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The Adjustment Bureau (2010)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

23 reviews

Synopsis

This Phillip K Dick adaptation charts the affair between a politician and a ballerina which is constantly being manipulated by mysterious forces.

Movie review

From Time Out London

One suspects that this sleek and diverting directorial debut from George Nolfi will find it tough to escape from the immense shadow of Christopher Nolan’s similarly themed ‘Inception’. Which is a shame, as it shares just as much common interest with such conspiracy-inspired sci-fi as ‘The Dead Zone’, ‘They Live!’ and ‘The Manchurian Candidate’. And as a film that fuels the belief that the political agenda is set by a cadre of shady, back-room types, it has genuine substance.
Based on Philip K Dick’s short story ‘Adjustment Team’, its central concept proposes that there exists a clandestine, male-only sect whose job is to align the life trajectories of certain specially selected humans in order to prevent global catastrophe. Here the simple aim is to prevent New York ‘bad boy’ politician David Norris (Matt Damon) from shacking up with Emily Blunt’s Elise, who happens to be interpretive dance’s answer to Holly Golightly. If that aim is met, he’ll go on to the White House and she’ll blossom into a world-renowned choreographer.

The oddly conspicuous bureau boys all resemble the noirish ‘Mad Men’ version of the Madison Avenue advertising shark, their swish, swipe-card fedoras allowing them to hop around cities using doorways as teleportation portals. As with ‘Inception’, the film’s conceit assumes that the infinite possibilities of human experience can be manipulated to achieve a single purpose, and as such it leaves numerous plot holes in its wake (the largest being the vague reasons why the agents reveal themselves to Damon’s character). Nolfi began his career as a writer, which perhaps explains why he tries to keep the action character-driven: the sweet chemistry between Damon and Blunt does at least make their romantic, potentially existence-threatening bond credible. But it could also explain the extreme lack of ambition in how the concept is presented visually. Nolfi – unlike his hero – shows no willingness to stray from the beaten track.

Author: David Jenkins

Time Out London Issue 2115: March 3 - 9, 2011

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User reviews of this film

maggie T said...

Posted on Dec 12 2011 14:34 Really enjoyed this movie. Brilliant story line. i really identified with it. God must have a reason and plan for everything.

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Nicky said...

Posted on Jul 08 2011 03:53 Such an incredibly awful movie. Embarrassing beyond belief. Who writes this stuff and gets away with it? I wonder how the actors could stand being part of it. Complete waste of time.

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Tony said...

Posted on May 01 2011 22:20 this film was TERRIBLE. ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL. I actually had to walk out the theater before it ended, I would have been better off throwing the money for the ticket in the garbage. Matt Damon has BADLY LET DOWN expectations - utter rubbish Matt.

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Gort said...

Posted on Mar 20 2011 16:26 Huge misfire! The only way this movie could of worked is if they casted homosexual couple because this way you have WASP couple being pursued by bureaucrats because they think their love will destroy the world and nobody knows how. Even the agents who are carrying the old fashioned books where it's said they musn't be together is obvious allusion to the Bible and the way preachers use it to say how it says gay love is wrong. Especially as the movie goes to the end and the way the couple wants to resolve with the 'big guy'.
So in return you get a whole movie that looks like that boring scene in one of Matrix sequels where Neo talks to that old fart architect. I mean this movie is the main evidence of entropy of Hollywood which will soon completely collapse because they fail to take charge and do something different and not just follow some 'money recipe'.

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JivanG said...

Posted on Mar 18 2011 14:37 Turgid dull romance lent a modicum of validity with the infusion of pseudo-sci-fi miasma about teleportation and the control of one's destiny mostly being in the hand of destiny 'angels' in Homburg hats sent by an unseen omnipotent Chairman ( aka God??) . Give a it a miss... or wait till it appears on Channel 4 movies in about 6 months!

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JivanG said...

Posted on Mar 18 2011 14:37 Turgid dull romance lent a modicum of validity with the infusion of pseudo-sci-fi miasma about teleportation and the control of one's destiny mostly being in the hand of destiny 'angels' in Homburg hats sent by an unseen omnipotent Chairman ( aka God??) . Give a it a miss... or wait till it appears on Channel 4 movies in about 6 months!

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Andrew said...

Posted on Mar 18 2011 11:51 The film is brilliant, silly plot, daft acting, silly pace, but is that the joy of some films, which makes the cinema experience what it is.

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fanboy3 said...

Posted on Mar 17 2011 15:41 Have to agree with Mike's comments. I expected much better.

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ed said...

Posted on Mar 14 2011 11:16 Good chemistry of the leads saved this film from being terrible. The men In Hats offered no real threat though so that kills any suspense. Fate and destiny etc has been tackled better in Blade Runner and even blockbuster schlock like Terminator 2.... Awful ending and many basic plotholes.... No real sense of time passing either, so no sense of the loss he feels when apart from the woman....
Remember BEN AFFLECK's PAYCHECK? This is MATT DAMON's equivalent.... Disappointing because I love so called "intelligent" sci-fi.

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Mike said...

Posted on Mar 13 2011 10:05 Scrumpyjack: Hi ... rather than clog up this page of reviews, I've responded to your comments about my review on the "The Coens discuss 'True Grit'" page (8 Feb), just off the main True Grit review. Cheers.

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mel c said...

Posted on Mar 12 2011 06:56 This film is utter drivel, can't believe reviews that think otherwise. Adjustment bureau concept badly portrayed, flimsy acting, unbelievable rationale for its existence and just made the whole film feel trivial. Essentially this was a romcom, without the com. chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt was actually good so id rather have seen a twee chick flick with them in than this. Film in one word.....RIDICULOUS!! Xx

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Mrs W said...

Posted on Mar 11 2011 19:44 Well I didn't walk out but afterwards I wished I had - the film was dreadful. It started well, but as soon as those men in silly hats arrived it went downhill. The portrayal of the bureau was a joke and the whole plot was so silly that I found that I didn’t care what the outcome was. I did like the doors sequences, and the acting of the main characters was good, but otherwise the film was poor and left me feeling slightly embarrassed on behalf of the cast.

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DV said...

Posted on Mar 11 2011 19:44 I knew very little about the plot but was pleasantly surprised - it's very rare that fans of particular novels and short stories are satisfied with film adaptations. What the film did well was make me root for the main two characters, and if you have an ounce of romance in you, you will too - great chemistry, and Emily Blunt sparkled.

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Michael said...

Posted on Mar 11 2011 08:03 I enjoyed the film. More holes in the plot than my colander, but still worth watching because it's fun.

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scrumpyjack said...

Posted on Mar 10 2011 21:15 Mike, sorry to pick on you again (as with True Grit) but your reviews are a cut above most on here so I find it really quitedisappointing you have started using the lazy "PEOPLE WALKED OUT!!!" tactic. Every film ever made has had people walking out. It proves nothing. When I worked at a cinema people walked out of DEAD POETS....so is that film crap? Goodfellas had a fair old exit early rate...so Scorsese messed that one up, eh? Get the gist. I only saw it today and quite enjoyed it though not as much as I thought I would. And no one walked out either! (MUST be a classic then!)

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