The Adjustment Bureau

Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terrence Stamp, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery

Dir. George Nolfi
Scr. George Nolfi (based on short story by Philip K Dick)

Possessed of the worst title of 2011 thus far, The Adjustment Bureau is an entertaining flick. But rocket science, it ain’t. Thanks largely to the performances of Damon and Blunt and their sizzling on-screen chemistry, this film is worth a look … but just don’t look too hard.

Matt Damon plays Congressman David Norris who, after an unsuccessful campaign to become a New York Senator, has his world turned upside down and inside out by a beautiful stranger (Elise) and a bunch of very mysterious, hat-wearing strangers. These hat-wearing, 50s throw-back “agents” of fate conspire to keep Norris and Elise (Blunt) apart, in an effort to keep Norris on his destined plan or path in life. Give her up or lose everything, that’s the ultimatum. Without giving too much away, the real guts of this film is whether to accept your fate or change your destiny. Whether you have the power to make that change at all or whether predetermined choices made by higher powers makes free will a farce. Hats are also very important, trust me.

Some will find this film silly. And it has its ridiculous moments, that’s for sure. You’ll need to suspend your disbelief a pretty darn long way. It lacks some key elements that you might expect from a typical thriller – a baddie, a watertight plot, believability. But if you’re prepared to just go along for the ride and not worry too much about everything fitting neatly together, well you might just have a grand time. Because there is a lot to like about The Adjustment Bureau.

You’ve got two great leads. Damon is wonderfully charismatic but also nicely vulnerable. He’s also got his share of Bourne moments – mostly running incredibly fast which he is very good at indeed. For my money, he’s the most bankable leading man in Hollywood today. Blunt is beautiful and spunky and enchanting. Together, sparks fly in a pleasing way. I have not witnessed such easy on-screen chemistry in quite some time. There is humour, mostly intentional, sometimes not. There is a sense, most of the time, that you’re in on the joke and the filmmakers are not taking themselves too seriously. Until it gets very serious in the final act, which is where this film falters. The special effects are minimal and subtle, making them very effective. The source material for this film dates back to the 1950s and you can tell. But this lends the film a charm rather than making it dated and we are always acutely aware this is modern-day New York.

The Adjustment Bureau is an odd film to categorise. Sure, on its surface, it’s a thriller. But it’s also science fiction or even fantasy, depending on your world view. Where it works best however is as a romance – Damon and Blunt’s chemistry will make you smile and hope that, in the end, love truly conquers all.