My first viewing of the Matt Damon/Emily Blunt "sci-fi romance intrigue" The Adjustment Bureau, based as are so many good sci-fi movies on a story by Philip K. Dick, had me cheering. Some of my cheers were for Dick and director George Nolfi (who also penned the screenplay) who combined to create a great thriller that doesn't include a single explosion or gun shot (okay, there's one small car crash) and presented 'villains' who don't need to be nasty-evil to make one fear them. I cheered also for my first view of Damon in a romantic lead, totally believable as a young political up-and-comer and a love-struck man. And saving the best for last I also cheered for Emily Blunt, seen by me for the first time and was all the more impressed with her performance when I later learned she'd had no training as a dancer prior to signing on for this movie. Astounding. Add to that a great supporting cast headed by Anthony Mackie and Terrance Stamp and you have a movie that deserves to be on your DVD shelf.

Is the fate of one couple's love as pressing as the fate of the world? If you're one half of that couple, it is! And so this loose adaptation of Philip K. Dick's "Adjustment Team" gives us both a star-crossed romance with two very likeable leads in Matt Damon & Emily Blunt, as well as posing some interesting questions about Fate vs. free will. And it does so with a touch of humor in addition to the intensity: even on a cosmic scale, bureaucracy tends to get tangled up & make mistakes at times. In this case, it's when Matt Damon's character connects with Emily Blunt's, when he was supposed to encounter her just once, for a fleeting moment.

What I like about this film is that it's told on a more modest scale. If Damon & Blunt are separated, the world will still go on … but their personal world won't. Are they meant to be together? Is there even such a thing as two people being meant to be together? Is it good & right to sacrifice yourself for some undefined greater good? And just who decides what's greater & what's good, anyway?

The film makes marvelous use of its NYC locations, making familiar places look fresh & new & beautiful. And it sparks those deeper questions while offering both a love story & a suspenseful chase. Entertainment & thoughtfulness: you can't ask for much more from a movie, can you? I find it quite re-watchable over time, having just seen it again & enjoying it as much as ever. For some, it m ight seem too slight; for some, the metaphysical underpinnings might be off-putting. But for me, it works. Highly recommended!

The Adjustment Bureau caught the viewer completely off guard. That’s because they had no idea what kind of movie it would be like from the beginning which introduces David Norris (Matt Damon) failing at his attempt to win a seat in the Senate representing New York state. The movie is about Norris falling in love with a woman that he wasn’t supposed to named Elise (Emily Blunt). A group of men led by Harry (Anthony Mackie) and Richardson (John Slattery) do their best to break them apart. The story is about whether love is more powerful then fate.

The fact that David and Elise were not supposed to be together was shown when they first met in a bathroom at the hotel where David was giving his concession speech after losing the election. They immediately hit it off. They kiss one time and then she disappears like Cinderella at the ball. After that his course is supposed to be set. Harry and Richardson have maps showing what he’s supposed to do every hour of the day. The problem is, he randomly runs into Elise again on the bus and can’t stop thinking about her. He becomes obsessed with finding her, which drives Harry and Richardson mad. They do everything in their considerable power to keep them apart. This was the mind bending part because Harry and Richardson could warp reality. The movie is about the chase. First David chasing after Elise and then them running from Harry and Richardson.

What drives the movie is the chemistry between David and Elise. When they talk you can feel the emotions they have for each other. Anthony Mackie also stands out. It’s great to see him get parts in a variety of different movies. He’s always been one of my favorite actors.

The twist at the end about who Harry and Richardson work for and how they have powers was totally unexpected. It’s what made this such a special film. It just kept on surprising you.
C

Might be my 4th viewing. Easily got me into and kept me into the story. Remembered all the broad strokes and a lot of the details, but I still wanted that dang story to advance even though I knew it would and exactly how it would. See? Something else keeps the viewer in the seat in addition to all the film cinematically offers. Probably true of all films that "get me" -- something else unseen there may be in the first or more viewings. Nice. Emily and Matt both delivered. The film has more gravitas than, say, Heaven Can Wait, by a whole notch. My five stars does not mean I thought this film or any of the achievements of it are worthy of the highest rating -- only that five stars is not enough to delineate. 8.5 stars on a ten point system. But when I give five stars here, it means I don't want to deconstruct this work to sleuth out the flaws. It passed all my tests -- YMMV.

For me this movie has aged well with time; it is not one of those movies to get lost in with details that one feels should be adjusted for given available technology. This at the root of it all is a love story very well encapsulated in the Sci-Fi genre. To really appreciate this movie one has to pay attention to the chemistry, exchanges and dialogue between the two characters. As an example the scene when Matt Damon's character comes back from getting coffee in the morning but Emily Blunt's character is on the phone. That is a key scene in which the conversation between them exemplifies the bond one experiences with another person that makes them feel connected and unspoken. If you watch the movie and miss many of these scenes then you might not be ready to understanding the meaning. Emily Blunt's acting is what really makes the chemistry and adds depth to each scene; she is able to bring through what is needed for her character so well. It is not to say that Matt Damon did not do a good job but just that Emily shined better in this movie.

The role of David reads like the life of a psychotic: invisible people control his life, keeping him from the woman he loves, and naturally he blames them when he ducks out on Elise, for years at a time -and not once,
but twice.

The cringy part is that Matt Damon's David isn't very convincing. The chemistry between him and Elise is nonexistent -whatever they do have is dull and uncompelling. Don't get me wrong, I admire both of these actors, and they're adept at playing their usual selves in this film. Maybe it's that the screenplay gave them so little time to explore the potential relationship and hook us, get us rooting for them.

That said, the production design is attractive, and the third act's magic doors trick made the ending bearable and almost fun.

I had just watched two of the worse movies for 2021, I was not in favor of watching a 3rd movie for the third night! But I had rented it and gave it one more shot. They say 3's a charm and a charm it was! Delightful! The writing was just amazing on The Adjustment Bureau that this is one of those movies for me that I can watch again and again!
The cast and the acting was fantastic! I was never bored and never lost as to what was going on.....It kept me guessing and was not all predictable. All I can say is I loved it! Somethings just happen for reasons we cant explain even if we see it as good or bad...I was meant to see this movie at this time because of something happening in my life right now so this movie was a breath of fresh air!.

Matt Damon carried this movie, along with a very good supporting cast. I liked how the turning point was crafted, where Damon's character realized his life has been a controlled script, down to the coffee he drinks, and the choices he had heretofore assumed he was making of his own "free will".

I didn't quite understand why a certain character chose to break protocol in order to help him, other than the plot needed such a character, but writer(s) didn't really develop said character quite enough.

Overall, I am glad to have seen this movie, but I wasn't wow'ed enough to want to see the movie again and again. As far as Matt Damon movies, that crown goes to Interstellar, and I really applaud his performance in that movie! Again, for this one, I do recommend it, as it makes some really good points regarding our reality and the layers behind our notion of reality.