3 stars
"The Adjustment Bureau" unfolds on two separate planes of reality: the human world as we know it, where we presume to be in charge, and the world of the fate-masters pulling our strings and controlling our destinies. Compared to the five levels of play in the much grander "Inception," this entertaining adaptation of the Philip K. Dick short story "Adjustment Team" is pretty simple.
Simpler isn't always better, of course. But writer-director George Nolfi's movie works on an interesting scale with a disarmingly gentle spirit, even though it's being sold as a hard-charging romantic thriller. I like it; I hope it finds an audience.
The chemistry of its stars shouldn't hurt. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, together on screen, make all sorts of sense; his compact concentration and fire-plug solidity contrast well with her gangly physicality and spirit of mischief, sexual and otherwise. After a tabloid scandal derails his political career, aspiring New York senator David Norris is preparing his concession speech when, by chance, he meets a strapping contemporary ballet dancer, Elise Sellas. Their connection is immediate. They part. Norris spends years trying to find her again. This is the one, he thinks. Why is it so hard to locate her for a cup of coffee?
The meddlers of the film's title are making it hard, that's why. Early on, we see men in out-of-place fedoras skulking around the city streets, shadowing Norris. One of these men, Harry (Anthony Mackie of "The Hurt Locker"), is his overseer, or guardian angel, or life coach. Harry's boss is played by John Slattery of "Mad Men," which explains why he looks right in a fedora. By chance, Norris goes "off the plan" and meets Elise a second time, which the Bureau had not planned on. This sends his life's course into an entirely different trajectory. The mysterious men of the Bureau, headed by Terence Stamp as Mr. Big, resemble a combination of Fate Management gurus, case officers and "Mad Men" obsessives, who must dive into action and redirect Norris' future.
Dick's original 1954 story was a product of Cold War paranoia. In that version the protagonist was a gray flannel suit, working for an insurance company. The narrative hinged on a Canadian land deal that would galvanize the international scientific community and transcend Soviet-U.S. tensions, thereby making the mid-20th century world a little safer. In the same spirit, Nolfi's film adaptation makes its main character a politician turned venture capitalist who could make a huge difference to millions.
Visually the film does not kill you with constant, computer-generated bamboozlements. Its fantasy appeal relies on a few simple ideas. For example: If you're wearing one of the Bureau team's magic hats (sounds dorky, but there it is) you can open a door, any door, and find yourself suddenly across town, or in a sports stadium. As Norris scrambles to reunite with his dancer soul mate, and eventually outrun the Bureau's men intent on keeping him on plan, the film becomes a medium-speed, nicely calibrated chase.
What's striking about the picture, I think, is its lack of violent threat. The producers may well have been tempted to turn at least one Bureau member into a rogue assassin or some such. But they resisted, and I'm glad. I'm glad, too, that "The Adjustment Bureau" has the guts to play its central romance for genuine romantic feeling -- and in the tasty byplay between Damon and Blunt, who seem to enjoy each other.
MPAA rating: PG-13 (for brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image).
Running time: 1:46.
Cast: Matt Damon (David Norris); Emily Blunt (Elise Sellas); Anthony Mackie (Harry Mitchell); John Slattery (Richardson); Michael Kelly (Charlie Traynor); Terence Stamp (Thompson).
Credits: Written and directed by George Nolfi, based on the short story "Adjustment Team" by Philip K. Dick; produced by Michael Hackett, George Nolfi, Bill Carraro and Chris Moore. A Universal Pictures release.
