Love and Free Will and Destiny

Rating: 8/10 (24 June 2011)

Philip K. Dick ((December 16, 1928 - March 2, 1982) grows more popular as a writer in contemporary culture than he was during his lifetime. He typically focused on the fragile nature of what is "real" and the construction of personal identity. His stories often become surreal fantasies as the main characters slowly discover that their everyday world is actually an illusion constructed by powerful external entities, vast political conspiracies, or simply from the vicissitudes of an unreliable narrator. All of his work starts with the basic assumption that there cannot be one, single, objective reality. Everything is a matter of perception. The ground is liable to shift under your feet. A protagonist may find himself living out another person's dream, or he may enter a drug-induced state that actually makes better sense than the real world, or he may cross into a different universe completely.' Given this background information about the origin of the idea of THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, the story adapted for the screen from Dick's 'Adjustment Team' by writer/director George Nolfi (The Bourne series, Ocean's twelve, etc), offers a new appreciation for this well-timed suspense thriller love story - 'Love' being the operative word.
David Norris (Matt Damon) is running for New York Senator guided by the counsel of his friend and campaign manager Charlie (Michael Kelly) and they seem to be on a wining track. David meets the very beautiful dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) in the strangest of circumstances and their attraction, peppered with very fine comic repartee, is immediately apparently. Past faux pas of David's appear in the media and his chances of winning the election seem to be diminishing. At this point David meets some hatted gentlemen - Richardson (John Slattery) and Harry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie) - who represent the adjustment bureau, a group of men who follow the life plan set by the Chairman to keep people in line with their intended destinies. David is instructed to never see Elise again as she is not part of his planned life (a career that despite setbacks is supposed to eventually lead to the Presidency of the US). From this point on it becomes a challenge for David to either obey the adjustment team or follow his heart and be with Emily. After a separation of three years David sees Elise again and the fire of love burns even more brightly. David is warned that if he follows his heart (his free will) he not only will not become the man of his career dreams but that he will also destroy Elise's assigned future of becoming the world's most honored dancer/choreographer. Which drives succeed and how they happen is a wild chase by David and Elise to run toward their own free will through mazes and secret passages and strange situations a s devised by Richardson, aided by Harry, and controlled by Richardson's replacement, Thompson (Terrance Stamp). It is a struggle between destiny and free will.
There is a fine line in Philip K. Dick's story ideas that teeters between the credible and the pure sci-fi direction. In this film the midline is found and the reason the strange story succeeds so well is due in great part to the extraordinary on-screen chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, two actors who continue to grow in stature, having that ability to pull off sophisticated comedy with action packed suspense. The entire cast is excellent and seems to be responsive to the well-conceived direction of George Nolfi. THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU is first and foremost a love story, and a very fine one at that. In order to completely appreciate this film the audience must relax and go along with Dick's ideas - then it all seems very right!
Grady Harp