Review: The Adjustment Bureau

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Emily Blunt and Matt Damon in The Adjustment Bureau

In The Adjustment Bureau, Matt Damon is a politician, Emily Blunt is a contemporary dancer, and free will is a joke. The title of George Nolfi's first film comes from a group of bureaucrats who work to keep things in line with "the plan." The movie starts off somewhat awkwardly using a montage with Damon's character David Norris on the campaign trail. In this montage: politician cameos (Madeleine Albright! Wesley Clark! etc.) and talking heads who are given the task of telling us about his character. In the first five minutes of the film, we learn more about his background from pundit Mary Matalin than from anyone else, which just seems strange.

Norris is young and hip, but still loses his Senate campaign. As he practices his concession speech in the bathroom of the Waldorf, he meets cute with wedding crasher Elisa (Blunt). They are drawn to each other, but become separated. This is the main story of the film -- these two gorgeous kids seem MFEO, but the fates are working against them. Except they aren't fates, they are all dudes (the movie flunks the Bechdel test) wearing fedoras, working for "The Chairman" upstairs.

After he stumbles onto their workings, case officers from The Adjustment Bureau follow Norris around, threatening him with lobotomy if he tells anyone who they are and what they do. John Slattery and Terence Stamp play the more menacing figures, with Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) as Harry, who grows to like Norris despite himself. They each carry a copy of a plan -- nifty special effects used here -- and are determined to keep Norris on the path to his already-decided future.

As for our main couple, Norris and Elisa have an obvious spark. Even a three-year break won't throw their attraction off! Matt Damon's Norris is an extremely likeable guy, and he and Blunt's Elisa share some fun dialogue. I wish her character had received a little more exposition, though. The viewer learns heaps about Norris's family background, but very little about hers. Still, Blunt's dancing scenes are amazing; it's hard to believe she only had eight weeks of training.

The weird breaks in the plot -- a month here, three years there, and more -- take away some of the story's flow. Despite this not-so-cohesive storyline, there are still things to appreciate about The Adjustment Bureau. The costuming has a very classic look (all those fedoras), and the overall set design of the film is impeccable. As my friend pointed out, New York City is treated like another character in the film. The filmmakers chose some fantastic waterscapes, spaces and buildings to film in and around. The film's score is another point in the movie's favor; Thomas Newman's themes are quite lovely.

While I may prefer my angelic-types more along the lines of Hap, it is interesting to see a different sort of depiction of celestial beings on the big-screen. I just wish The Adjustment Bureau was a little tighter and smoother as far as structure is concerned.