Felt like bait and switch

Rating: 5/10 (7 March 2011)

David Norris (Matt Damon) is a young, charismatic politician on his way up. His sometimes impulsive nature leaves a wake of incriminating moments that work against him during his campaigns. Being in front of people helps placate the nagging emptiness he feels in his life. He seems lonely despite his success. One day, during a dark moment in his campaign, he has a chance encounter with Elise (Emily Blunt). The circumstances for their encounter seem odd, and yet the chemistry is instant and unforced. Their brief encounter inspires him to give concession speech that raises eyebrows and puts him on the political map again. And here, is where things get interesting. They have a second chance encounter. This time, they weren't supposed to meet. Not according the the 'master plan' set forth by the Chairman of the Universe. Because a case worker from the Adjustment Bureau fell asleep on the job, events don't get nudged in the right way, and something with apparently far reaching consequences, which isn't supposed to happen, does. Now a certain kind of unpredictable gravity has been created between the two. And it fights against the master plan.
The movie becomes ingtruiging as it explores the concept of free will versus pre-destination, or fate. If your belief system dictates a predestined future, what's the point of free will? Why make choices if you will be nudged in the direction of a predetermined future? At this point in the movie I sat up in my chair. Finally! A Sci Fi movie with depth! Then, a moral dilemma is introduced, which adds even more complexity: Sacrificing your personal happiness, possibly for the rest of your life, in exchange for the greater good of the people around you. It felt like the movie was about to do something really bold here. At one point, I held out hope that it might be going for a very unconventional (un-Hollywood) ending. Unfortunately, I think they lost their nerve. Maybe it was the reaction to a focus group? Or perhaps they caved to a greedy, pushy Hollywood executive more concerned with the bottom line, than with the integrity of art? (Nah, that's a bit far fetched.) Whatever the case, I would love to see some earlier drafts of the script. I'll bet they were probably more intriguing and intelligent that the final product.
Movies dealing with fate and time travel will always have some kind of paradox, or gap in logic. I don't think there will ever be a way around that. So picking apart the movie solely on those grounds is pointless. As long as a movie make an attempt at covering them plausibly, I'm okay with that. Despite all of the inherent gaps, this movie covers most them competently. That's not my problem with the 'Adjustment Bureau'. My problem with the movie is that it raises such intriguing questions, only to leave them unanswered. The few that are answered are approached flippantly. Maybe they lost me because I expected more than what the screenplay intended to deliver. They seemed to promise an existential drama, but delivered a cliché laden romantic date night movie (boy gets girl, it's us against the world baby, love will keep us together, etc. etc.). I walked out of the theatre feeling like a victim of bait and switch.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a horrible movie. Damon and Blunt are excellent. You can really feel the the easy rapport, and eventual electricity between them. The direction keeps things moving along at a brisk pace without sacrificing character development. Another plus: So many movies nowadays rely heavily on CGI flash to hide thin storytelling skills. The Adjustment Bureau doesn't make that mistake. But still, I can't shake the feeling of disappointment when walking out of the movie theatre.
Maybe the problem isn't with the movie. Maybe the problem is with me. I'm becoming a bitter and crotchety old man in my old age. Naah! By the way, TURN DOWN THAT MUSIC AND GET OFF MY LAWN!!!