in the bathroom gave me chills. I've been falling for it ever since. The idea of the hats as a "key" to the door was extremely original. The final scene, when the lovers hugged each other and said those beautiful words to each other instead of any reaction, moved me tremendously. A film full of loving decisions and actions…
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I will gladly appreciate any interesting and original Hollywood screenplay. The Adjustment Bureau has exactly this kind of unusual screenplay, which on one hand is full of clichés, but on the other hand also full of ideas that are nice to think about. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt performed their standard and they fit perfectly into the film. It is full of great ideas and open thoughts, which will always remain just thoughts. But they are thoughts that are worth considering.
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I say it all the time: Do you want an original sci-fi idea? Close your eyes, stick your hand in the pile of Phillip K Dick's unfilmed thoughts, don't mess it up and success is guaranteed. Like, for example, The Adjustment Bureau. The short and unremarkable short story “Adjustment Team" (which begins with a dialogue between two clerks, one of whom is a man and the other a dog, the dog being big and black, and I'll bet that in the film adaptation he became the black janitor, because they both make practically the same mistake - they fall asleep) has become an original sci-fi "angel-god" fairy tale without unnecessary action scenes, without violence and without expensive special effects, which is very pleasant to watch. The debuting director handled it well, The Adjustment Bureau is pleasantly magical from start to finish, the actors also played their part... Yes, I am satisfied.__P.S. Anyone who wants to read the story will find it in the second volume of the collection “Second Variety".__P.P.S. Now, Hollywood, please make me a movie of that blackly humorous book “Counter-Clock World". Thank you.
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Most people say it’s a pleasant surprise, but I knew at the beginning of the year that The Adjustment Bureau would be a hit, so the resulting 70% impression remains slightly below my expectations. In any case, it’s a pleasant and playful film in every sense. The outlined mythology of the gentlemen with hats is interesting and I would love to look deeper into it, maybe at the expense of the romantic retro line of a man in trouble and a woman unaware. But I’m being unnecessarily critical. The Adjustment Bureau works perfectly as a romantic sci-fi/fantasy snack, there’s no reason to complain. The ending it’s a pity, though, everything is sorted out almost too smoothly. A successful début no doubt.
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