Entertaining material, but not thought-provoking enough to be even labeled as "propaganda" ...

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2011)

I was surprised by the level of criticism that surrounded "The Adjustment Bureau". From what I've read, it seems like the movie was just an excuse for some pro-religious propaganda, underlining the fact that men will never be able to exercise their free will without the supervision of a higher authority, understand God. Frankly, I wish the movie had at least the guts to go as far as what this criticism implies; it would have at least the merit to be quite thought-provoking. What I saw was a well-made special effects driven movie about the power of love and destiny, and a timid cinematic essay about a supernatural force governing our acts, but it takes more than that to be called a propaganda.
I have mixed feelings regarding 'The Adjustment Bureau', and I can't exactly put my finger where the movie went in the wrong direction and I know it did at some part. First, I was baffled by the succession of cinematic clichés that were thrown at me. Matt Damon playing David Norris a young political go-getter with a debatable charisma, but I suspended my disbelief for the sake of my enjoyment. Then the bunch of men with funny hats, I wondered if I had to take them seriously, I tried but God it was difficult. But the icing of the cake was the encounter with Elise Sellas, Emily Blunt's character in the men's room. Now, that scene was quite uncomfortable to watch, I hoped, I sincerely hoped they wouldn't be kissing at the end, and  Bingo! I guess Matt Damon is too damn handsome, no girl would resist. And I guess the girl is so beautiful that if she puts your cell phone in a coffee, you'd be laughing you ass because it's just so damn cute. Anyway, to the credit of the film, all the clichés happen in such a short span of time, you still have one hour to give it the benefit of the doubt. And rightfully, as the movie gets more interesting after a awkward start.
Nolfi's film, yeah, I had to name the director, goes straight forward, and doesn't embarrass itself with nuances, it reveals right after Damon comes earlier in his office and finds our funny-hatted friends scanning his buddy's memory. He learns that he shouldn't have come earlier and the mission of Harry Mitchell, Anthony Mackie's character, was to spill coffee on Norris so he could miss the bus, come later to the office and certainly not meet the girl. Why? It's all part of a mysterious scheme that I don't want to spoil for you  nah, just kidding. The point was that Norris was destined to become a successful politician, and it's strongly implied that he would be the next President of USA. But there's a "but", Elise would be an obstacle to his ascension, because she would cover the gaps in Damon's life. And Damon understands that the death of his brother and father, was part of the big 'scheme' that was meant to be the pivotal moment in his decision to become a politician. His mother died too, but that was bad luck, it happens you know.
And just to show that the film is very gettable in the first viewing, I also know that Blunt's character was meant to be a great and famous dancer but her romance with Damon wouldn't be helpful for her career. So, why are they so strongly attracted to each other? Because they were the perfect match, and were meant to be together. Well, after all, the 'Big Boss' has the right to change his scheme, who's the Boss for His sake? But now, that we know that Damon meeting Blunt wasn't just an archetypal plot device, but part of the 'Big Plot', we're able to forgive the script. The story moves then into the obliged Damon-esque cat-and-mouse thriller. His objective, getting Elise, even under the threat of a lobotomy. These guys mean business, especially when the file was transferred to Terence Stamp's character. But Damon conveniently finds help in Mitchell who initiates him to the teleportation power of the hats, that can open any door if you turn the knob to the right.
Why right? Why the hats? Why not? Everything works for pure script convenience, have we been so interrogative with the treatment of Damon's family background story. No, we're just ought to believe him, so let's not be too technical. At that point, the film becomes a romantic tribute to the power of love where Damon decides to exercise his free will and takes a consenting Blunt with him. Aren't they lovely? The cat-and-mouse chase end up in the top of the building where they're surrounded by the baddies who're not here for kidding, you better believe it. At that point, I was wondering how the script would have concluded after this culmination. Well, since everything is part of the scheme written by a God-like figure, we have one of the most blatant but surprisingly satisfying dues ex machine in a film. Basically, David and Elise proved their love and touched God so much that he decided that finally they were indeed a perfect match. You would think that God has more serious stuff to handle, considering the situation in the world, no, he had to fix this Norris-Sellas issue. After all, maybe a Nuclear Holocaust had just been avoided, who knows?
The movie ends with a beautiful speech about our free will, and our capability to determine our choices and responsibility in life just as if the movie was some kind of existentialist masterpiece. Well, it made me question many things about the possibilities of life, and what would I have been if I did this or that in the past, or what would have the movie been if it had been more thought provoking in the script and less lazy in the writing department. Entertaining fun, but nothing else .