The Adjustment Bureau - A review by Camilo Arenivar

This movie is not the ones you see the commercials for - the fast paced chases, the crashes, the running through doors into other places. Well, all those things DO take place in the movie, but the whole movie is not like that, despite the totality of the trailers and commercials appearing that it is. That does not, however, make this a disappointing film. The first very good movie of 2011, as far as I am concerned, The Adjustment Bureau blends pure unadulterated romance with a sci fi background, and philosophical themes for good measure.

The Adjustment Bureau excels as a romance where the protagonists are up against forces beyond their control. Perhaps even beyond this World. The movie has a strange, slightly supernatural feel, yet there is nothing over the top happening through most of it. The action takes up maybe 15 minutes total, this movie is more about the story.

Rep. David Norris (Matt Damon) is a boy wonder politician, working his way up the New York state political stage and one very important day, he meets this woman in the men's room. Later, he accidentally stumbles on to these strange men moving people around and he is told "You’ve seen behind the curtain that you weren’t suppose to know existed". And thus begins the stranger part of this movie. Who are these people? What are they doing? Why won't they let him do what he wants? How come he keeps ...well I don't like to give away the story. This movie is less of a thriller and more of a slightly cosmic love story, more like "City of Angels" than "The Bourne Identity".

David Norris: Are you angels?
Harry Mitchell (of The Adjustment Bureau): We’re more like case officers.

The philosophical new agey slightly preachy side of this movie may turn some off - but I loved it.

Rating: 88

Trailer/Commercial: