Dir. George Nolfi , USA , 2011, 106 mins
Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terence Stamp
Review by Carol Allen
This is adapted very freely from a Philip K. Dick story into a thriller about a romance which will have its way despite all obstacles.
The premise of the film – that our lives are manipulated by unseen forces to fit in with a master plan – is an interesting variation on the “God has a plan for all of us” idea. Damon plays charismatic young politician David, who is on the brink of winning a seat in the US senate. When he meets talented young dancer Elise (Blunt), he falls instantly in love with her and determines to win her hand. But a group of mysterious strangers are determined to keep them apart. David and Elise as a couple are not part of Destiny’s plan and in order for them to be together, David has defy the fate that has been laid out for him.
The way this idea is presented visually is very effective. The agents of the bureau, who include John Slattery (Roger Stirling in Mad Men), are all dressed like FBI agents in a 50′s movie and behave like very active bureaucrats in a Kafka story. There’s also the imaginative device of the doors, which open onto rooms other than the one to which they belong, which enables the agents to move swiftly around the city and the amusing fact that the power to do this lies in those old fashioned hats they wear all the time. The pseudo science of the theory – the idea that the Adjustment Bureau only takes charge when historically humanity are being very naughty boys and girls, like now and in the Dark Ages – is initially a bit confusing and even when finally explained by the Terence Stamp as the bureau’s middle manager Thompson – still an impressive screen presence and adding a touch of gravitas to the proceedings– it doesn’t totally convince.
Damon is engaging as David, the politician acknowledged by everyone including himself as remarkably young for the job. His boyish charm works a treat and there is an enjoyable friendship that develops between him and his personal adjuster/case officer Harry (Anthony Mackie). There is something rather cool about Emily Blunt as an actress – she does irony well but isn’t great on passion – which means there’s a lack of chemistry between her and Damon, which doesn’t help the theme of an unstoppable love. And the fact that her character is a modern ballet dancer doesn’t add a lot to the story, apart from a couple of redundant dance sequences. It is though a nice comic touch that the couple are called upon to play two of their most important scenes together in a gent’s toilet. There’s a degree of wit in their relationship, which Blunt does well and the climax to the story, when David and Elise break into the Adjustment Bureau in search of the top man (God?) in an effort to persuade him to change their life plans, is pacey and fun.
