A unconventional love story that is thought-provoking, well acted, and extremely entertaining.

Rating: 9/10 (4 April 2011)

The Adjustment Bureau stars Matt Damon, as David Norris, an up and coming congressman of New York, and Emily Blunt, as Elise Sellas, a rising professional dancer. The story follows David, who is in the middle of campaigning for a Senator seat for New York, and on the night of the election he finds that he has lost and must deliver his concession speech. When he stops into the bathroom he unexpectedly runs into Elise, who is hiding from security because she was caught crashing a wedding in the same hotel, they immediately feel something strong for each other. We are also introduced to the mysterious group of men that are always watching behind the scenes, with notebooks, business clothes from the 60s, and most importantly a fedora. Without going into too much detail about who they are and what they do, because that would really ruin a pretty fun and intriguing part of the whole story, they essentially make sure that everything goes as planned (Every person has a certain path, and their job is to make sure everyone stays on course. There are strong religious themes here however the film does a pretty good job I think of addressing those themes). However because of a mistake from one of their own, David is shown their world and was never suppose to see Elise after the night of his concession speech thus creating the motivating drive of the film.
George Nolfi has shown that he can both write and direct, mostly direct, an intriguing, well made film with power house stars like Damon and Blunt. His direction of New York City is very well done, and he really excels with the many on-foot chase sequences throughout the film. Where he really shows his strengths however is in the dialogue between Damon and Blunt. It's extremely witty and humorous, with a touch of romance and his words are brought to life brilliantly by his two lead actors. All the while he intertwines the love story with the science fiction aspect of the Adjustment Bureau and the mystery surrounding this powerful, all seeing, all controlling group.
The cast is excellent and I can't picture anyone else in the roles of David Norris or Elise Sellas. The simple dialogue scenes between these two are just as entertaining, if not better, than the suspenseful and/or action packed scenes throughout the film. Damon is great, but no real surprise there. And Blunt was right up there with him, now if that's because I'm in awe of her sheer beauty with an accent to top it off, I cant really say, but I thought she was great none the less.
Overall it's a very good film and one of the better stories that have come along since Inception (unfortunately Nolfi can't be credited for an original story here because he based it on Philip K. Dick's short story). My only real problem with the film that I didn't like was the ending, which is pretty unfortunate because up until that point it was almost flawless. It's a bit anti climatic, however I can't see how you would end it any other way and have it still work with the overall story. Bottom line though, the film really makes you think about the idea of fate versus choice and if we really have a say in our future. Whether you believe in a higher power or not, these ideas are prevalent and will always be an important topic to discuss and the film does a pretty good job of asking questions and giving some answers while also leaving enough open for discussion. All in all it's the perfect film for all audience's, both male and female, young or old and one that relies more on it's acting and story than it's special effects like most film now a days, and that in itself is something worth seeing.