Another example of why science fiction and romance rarely mix

Rating: 6/10 (23 March 2011)

Forgive me if this sounds hopelessly derivative: a rising politician named David Norris (Matt Damon) meets up with a ballerina named Elise (Emily Blunt) by chance on the night of a major election. They part ways, but David cannot seem to get her out of his head. By chance they meet again, and David remains smitten with this mysterious woman. When he enters his office, he finds an odd group of individuals who call themselves the titular Adjustment Bureau. Apparently they are a group who ensure people act according to a plan that is predetermined for them. And a relationship between David and Elise is not part of the plan.
Going into The Adjustment Bureau, I only knew of the short story by revered sci-fi icon Philip K. Dick. But going by the track record of successes, failures and cult classics based on his work, I assumed this film would at the very least be worth a look just because of the legacy of films his writings have created. Sadly, going by the plot synopsis I described above, I am certain you can guess which category this film falls into fairly quickly.
When The Adjustment Bureau is focusing on the concept of people's lives being pre-determined and how free choice adds to the mix, it delivers in near remarkable fashion. Seeing how the "Adjustment Team", who are referred to mainly by their last names, works and how omnipresent they are in people's lives is downright thought-provoking on the same level as Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report, and just as intriguing. This is the kind of material science fiction has always worked best on, and some of the things that happen are just as fun and unique as you can imagine. I would have loved to learn more about the notebooks these team members read like gospel, and would have greatly enjoyed significantly more emphasis on these elements.
What also impressed me was the lack of obvious special effects used throughout the film. There are a few scenes which looked blatantly enhanced by CGI, but the majority looks practical in nature. This can be chalked up to the fact that the film is not one that needs to be drenched in effects (unlike so many other science fiction pieces), but the simplicity and nuances of opening doors to other places and the use of real sets was something I felt worthy enough to be mentioned on its own. If only more films could follow the production examples set by this one, we would have more natural looking big-budget films.
Sadly, it is the romance that wins and drowns out almost every instance of science fiction-esque explanation (minus the initial reason for why the Bureau exists in the first place). It seems like writer/director George Nolfi was merely intrigued by Dick's story, and decided to build an against-all-odds romance around it. But it feels stale in comparison to the ideas surrounding it, almost like an afterthought. The familiar and clichéd romantic beats are all here, but Nolfi never takes them anywhere exceptional – they merely stay grounded in the ordinary of whatever freakish form of reality the film takes place in. There is more than enough room for development in some scenes, and others could have become instantly more exciting if there really was something more to it.
I would be a little less harsh on the romance, except it leads to one of the most ridiculously uninventive endings of the last decade. The film takes on its own liberties in the quest between David and Elise for ultimate happiness and free will, and forsakes and ruins anything intriguing and worthwhile within the plot (namely the explanations on how the Bureau acts and reacts to situations). The film's release was delayed and I think the final act may have been what was tinkered with the most in the ensuing wait. It feels choppy, weak and just not all there, like there was something more to it, something that helped make all of the romance easier to swallow by the time the credits roll.
But sadly, as one moment passes into the next, each more outrageous and near farcical than the next, the horrible ending unfolds. I want to say it is the kind of movie that would benefit from ending ten-twenty minutes sooner, but even that would not help make it any less preposterous than it quickly becomes. There is a scene stuffed in here between Damon and one of the "adjusters" played by Anthony Mackie, where Mackie looks delirious and incredibly baffled by the words he is saying to Damon. I am fairly certain I had the same look on my face trying to comprehend the inane and downright silly turn the story takes at that exact same moment.
Much like he always does, Damon delivers the best performance he can with what he is given. He is never one to back down from a challenge, and he makes David a compelling character at all times. You really do feel for him, even when so much is going wrong around him. Blunt has the unfortunate task of being the beautiful background character, one that gets very little to do outside of eliciting a reaction from Damon. She looks great while doing it, but does not offer all that much here. Mackie is great when the film wants to use him, and Terrence Stamp is so deadly serious that he feels like he belongs somewhere else. But did they really need to completely undercut and make John Slattery be so useless?
The Adjustment Bureau is greatly enjoyable in parts, but is never able to maintain the right focus. It is worth a look, just to see what it easily could have become, before squandering it away on melodramatic romance.
6/10.
(This review also appeared on http://www.geekspeakmagazine.com).