Theatrical Review: The Adjustment Bureau (George Nolfi, 2011)

George Nolfi makes his directorial debut with The Adjustment Bureau, loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story, Adjustment Team. An opening montage introduces the viewer to David Norris (Matt Damon), a young, up-and-coming politician running for a New York seat in the United States Senate. As the election arrives, however, David falls behind in the polls after a bar brawl and loses to his opponent. While rehearsing his concession speech in the privacy of a men's bathroom, he meets Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt), who had been hiding out in a stall in order to evade security after crashing a wedding in another part of the building. The attraction is almost instantaneous, amounting to nothing less than love at first sight - which seems to be a convenience reserved only for fiction, but nonetheless the performers make it believable enough. Critiquing his prepared speech, Elise tells David that he should be more honest, and just as the two embrace in a passionate kiss, they are interrupted by David's friend and campaign manager, Charlie Traynor (Michael Kelly), with the news that he must go and give his speech. Parting without yet learning her name, David takes her advice and delivers an entirely different speech than what had been prepared - one that is met with great praise and establishes him as a rather early front runner for the next election.

The next scene introduces Harry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie) and Richardson (John Slattery), both dressed in business suits and fedoras. Richardson informs Harry that is vitally important that David Norris spills his coffee at exactly 7:05am. However, a sleep-deprived Harry dozes off and misses the opportunity. His failure results in David taking a particular bus on his way to his first day of work at a venture capital firm - the very same bus that Elise is taking. The two catch up, and David departs this time with a first name and a phone number. Arriving at work, David waltzes through the building, so oblivious in his happiness that he does not notice the fact that nobody is moving or talking; everyone is frozen in place. Upon opening the door to a conference room, David is stunned at the sight of Richardson (and others dressed like him) as well as several other individuals adorned in black suits and helmets, who are examining a frozen-in-place Charlie along with the other occupants of the room. The bizarre spectacle, as well as Richardson's instructions to grab him, cause David to do the logical thing: run like hell.

David's instinctual reaction proves futile, as Richardson and his colleagues are apparently able to utilize all of the doors in the building as portals, placing them one step ahead at all times. After a short chase, David is taken to a vacant warehouse where he learns just who these men are: members of the Adjustment Bureau. Richardson explains that it is their job to make sure things happen according to a plan designed by a figure known only as "the Chairman," and that David has just seen behind a curtain he was never supposed to know existed. Furthermore, David is informed that he was never supposed to see Elise again, but the Bureau cannot predict when chance will enter the equation. Not only that, but their ability to intervene has limitations, though it never becomes quite clear where that line is drawn. They take a card carrying her phone number from his wallet, burn it, and tell him to forget about her. They then let him go, with a strict warning that should he tell anyone about what he has just seen and heard - even if by accident - he will be "reset," which is to say he will essentially be lobotomized.

Three years later, David is once again running for office. I must say that I admire the fact that Nolfi did not concern himself with politics; David may be a politician, but the viewer is never told to which political party he belongs, and there are no issues on which he is campaigning that are given any prominence in the narrative, which is refreshing in that there is nothing superfluous to overshadow the main issues with which the film is concerned. Anyways, despite his encounter with the Bureau, David has been persistent in trying to find Elise, riding the same bus every day on his way to work. One day, by chance, he spots her walking on the sidewalk, and the two meet yet again, causing more problems for the Bureau, who must deal with the new "ripples," caused by their encounter and developing relationship. Eventually, a cold and manipulative veteran agent of the Bureau, Thompson (Terence Stamp) is called in to deal with the situation. Ever menacing, Thompson informs David why he and Elise cannot be together - something that no one else in the Bureau seemed to know. To put it simply, both individuals are destined for greatness, but neither will achieve it if they are together. What follows for the remainder of the film is a sequence of events that would be cruel of me to spoil. 

Essentially, The Adjustment Bureau amounts to an exploration of fate, free will, chance, and where the ethereal power of love fits among them. While this theme is by no means original, I believe the film offers a perspective that is rather unique and interesting, and above all else it is direct and focused. Damon and Blunt are magnificent, their chemistry as exceptional as it is believable, and the script - penned by Nolfi - is very well-conceived. One of the more impressive aspects, though, lies with the nuanced cinematography that reflects the events of the narrative. For example, when the Adjustment Bureau has the upper hand, shots are composed in a more formal manner with a dolly or crane providing smooth, controlled movements. When the situation spirals out of their control, however, shots typically have the disorienting, occasionally frenetic appearance of being hand-held. There are a few minor hiccups within the narrative - particularly an ending that feels like it arrives just a bit too soon - but they do little to detract from an engaging film that tackles the question of whether or not we choose who we love, if it is predetermined, or if perhaps it is just a coincidence. I left the theater believing the answer to be that love is something transcendental.

A-