(Also know as, BBB - Big Brother Bureau…)
CAST: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Terence Stamp, Michael Kelly.
DIRECTOR: George Nolfi
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and overly elaborate meditations on free will, soulmates, and chance - straight ahead…
Riddle me this, folks: if you could choose between finding your dream job, or finding the love of your life - which would you choose? Remember, you can only have one or the other. Would you forego true love for the chance to do what you’ve always wanted to do? Or do you sacrifice your aspirations for the chance to find someone you can: (1) laugh out loud with; (2) bicker and argue with; (3) have hot make-up sex with; (4) have hot sex, in general, with; (5) grow old with; and (6) dance the salsa with on your 65th anniversary. Of course, you’ll probably have to move very carefully on the dance floor - but you can at least try.
That’s the dilemma facing the hero of our next review, politician David Norris (Matt Damon). David is one of those congressmen who, by virtue of being young and sexy, gets his face on the cover of GQ - and winds up extremely popular. Unfortunately, David is also one of those congressmen who has a wild side. Specifically, he moons his classmates at a class reunion - and it is captured on tape. You pretty much can guess where this is going, especially in a field as volatile as politics, where documented evidence of someone picking a wedgie is enough to cost him/her a couple hundred thousand votes - let alone going full bare-ass in public.
As expected, David takes a hit in the voting polls. It seems inevitable that he will lose the election he’s currently running in. Just as he’s preparing a make-or-break speech, though, he runs into the enchanting and beautiful Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) - and finds himself inspired by her vibrant humor and awesome rack. I should point out that he meets Elise in the men’s room. Not even going to tell you how she winds up in there. Want to find out? See the movie.
Anyhow, Elise dashes off before David can get digits, email, or last name to help with a Facebook search. No matter, though, because her “force-of-nature” presence is enough to give him the cojones (and creativity) to deliver a kick-ass speech that, while not quite able to save the election for him, makes him a celebrity. And in the political field, anything that turns you into a celebrity is also good enough to give you a second wind.
Sure enough, David regains his footing as a politician, and runs in yet another election. This one looks certain to swing in his favor. Then, out of the blue, he runs into Elise From-The-Men’s-Room on a bus. And it’s as if they never parted. You know a couple are destined for each other when they can make banter over coffee spills sound sexy and enticing. I don’t have to tell you that David is pretty stoked about this encounter. So is his dick.
This is when the movie gets weird. What started out as your basic boy-meets-girl (albeit with the guy having a job more uncommon than the norm) set-up turns into sci-fi thriller where we discovers the following things: (1) superhuman guys wearing coats and hats who call themselves “adjusters” have been moving among undetected us for centuries to ensure everything goes to plan; (2) any deviations from the plan are met with severe reprisals; (3) David’s plan only involved having Elise inspire him to give that speech that saved his political career; (4) they were never to see each other again in order for him to freely pursue a career in politics and eventually become... The President; and (5) their chance encounter on the bus... was not part of the plan. And the adjusters will do anything to stick to the plan... Two words: uh-oh. Or is that one word?
What is in the cards for David and Elise? Will the adjusters succeed in keeping them apart? Will David and Elise manage to keep their union alive? If they’re not meant to be together, why do they keep running into each other? What happens when David and Elise go on the run to defy the adjusters? Will they get away with it somehow? Or will they pay the price.
See for yourself. Just don’t warn me if you never look at a man wearing a hat and coat on the street the same way ever again…
BUT, SERIOUSLY: In our review for CAIRO TIME (review # 107), we discussed just how crucial chemistry is to films, and how tricky it is to get right. The wrong chemistry can weaken or even sink a film. The right chemistry can save or even make a film. Such is the case with THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU. Were it not for the wonderful connection between leads Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, this film would be borderline-ridiculous - if not an outright disaster.
The technical aspects of the film (direction, production design, sound, etc.) are sleek and professional, but the story (based on a Philip K. Dick story) is such an unwieldy mélange of inconsistencies and incredulities that it takes a strong connection to the protagonists to get us to even partially buy into it. With Damon and Blunt in the roles, we buy it more than partially: we’re willing participants on the same crazy ride they go on.
At its core, THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU is in many ways no different from ROMEO AND JULIET, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, STEAM - THE TURKISH BATH, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, LOST IN TRANSLATION, BEFORE SUNRISE, BEFORE SUNSET, and many others. We basically have two people who are destined to be together - but are thwarted by external (sometimes internal) forces that seek to keep them apart: societal expectation, family tradition, or even their own fear of letting their guard down and taking a chance. In this film, though, those forces are of a sci-fi/supernatural nature: the mysterious “adjusters.” Looked at this way, THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU is basically a star-crossed, uncoventional romance.
As with any romance, whether traditional or otherwise, its power lies in how willing we are to believe that the two people we’re watching onscreen are truly in love. How many times have we seen films that are supposed to be about people who supposedly can’t live without each other - but fail to engage us because we just don’t believe in the relationship we’re seeing? The titles are too numerous to mention in one paragraph. Suffice it to say, THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU doesn’t suffer from this problem. There’s no doubt in our minds that David Norris and Elise Sellas have got the real thing going between them.
Matt Damon has shaped an interesting career by playing roles that are technically leading-men roles, but also just a tad off-center. In other words, he’s never really gone for cookie-cutter parts, and David Norris is no exception. True, David is not as fleshed out as one would like, but a skilled actor takes what’s on the script page and uses it to his advantage. Damon does that here, turning David into a decent guy who, despite having a rambunctious streak, has actually played it safe his whole life, but is “awakened” by his connection to Elise. And once truly awakened, there’s no turning back for him. Damon vividly plays this guy’s loneliness, fear, renewed passion, and, ultimately, steely determination not to lose Elise.
Even more crucial is the role of Elise. She’s the reason why David sacrifices everything and takes all the risk that he does. Again, as with David, Elise’s role is not fully-fleshed out - but it’s just enough for a talented actress like Emily Blunt to breathe life into it. Had a less effective actress than Blunt been put in this part, it would have compromised the whole film. You have to understand what makes a love interest so compelling to drive someone to such drastic lengths to be with them. Because of Blunt turning Elise into such a mercurial and vibrantly alluring figure, we understand completely.
The supporing roles are all filled with recognizable and reliable faces like Anthony Mackie, Terence Stamp, John Slattery, and Michael Kelly. The best of them, though, are Mackie and Stamp as, respectively: (1) the sympathetic “adjuster” who defies his superiors by helping David; and (2) an adjuster who’s really more of a hitman that becomes David and Elise’s most formidable adversary.
Verdict: Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, and the scintillating relationship between their characters, are what makes THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU. Without them, it might have been a passable romantic/sci-fi thriller. With them, though, it’s a moving and memorable ride…
