Adjust your free time, it's worth watching.

Rating: 7/10 (1 June 2013)

What is more important, have a meaningful life or a life of happiness? This film directed by George Nolfi is about a successful politician David Norris (Matt Damon) who has to choose between the woman of his dreams (Emily Blunt) or his career while trying to stop a group known as the Adjustment Bureau from making the choice for him. The Adjustment Bureau is loosely based on Phillip K. Dick's short story 'Adjustment Team'. I went in looking for a clever sci-fi flick with philosophical tones and it was pretty OK. It had what I love to debate such topics like 'Determinism VS Free Will' and "Predestination VS Freedom'. The problem with the movie is there is no reason to root for one side or the other. The powers that be, the Chairman and the fedora wearing hat men want him to be elected to the senate and then president. Thompson (Terrence Stamp), the leader of the hat men, says when he becomes President, it would benefits the world. While it never stated how; but if he able to save millions of people from dying when president, then he should choice duty over lust and sex. For him to choice a woman over the stalk of humanity might seem little too selfish. The only thing standing in his way of obtaining the highest political office is his love for a free spirited dancer, who he meets while she's hiding in the Men's room from hotel security. Damon and Blunt have very little chemistry, which leaves you wondering why he would drop everything for a girl he made out in front of men urinals, after only 5 minutes of dialogue. The lover connection is too weak between the two. I can understand if they were childhood friends, high school or college sweetheart. A flashback scene, or just some scenes in the beginning that showed other "near miss" moments between the two would have been a breath of fresh air. They barely knew each other. Love at first sight is probably what the filmmakers were going for, but the way both Norris and Elise acts in public and in private isn't classy at all. At this point, both were at their lowest point, it wasn't like they felt in love, it look like they made out for a chance of pity sex. The movie makes a great deal of David and to a lesser extent Elise taking their fate into their own hands, by having free will. However, this is contradicted early in the movie, when the adjustment agents find out that the reason they want to be together in the first place is that they were supposed to be together, then the plan changed. How do you have 'free will' if you destined to fall in love in the 1st place? The film isn't about 'free will', but chasing destiny even when the plans changed. If the bureau had anything to do with them from the beginning as far as their "supposed" connection to each other, it wasn't free will, but past bureau programming. The film acts like you can't have both ways as well. They act like she can't be a famous ballerina if she dating a President, and the President can't be the President if he married a famous ballerina. Case in point: Matt Damon's character: he can still be president he can amass enough money and power to eventually find time for Elise. For Emily Blunt character: if she dating a President, that would only help her career even more, and it's not like a ballerina can't have vacation or spent time with her husband. It might be hard for them to meet up due to the demands of their career, but it's no way impossible that they couldn't find a way to work it out. While the romantic part sucks, I do like the Sci-fiction part, with the Bureau men able to teleport place to place through doors. How comes there isn't any women bureau members? Honestly, they can be a bit dumb. If they wanted to make sure, David Norris sticks to 'the plan'. How come they didn't adjust his memory that day, they met? Instead of trusting him to keep their secret, a secret. He is a politician, you dumb, Adjustment Bureau! You can't trust him with your secret! I know that a total mind reset would turn Norris into a vegetable state of mind, but why couldn't they just make small decision making "adjustments." To Norris like they did to his coworkers. It seems easier than threating and forbidding him to see the girl. You can have him decide not seek the girl, or tell the public, your secrets. You can even change Else's mind to not see him. The ending is a bit of a cop out. He should have met the chairman. Why didn't they reveal the chairman? That would be awesome to see. Some people believe there might be some theological gnostic over tones with what the bureau really represented. They say that the chairman represent God and his caseworkers as its angels and the bureau is really about religion. There are some people that think the bureau represent illuminati type inside government, similar to the Men in Black. For me, I don't care who they represented, the whole concept of what the Bureau is on film is interesting. The story does remind me of something. It reminds me of the real life historic story of King Edward VIII and his choice to abdicated the crown when the Church of England refused to allow him to marry Wallis Simpson, because it was morally unacceptable, largely because remarriage after divorce and goes against the church teachings. Overall: it's an OK film with rather white-centric movie plot. Thomas Newman's music score for the film is brilliant. The man is a truly talented composer. I would say, adjust your free time, it's worth watching.