thomas4cinema

An odd combination of Brazil and Wings of Desire and probably Time Bandits , Dogma, The Game,  Dead Zone, and … I don’t know what else. The script feels as if there an afternoon of research could bring about some 20 reference point in movie history to which “The Adjustment Bureau” owes its story. Not necessarily in a clumsy way, I quite appreciated the general  proposition of a group of adjustment agents fixing ripples in the world’s development through slight intervention and, well, adjustment. However… it’s not really done well. There is no credible way to convey how that system could ever work with the many minute plan deviations and accidents that happen every microsecond, and you would need this kind of framework to make the story’s drama work. As it is, the men with the hats chasing Matt Damon and his British dancer girl seem mightily bare-footed, so to speak, as a force to keep the whole world under perfect control.  Matt Damon as such is pretty good at what he does, he is bulky and energetic, while preserving the boyish charme he needs to be a good political candidate. He is sufficiently torn between his love for a girl and the supposed consequences this would have for himself and the world at large. Still, there is no consistency in what the film tries to achieve, sometimes it is a thriller, a mystery, sometimes a goofball comedy with men in grey suits falling over each other, then a bit of romantic comedy. I believe it should have been more serious about its mystery, more uncompromising Philip K. Dick. Still, quite solid entertainment with a fun cameo cast, such as Jon Stewart or Wolf Blitzer. All that by what I think is a directorial and production newcomer, a rather impressive feat.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adjustment_bureau/