SPOILERS
First off, it raised the question of Free Will and whether or not we, as in human beings, have free will. Free Will is a very interesting concept, one that Christians have debated for centuries. The question is, if God is omnipotent and knows everything that is going to happen before it happens, how can we make decisions if the outcome is known form the start? Everything is pre-ordained, therefore free will cannot exist due to a lack of actual choice in the matter. Definitely an interesting and complex topic to tackle in a movie.
It also raised the idea of earning free will, which is also a great idea with a lot of depth and complexity behind it. Sounds like my kind of film! However, they didn't really delve into the idea of earning free will, no matter how much the previews may suggest it did.
For that matter, how does one earn free will? How can you earn free will when the whole point is that God or whomever rules the universe knows that you are you going to eat that pickle with your ice cream or that you are going to choose the red car over the blue? How do you make any kind of decision when it has all been known from the beginning?
My two biggest complaints with this movie:
* The ending.
* The love story storyline.
Let's start with the ending.
I mentioned that the topic of free will was really important in this film. Because it was so important, obviously the two main characters are intrinsically involved with it.
David Norris (Matt Damon) and Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) are those lucky main characters. In love, even though they really have no real reason to be other than the were originally meant to be soul mates (I'll get to that in a minute). And because they are in love, and aren't supposed to be (according to the "plan"), they are being chased by whomever these bad guys are. Though, they aren't "bad" they are just supposed to keep you on plan.
Cut to the top of building. A very important building, being the headquarters of the Adjustment Bureau itself. They are surrounded. They are trapped, no way to escape. None whatsoever. So what do they do?
Here are a few things they could've done that would've been way more exciting than what actually happened:
* Matt Damon could've used Emily Blunt's body as a human shield while he pulled a gun he didn't have before out and shot everyone to death.
* They could've suddenly revealed that they were ninja robots from the future and therefore were already so far removed from the "plan" that it hardly mattered anyway.
* They could've jumped off the fucking building.
What did they do instead?
They kissed.
That's right. They kissed. "Honey, its the end and you look so beautiful, so let me just give you a thorough tongue swabbing and then we'll face whatever this is."
I'm a big fan of kissing. I just wanted to say that. And if the movie had ended right there, with that poignant (if not utterly pointless) kiss I would've applauded the director for at least leaving something to my imagination.
So they've kissed. Thoroughly exploring each other's mouths and have come back up for air. Only to discover that... Nothing. Everyone is gone. Except some guy (who has been helping Matt Damon, or harming him, you choose) who tells them that the guy upstairs (a horribly cliched euphemism for God) has decided that they have earned their free will and has completely erased the second half of their plan so that they may choose what to do with it. They leave happy and live happily ever after.
That's it. That is the end.
What? Seriously? That's it? They live unequivocally happily ever after with their new found free will?
If that is what you are thinking, that is exactly what I was thinking. I was running on the high of the movie and wondering what was going to happen. This was movie orgasm denied. Or maybe the worst movie orgasm ever.
Now, I'm not saying that I would know how to end that either. There is so much potential there, but you'd think that at least a few key points of the movie would be explained. Like why David and Elise seem to be destined to be together, but aren't supposed to be.
Which brings me to the Love Story storyline.
David and Elise meet in a men's bathroom, where Elise is hiding because she crashed a wedding. David is running for senator and he is losing. Badly, I might add.
Instant chemistry, partially because she is a beautiful woman in a plunging neckline of a dress. They kiss. And then she runs away. They accidentally meet up on a bus (because someone didn't trip David like they were supposed to. That's right Anthony Mackie, I'm looking at you.) and David gets her number. After staring at her legs, because he was "defenseless against the skirt".
The rest of the movie is the Adjustment Bureau trying to prevent the two of them from being together. And for a while David obeys and he tries not to ruin Elise's life, because apparently they are the equivalent of dream poison. He will never achieve the presidency and she'll never be the beautiful modern ballerina she is destined to be.
Oh and by the way they were supposed to be together in the original plans.
Say what?!
That's right, in the original draft of their individual plans they were supposed to be together. And for some inexplicable reason the man upstairs decided they weren't meant to be together anymore and she was supposed to be with some dude she danced with. No real reason, he just doesn't want them together now.
And so they get chased and David is threatened with their dream demises for no real reason. And it is NEVER EXPLAINED! No one ever says,
"Well, he decided that if you two were together the world would come to some cataclysmic end and he couldn't have that."
Or...
"You being with her will lead to the next holocaust, because you two are poison together."
Nope. "You can't be together, because you can't. And just so you know, if you try to stay together both of your respective dreams will wither and die and you will grow to resent the other because you never accomplished your destiny."
What a cop out! Not only does that explain nothing, but that brings us right back to the top of that building with that kiss.
You have earned your free will, because you fought against all the odds to be together. True love wins, they live happily ever after and you just got the equivalent of movie ending blue balls, because it fell so flat.
So, do yourself a favor: If you want to see "The Adjustment Bureau" leave the theatre when you see them on top of a building playing tonsil hockey. At least you can pretend that that was the ending and you can be less disappointed by the actual ending.
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
David Norris - Matt Damon
Elise Sellas - Emily Blunt
Harry Mitchell - Anthony Mackie
Charlie Traynor - Michael Kelly
Thompson - Terence Stamp
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