The Adjustment Bureau Review

"Fate isn’t that bad"

David Norris (Matt Damon), a rising politician, starts a refreshing romance with a ballet dancer named Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). At the height of success and flirtation he accidentally discovers a group of agents that claim to control fate. Upon their unveiling, they inform David that his love for Ms. Sellas is misplaced, for it is against their paths of destiny and will destroy their dreams. David’s love only grows stronger and he becomes fixated on being with Elise while maintaining his political standing. The harder David tries the more he jeopardizes his and Elise lives to the hands of “The Adjustment Bureau.”

A reoccurring theme within a lot of my reviews is the phrase “manage your expectations.” This phrase can be directly applied to “The Adjustment Bureau.” Unfortunately managing expectations isn’t as easy as it seems, especially because of movie advertisements and misleading trailers. After seeing the film and then revisiting some of the TV spots and online trailers, I don’t believe we (us as an audience) were completely mislead but I was expecting a bit more action than “The Adjustment Bureau” had to offer. Not the films fault, but I also found myself craving some Jason Bourne moves whenever Mr. David Norris got into trouble. To be honest David Norris has spunk but he’s nowhere close to the likes of Bourne. Mr. Norris could be more accurately described as a genuine and determined hopeless romantic.

This film is unequivocally a romantic drama with a thriller overtone. By no means is this a negative statement but understanding this fact will allow you to better enjoy this film. Fellas don’t be upset, there is enough chase scenes to moderately satisfy your action needs but it will also keep your date happy and heart warmed.

By far the most intriguing aspect of this film is the chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Both actors do an excellent job portraying a true connection between their characters. The audience will immediately fall in love with Elise Sellas and understand why David Norris needs her in his life. This film isn’t extremely exciting and doesn’t boldly stand a part from any other romance or thriller but it does create a unique combination of the two, in a very professional and sophisticated way. “The Adjustment Bureau” is refreshing; I recommend this film for a great date night or Sunday afternoon.

B