The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau is all about defying the world’s plan for you, and about how free will and true love can rewrite your plan if you fight for what you want, or what you are truly destined to be.

Although the movie did not do very well at all, with only 21 million gross at the box office, especially considering it has big names like Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, and John Slattery, it is an extremely good film which everyone will take something different away from. The plot centers around Matt Damon’s character who is running for the US senate in New York, which is part of his “plan” at least in this iteration of the “plan”, which is written by ‘the chairman’, which is presumably God, or whatever your appropriation of a higher power or force is... Like I said everyone one should take something different away from this movie. One day he meets Emily Blunt’s character after learning he did not win, who is placed in his path by the adjustment bureau to give him the necessary push to try again.

Damon’s character goes through several flip flops on whether he wants to be with Blunt or not, because the catch is that if they are together neither one of their dreams will be attained. So it pits true love against what our greatest aspirations are. This is where I became conflicted with the movie. While I am sort of a hopeless romantic, although no one would label me as such, I still see how following the ‘plan’ and giving up on your true love would also be an acceptable path. If by following this path to greatness, you can inspire others, and affect many more people than you would if you broke with your ‘plan’ and followed your own free will.

The movie seems almost entirely shot on location in New York, and even has prominent shots of World One Trade Center under construction. USA! USA! The trick with the doors flows very smoothly and the mash ups of different shoot locations is flawless. Although it is set in the modern day the wardrobe department still had an interesting job, in that all the agents of the adjustment bureau wear 1960s style Mad Men esque suits.... or maybe they just look that way because we as a society don't really wear fedoras anymore... well except for hipsters, which really cheapen the look in my opinion.

This movie could be viewed as a thinker, but not directly so. All the actors or factions in the film are clearly laid out, and it only becomes a thinker when you try to place your preconceived notions of life on them.

When I first watched the movie I was not sure if I would like it, because I was listening to the critics and saw how it performed at the box office, but to my pleasant surprise I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would not put it in my top 20 but, liked it enough to ask for it at Christmas.

So while the movie is not for everyone, dont listen to the nay saying masses, and give it a shot.

I give it 4.1 fedoras out of 5.