Geekscape Reviews “The Adjustment Bureau”
Adjustment Bureau is based on a story by Phillip K. Dick (Minority Report, Blade Runner, Total Recall), that stars Matt Damon as a politician named David Norris. When David discovers what’s “behind the curtain,” by accident or mysterious intervention, he’s allowed a behind the scenes view of his life plan and learns that Fate has manufactured a future that includes the opportunity to make a real difference in the world, possibly as a future President of the U.S. The technologically superior organization (The Adjustment Bureau), headed up by an all knowing and fate designing committee Chairman (unseen in the movie) has a plan for each and every one of us.
After a chance meeting with an enigmatic and beautiful dancer, Elise (Emily Blunt), David must choose between what feels like a life filled with love, or the opportunity to follow his dreams of a political life. The Adjustment Bureau, in charge of all of mankind’s endeavors is determined to rein David in and threaten him with dire consequences if he does not follow their wishes.
Ultimately the film’s essence is about free will, and the importance of love.
Matt Damon’s acting career has included a wide range of varied and colorful characters since his Oscar win in Good Will Hunting 15 years ago which was his eleventh film. He’s been in 59+ movies (as I counted them on the IMDB website), and that’s a lot of work to his credit.
Damon as David in The Adjustment Bureau is not just another version of Jason Bourne or a version of what we saw in his previous two films in which he played an insecure lawman (True Grit) and worn out psychic (Hereafter).
Damon as an actor never plays “Matt Damon” playing a character. Rather, he’s always the character played by Matt Damon. Some actors like George Clooney and Al Pacino always seem to bring the same guy to just about every role and though they are celebrated actors they just don’t demonstrate the range that Damon does.
Over the many years of his career with 1988’s Mystic Pizza being his first, Damon’s done an excellent job in picking and creating roles that allow him to play up to his strengths. Once again, he’s demonstrated his acting skill in his portrayal of David as he manages it with just the right balance of ambition, charisma, and believable wit that you could actually envision him as the over-achieving young senator.
Paired with Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria, and The Devil Wears Prada) as his love interest, their chemistry just boils off the screen. The performance is so natural when you first see them meet in the Men’s bathroom early in the film that it draws you in. I think that aspect of the film will appeal to both men and women.
While Emily Blunt doesn’t have Damon’s resume she does play up to him very well early in the film. Whether it’s her skill as an actor, or sharing the screen with Damon, she portrays Elise so charmingly that you almost wonder what would be between them if Damon wasn’t married with 3 daughters. Both on screen, instill timely and believable character motivation, that draws you in to the story right off.
Blunt as Elise is enigmatic while being approachable. She’s attractive without force, and talented not only as an actor, but also as a dancer. She has a wonderful scene performing a modern dance in which Damon’s character watches her intently.
Unfortunately, near the end of the film, her character and her acting both fall flat. Everything that made it work early on, fades, and another version manifests. There is a scene where she is required to look amazed and scared, yet still be determined because of her love of David. She does a poor job with a strange smirk on her face, and her body language doesn’t match what she is saying. The story and mostly her acting became awkward after what had been a pretty good performance up until that point. It didn’t ruin the picture, but did contribute to an overall average opinion of her acting, which in turn contributed to a jerkiness of the last third of the film.
As with all of Phillip K. Dick’s work, there is always a deeper meaning to be had and worked through. This version of his story has been Hollywood-ized for the big screen, and though there are still some moments there for you to contemplate, most people won’t and that’s OK. This movie isn’t about achieving a high state of conscience or challenging who you are, though the original short story is. Like most films shot to appeal to the masses, The Adjustment Bureau is just a fun piece of entertainment with a cool story, and decent performances from its stars that I enjoyed. Die hard Sci-Fi fans will appreciate the effort, but feel like Hollywood missed the mark.
