PRINTMovie review: The Adjustment Bureau
Characters clash in confusing film
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
March 5, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. CST
In the world of the up-and-coming senator David Norris, success comes easy, beautiful women love him and fate hunts him while wearing fashionable fedoras. George Nolfi’s The Adjustment Bureau is another installment in the long line of films adapted from Philip K. Dick’s novels and short stories including Blade Runner, Minority Report, and the slightly more accurate, A Scanner Darkly. This film, based on Dick’s short story “Adjustment Team,” portrays the charismatic Norris (Matt Damon) running for senator when a chance encounter with fate calls him to question reality, free will and his true love, Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt).
The chemistry between Blunt and Damon is immediately apparent. Their witty and natural dialogue allows the audience to become invested in their characters and also have a few laughs. John Slattery (“Mad Men”), Terence Stamp (Wanted) and Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) also deliver in their roles as the stoic, stone-cold agents of fate.
Related MovieThe Adjustment Bureau is a high-wire balance between science fiction and romance. Despite well-developed characters, the genre mixing quickly turns stale. The film tries desperately to set the groundwork for the bureau and develop Damon and Blunt’s relationship. Unfortunately, the plot just runs out of breath. The film seems more like two bad-tempered children forced together and told to behave. Their rival plots almost seem to choke each other and, in the end, providing little to no substance. Unless romances are your favorite genre or you’re an avid reader of Dick’s work, it’s probably best to just sit this one out.
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