ASHLEY DAY
A&E EDITOR
“Whatever happened to free will?” Congressman David Norris (Matt Damon) asks in the new sci-fi romance The Adjustment Bureau. The film, based on Philip K. Dick’s short story, “Adjustment Team” immediately captures audience attention as this mysterious plot develops. Written and directed by George Nolfi (the man who wrote Ocean’s Twelve), the film has terrific pacing, great acting and an “Inception” like quality.
Damon plays charismatic congressman David Norris, who is running for New York Senate. Due to a college prank published in the New York Post, David loses his first senate race. While rehearsing his concession speech in the men’s bathroom, dancer and British import Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) comes out of a stall and surprises Norris. Their chemistry sparks instantly and David feels intrigued by Elise’s free spirit attitude. The movie runs over a course of approximately four years and David and Elise keep running into each other, though a force known as the Adjustment Bureau try to keep them apart. David discovers the Adjustment Bureau after walking into a bureau memory setup. The only way the bureau won’t erase David’s memory is if he promises to never tell anyone about what he saw and to stop looking for Elise.
The Adjustment Bureau members are mysterious and at first glance, seem sinister. For the most part, these men are not necessarily the bad guys, they’re just try to do their jobs of keeping humans on a set “plan.” One member of the bureau, Harry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie) keeps tabs on David and is basically the guardian that makes sure David sticks to the “plan.” Mackie develops his character into a sympathetic member of the Adjustment Bureau, who eventually helps David with his plan to foil members of the bureau.
Some of the best parts of the film are the chemistry between Damon and Blunt and the witty sarcastic jokes Damon says without remorse. Blunt is also charming and holds her own. From the previews, the movie looks dark and suspenseful, but it is actually filled with a lot of light scenes.
Without giving away the ending, the film suggests an underlying lesson to society: should you stay on the path society expects you to, or should you stray off that path and risk the unknown?
Photo courtesy of collider.com