The Adjustment Bureau

Review by Sean Lynch

What do you get when you mix Inception, Matt Damon, Serendipity, a few other romance flicks and the Bourne trilogy? Simple : The Adjustment Bureau.

Well, it's not as simple as that - but for most of the movie going public, that's pretty much all they need to hear in order to buy a ticket.

Based on the short story by Phillip K Dick (the sci-fi genius behind such classics as Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly and Minority Report), The Adjustment Bureau asks the questions : Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us to follow a pre-determined path? 

Matt Damon (who, legally, needs to appear in every film released in 2011) stars as the ambitious All-American-Boy politician, David Norris, who is on the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Moments before addressing fans after a losing election, Norris fleetingly crosses paths with beautiful, feisty and flirty contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) in the mens bathroom - a woman unlike any he's ever known.

But just as he realises he has fallen for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart.

You see, poor David soon learns that he is up against the agents of Fate itself - literally.

They are the men of "The Adjustment Bureau" who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. For David to stay "on track", to stick to "the plan" which "The Chairman (aka : The Man In The Sky)" has written for him.

But, is "The Plan" prepared for blind luck and chance to intervene?

When it comes to Hollywood and Phillip K Dick's short stories, history tells us that the two do not always mix. Not because the stories are bad, but more to do with the fact that Hollywood are.

Luckily, The Adjustment Bureau keeps this one surprisingly simple. It avoids the traps of convolution (and opts for a bit more over-explanation) which plauge other PKD film adaptations, while still keeping the tension running high, and is much stronger for it. 

Therefore, it essentially plays as the Inception that doesn't require you to think.

That said, it becomes quite obvious The Adjustment Bureau is a short story that's been stretched to feature length. 

It rarely, if ever, strays from the bare basics of the story (Fate, Paths, Destiny, Love) and by the closing few scenes, you could be forgiven you'd accidentally flicked over to an old episode of the Nickelodeon kids show Are You Afraid Of The Dark. The result is that of a fun, but somewhat hollow (especially for a Matt Damon film) final product.

But that is a small complaint for what is, essentially, a Sci-Fi Rom Com.

Damon and Blunt share some wonderful chemistry, with Emily Blunt really shining during the pairs more flirtatious scenes. Meanwhile Terence Stamp and Mad Men's John Slattery deliver solid, if not occasionally borderline pantomime, performances as uptight members of The Bureau (or are they angels?).

Don't believe the trailers - The Adjustment Bureau is more Sleepless In Seattle than it is Proof Of Life - and thus a pleasantly surprising mish mash on two well worn genres.

It also makes room for some fun arguments on the car ride home regarding religion, the role of destiny and fate in life (is it real, or simply another excuse for people to use when things go wrong in the world) and what responsibility lies with those who are given rare opportunities and throw them away.

3.75 out of 5

The Adjustment Bureau
Australian release: 3rd March, 2011
Official Site: The Adjustment Bureau
Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Michael Kelly, Terence Stamp
Director: George Nolfi