Awesome Reviews: The Adjustment Bureau

When I saw the trailer for this movie, I have to admit, I was pretty pumped. Because I know whenever I walk around, and especially when I pursue women, a bunch of dudes always c**k-block me. Gotta support the underdog.


Alright, that’s a gross simplification of this movie. Synopsis ho!


David Norris (Matt Damon) is an up-and-coming New York politician fresh off his …. unsuccessful bid for Senator. Prior to his concession speech, he meets a charming woman, Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) who somehow snuck her way behind the scenes of the venue (and into the men’s bathroom). But she didn’t know that she also snuck her way into Norris’ heart (actually it was pretty clear that she knew that). When Norris meets her again on the bus- after Some Strange Black Guy (Some Strange Black Guy) failed to prevent him from getting on said bus- and gets her number, Norris arrives at work. However, upon entering, a bunch of Strange White Guys (bunch of Strange White Guys) are erasing memories of his co-workers. Startled, Norris attempts to flee, but is captured and told that these strange men comprise the Adjustment Bureau, who make sure that people’s lives follow the path outlined for them… even if that path doesn’t include the beautiful professional dancer Elise that Norris is in love with…



I mentioned that I wanted to see this movie when I saw the trailer. I actually saw this movie on a flight months after it was out of theaters (they said something about paying for headphones, but I had my own so uhhh the movie was free)… and uhhh… soooo…. Here’s what I thought.


THE AWESOME:


1) THE CAST


It’s a very small cast, or at least it’s one of those casts where you don’t need character names. The guys in suits? Bad guys. Except maybe the one. Handsome white guy? Hero. Check. You know, stuff like that.


No one has an insanely difficult character, but all roles are performed admirably. It’s impossible not to root for Damon’s Norris, as he literally fights fate, or the forces of fate. Although Norris’ campaign is a little too Barack-y for me (young guy runs for Senate, Presidential hopeful within a few years of win perhaps), he is very likeable, which makes it all the more frustrating that Blunt’s Sellas does not understand the forces at work that make Norris appear like an asshole. For long stretches of the movie, Sellas allows herself to be victimized again and again (and keep in mind the movie takes place over several years). It’s an interesting relationship that they develop; I imagine it’s similar to having a very loving relationship with a paranoid schizophrenic. I think the key word here is passion. Both actors utilize it throughout the romantic thriller, and it keeps what becomes a monotonous story more interesting.


Everyone working for the Bureau has a name, but honestly, who gives a sh*t, because I can’t remember any of them. I don’t even know if they mentioned the names during the actual movie. I had to look up the one’s name that I put in the synopsis. The member with the most screen time kinda looks and sounds like Jigsaw, so no matter what his name was, he’s Jigsaw to me. Anyway, I digress, these guys are mysterious obviously, but I found myself most of the time getting bored or confused with them. We’re supposed to empathize with them- hey, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it- but it’s never really clear WHY they have to do their jobs. The actors did a good job though, handling roles that were surprisingly bland as hell.


2) THE CHASE(S)


A lot of this movie is running from the Bureau, in that clichéd you-can’t-outrun-your-fate kinda deal. Some of them are short, some are long, some are interesting, some aren’t. I include them all though, because I’m sort of retroactively comparing them to the final chase, which was, in a word, sweet. Despite not seeing Inception, the final chase was something I imagine could just as easily belong in that movie. I don’t want to describe it in any detail in case you want to see the movie, but trust me, it’s worth the wait and it’s an impressive use of effects that don’t make you want to gorge your eyes out from overusage.


3) THE PREMISE


I am not going into detail- you’ve read the synopsis I hope.




THE NOT AWESOME:


1) THE STORY


I know what you’re thinking. How can you like the premise, but not the story? Aren’t they very related?


Yes, yes they are. But hear me out.


This movie was loosely based on a short story by Phillip K. Dick; people controlling a lot of sh*t and reality not being what you think was kinda his thing (Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and Blade Runner were all based works of his, to name a few). Why do I mention this? Because it was a SHORT story. There is a reason it was a short story. There’s simply not enough in it to sustain a novel, or in this case, a movie.


I felt for most of the movie that I was waiting for the big twist, the game-changer, the reveal, something that would immediately affect this story to the climactic chase. And, for the most part…. They’d tell you some tiny bit of news (“Hey, look at this! This doesn’t make any sense!”), and the other characters would agree (“We agree”), and I’m sitting there waiting for that information to manifest itself in advancement of the story. Like, okay, we’re getting all the puzzle pieces, now to see the big picture!


