"The Adjustment Bureau"
Hollywood seems to fancy stories by Philip K. Dick. Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report are some of the films that have been adapted from Dick's novels and short stories. The latest adaptation of his to hit the big screen is The Adjustment Bureau from first time director George Nolfi. The film falls into the odd genre of romantic science fiction. It's the latter half of the genre that keeps this film from slipping into a cliché, hum drum piece of work.
Young, charismatic, Democratic congressman David Norris (Matt Damon) is running for a seat in the senate in hopes of representing the great state of New York. David's hopes of winning are cut short after he gets buried in the poles due to scandalous photos of him in the newspaper. On the night of his defeat while preparing for his concession speech in a men's restroom, just by chance (or is it) David meets Elise (Emily Blunt,) a beautiful ballet dancer who happens to be hiding out from security after crashing a wedding. In this brief encounter she gives the deflated congressman some words of encouragement despite his loss and the two then proceed to kiss. She then scurries off. From that one moment David becomes infatuated with Elise but never got got the chance to get her phone number.
Eight months pass and just by chance again (or so it seems) David runs into Elise on a bus on the way to start his new job. Is this fate? This event happens right after we meet a man dressed in a dark suit and hat named Harry (Anthony Mackie) holding a book with contents of what looks like the world’s most complicated schematic. Who is Harry? What exactly is inside his book? Why is he so determined to stop David from running into Elise again? All these questions are soon answered by Harry’s boss, Richardson (John Slattery.) David is captured by Richardson and his men after he accidentally stumbles upon them conducting their business at his work. David is told by Richardson that he and his men are in charge of planning and carrying out people's destinies. Richardson goes on to say that David was never meant to run into Elise a second time because it’s not part of his life plan. Three years pass and David, this time by sheer dumb luck, meets Elise a third time which then really grinds Richardson’s gears. David is determined to be with Elise even if it means ruining the life plan the adjustment bureau already has in place for him.
While Blunt and Damon give suitable performances, their characters remain for the most part pretty one dimensional. The Adjustment Bureau is definitely more of a plot driven film with ideas and themes that keep it from becoming stagnant. All the scenes with Damon and Slattery or one of the other members of the bureau (Mackie and Terrance Stamp) are superior to the ones with Blunt and Damon. Their love story never really moves the plot along. David seems so puny compared to the god-like Richardson and the rest of his team. The power struggle between the two of them is interesting to watch. Richardson wants David to live his life as long as he stays clear of Elise and therefore fulfills his destiny. David wants to be the one who is control of his life by the choices he makes and not because of some elaborate life plan from a book. It's a unique dynamic.
The film does however begin to deteriorate by the third act. When David begins to defy the bureau by taking matters into his own hands this is when we start to lose interest. The chase at the end is frivolous and inconsistent with the plot. Perhaps it was necessary to heighten the stakes but it feels out of place and tacked on. The goal that David and Elise are trying to achieve during the chase doesn't seem plausible even in a story such as this. And the way they go about thwarting Richardson and his men is cinematically entertaining but irrational in regards to its set up.
Dick has the rare ability to construct incredible science fiction ideas around very conventional stories. This is what makes The Adjustment Bureau quite watchable for at least its first two acts. The third act is disappointing but by no means makes the film unwatchable. While The Adjustment Bureau isn't as grand in scale as some of Dick's other film adaptations it does delve into some rather heavy philosophical subject matter. The film never allows itself to be too far-out or unusual in its setting. The concepts it presents to us are absolutely thought provoking and complex but hardly complicated. Adjust your perception of what you think a typical sci-fi film should be treated to a unique hybrid of romance and fantasy. It's all part of your life plan, right?
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