The Adjustment Bureau is, in a word, disappointing. It is a movie that should have been exciting, romantic and fun. Despite some solid acting from the two leads, the film is still none of those things, and really just becomes an almost boring and unintentionally silly movie.
The movie follows an up-and-coming politician, David Norris (Matt Damon), who meets a free-spirited dancer (Emily Blunt) on a chance encounter. They immediately hit it off, and both become smitten with each other. Trouble ensues, however, when a shadowy agency begins interfering in their romance. What comes next is a series of "thoughtful" conversations and attempts at suspense as Damon's character seeks to defy the instruments of fate so he can be with who he thinks is the love of his life.
I think the main problem with this film was that there is a distinct lack of tension. There are scenes which were clearly meant to be unnerving to the viewer, but they come across as hokey. The bureau members, who are supposedly the villains of the film, just aren't scary or menacing. They come across as stuffy businessmen who happen to have supernatural powers. Their attempts to intimidate Norris are laughable. In one scene, a bureau member puts Norris in his place by saying exactly what Norris is thinking before he says it. As a viewer I suppose I was supposed to feel threatened, but really I was just bemused. In the chase scenes, some of the least dramatic in recent memory, I couldn't help but chuckle. Oh no, the corporate lackeys are after me! They didn't even have guns, for crying out loud. The film tries to be a thriller but completely fails.
The other major gripe I had with the film was the silly and contrived nature of the plotline. It is filled with gimmicks that only serve to progress the story, and take away from the mysteriousness of the film. For example, the hats of the bureau members give them their powers, and anyone who wears their hats can do what they do. Also, the members use doors that act like wormholes to travel much quicker than actual humans. Why they simply can't teleport or fly is beyond me. I'm well aware that the movie is based on a sci-fi short story which might have those elements, but did the filmmakers have to make them so obvious in the movie?
Despite all this, I did enjoy the acting of the two leads, Damon and Blunt. They had a relatively believable chemistry, and I enjoyed their dialogue. Not to mention Blunt is a very beautiful woman, and I'm sure the ladies won't mind looking at Matt Damon for more than an hour. So in a way the movie works as a romance.
Overall, however, even its fine romantic scenes and good lead actors cannot save The Adjustment Bureau from absurdity.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