This movie, to me, felt a giant tease. There needed to be more to this story. More twists, more intrigue, more character development, just more. I think the writers forgot that this movie was feature length and just stttrrrreeetttccchhhhed everything out to fit the format.


2) THE ENDING


This pissed me right the f**k off. I was expecting a bit more. It seemed really abrupt and really predictable, and very clichéd. They don’t even try to wrap it up very nicely. I would have preferred some lesson to be learned, or some inner truth revealed. Instead, it was more of a “Alright, you win!”


What’s that? You say that there is a lesson?


I suppose. I can think of maybe three ways to put it.


(1) “Free will and determination can overcome any circumstances.”


(2) “True love will always find a way.”


(3) “If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territory, and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously.”



I’m going to debunk each of these one by one, starting with the easiest.



(3) This was a line spoken by Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.


(1) Um. No matter how bad I wanted to be a professional basketball player, no matter how bad, I am way too white, way too slow, way too short, and way too bummed-legged to do it. Especially now, since there are players two years younger than me in the League currently, and I am out of college. No amount of determination or choosing to practice will ever get me a check from the NBA. Although with this whole lockout deal coming up…


But you get my point. Some things just aren’t meant to be, and there’s nothing that we can do about it.


(2) This is really the same thing as (1), just concerning love. And therefore IT IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DANGEROUS.


There was this girl I crushed on for a while. I’m going to change her name to protect the innocent. Let’s call her “Smchessica Smchalba”, or SS for short.


Now, let’s say I possess this book which tells me that SS and I are meant to be together. It’s totally fate, I have "proof". Now, I know this was meant to be, so obviously the only rational decision is to stalk her for years to try to convince her that when I was watching Sin City I knew we would live a wonderful life together.


But to my surprise, she does not believe that we’re destined for each other. Imagine that.


Now, this is the danger that is inherent in this movie: according to this movie, HER OPINION DOESN’T MATTER. At no point in this story was Blunt’s character really given a conscious decision on the matter, not any one that could be trusted or that she could really think about. If it’s fate, it’s going to happen anyway, and if it’s not, don’t worry, the man’s going to make it fate. This movie justifies, or can help to justify why stalkers exists! Sorry SS, I will continue to call you and hang outside the gates of your mansion in Beverly Hills! SOMEDAY YOU'LL REALIZE!


Note: I am well aware that women stalk as well. (Leave me alone Bethany!)


The bottom line is I don’t think this movie was aware of the implications of the ending, especially when considering that (believe it or not!) women have a say in the relationships.


Here’s how I would have ended it. SPOILERSSSSS


The Bureau finds Damon and Blunt together and ready to kill them or do whatever it is they’re going to do (in the movie it sounds like a lobotomy) for defying “the plan”. Just then, the Chairman contacts the members of the AB to forget about it. The members leave, with no explanation to the couple as to why this has happened. It’s just over for them. Congrats!


Then….


(A) Back at the HQ for the AB, the Chairman reveals to the AB members that THEY TOO have a fate that they are following, and the entire movie was about how THEY have veered off course.


(B) Back at the HQ for the AB, the Chairman reveals to the AB members that the book they have been using this whole time was an experiment or otherwise NOT book of fate as they were led to believe.


Or (C) The Bureau members get in a helicopter and notice a Pterodactyl flying off into the sunset.


Any of those endings would have been better. It’s what Rod Serling would have called “the ticket”, the twist, the WTF moment. It would have made you think!!!





Sorry for all the b**ching. So did the Adjustment Bureau prove its worth to the people, or get cut from next year’s budget?


Overall, on a scale of 1-10, 1 being sh**ty and 10 being mind-blowing, The Adjustment Bureau gets a….


5.5: This isn’t a terrible movie. This isn’t a good movie. And in retrospect, trying to review this SOB, I found myself constantly thinking that it is a fairly forgettable movie. I can’t say I would recommend to film to anyone, unless you were really interested in it already (as I was). But your time and money is much better spent on other movies, like Blade Runner. I got the vibe that this movie was trying for a Matrix-style “what is reality/freedom?” thing without the martial arts or mysticism to accompany it, and it really showed. As I mentioned earlier, there’s just not enough to this movie, and while rooting for the underdog is fun (and easy to do), there’s an utter lack of imagination that becomes more and more noticeable as the film wore on. It feels like half of a film.