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The Adjustment Bureau, Movie

The Adjustment Bureau 2010

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Sci-fi romance starring Matt Damon as David, a charismatic United States Congressman who seems destined for political stardom. He meets a beautiful ballet dancer named Elise (Emily Blunt) in Manhattan, but mysterious circumstances keep them apart. David discovers forces are at work and he peels back the layers to find out why. More

This is based on a short story by sci-fi master Philip K. Dick, whose work has served as inspiration for Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, Next and Paycheck. Hide

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51 votes / 14 comments The Talk

  • 82 %

    Want to See it

    What say you?

    • midge

      meh

    • PBenson

      This could go either way... an interesting concept. But I'm banking on Damon & Blunt.

    • Xanthe

      It looks great :) hopefully it will live up to the coolness of the trailer

    • Ur...

      Dark City? Roger Sterling? uh... OK.

    • Ed-Flicks

      Please live up to expectations! We hold high hopes - early reviews are positive, plus it's got Terrence Stamp and Matt Damon's hat is neat.

    • Klay

      Hadn't heard of it until now. Looks good! I'm in!

    • Rizel

      the tagline for this movie is "Your future has been adjusted." That's spooky.

    • GoonerD

      Looks very Fringe. Can't wait to see it :)

    • Emma-Kate

      Looks like a great sci-fi romance . its been a while since one of those came out

    • arthur

      A while since the last sci-fi romance came out? I can't even think of another sci-fi romance...

    • Emily

      similar to Wanted Mc Avoy and Angelina Life code written for you etc. I'll go see, imagine the twists and turns will keep things alive

    • foureyes

      another philip k dick disaster. avoid

    • god

      unfortunately the great phillip k. dick has had many of his stories rapped into submission by hollywood, i love the man but this i will not

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Flicks.co.nz Review

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  • kells

    this movie was given a 4 star from the guy on good morning, guess I will have to go see it for myself

  • Kim

    Who puts a spoiler in a review?? - bad call dude!

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Steve Newall Flicks Writer

Philip K. Dick adaptations don’t usually fall into the romantic thriller department, unless I’m missing something about Quaid and Kuato’s relationship in Total Recall, but The Adjustment Bureau is as much about Matt Damon and Emily Blunt’s love story as its typically Dick-ish paranoid sci-fi elements. Not that the two have the most amazing movie star chemistry, but there’s something relaxed and believable about their interest in one another that stands in stark contrast to the film their characters are living in.
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The Adjustment Bureau is at its best when they are on screen together. When they’re not, we get Matt Damon running down a street, through a magic door, or being relentlessly explained at – sometimes by Mad Men’s John Slattery, other times by Terence Stamp. Problem is, the film’s premise only stands up for about a few minutes. That’s why it was written as a short story. Some of the key explanations, such as why the Bureau can access magic doors (spoiler alert – magic hats) are so ridiculous that how the actors kept straight faces is beyond me.

It’s a shame because, with a little bit more acknowledgment of the preposterous elements of the film, The Adjustment Bureau may have been a little more enjoyable instead of taking itself so seriously. Hide

The People's Reviews

Rating:

7 ratings and 12 reviews

All reviews (12)

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Deja Vu?

Hayden Nobody (?)

Remind anybody of Dark City?

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The middle ground between light and shadow

RexH Flicks Superstar (?)

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call "The Twilight Zone".
Sorry! Couldn't resist! The reason I mention the Twilight Zone is that one episode dealt pretty much with exactly the same ideas as expressed in this movie. Whether it was an adaptation of Philip K. Dick's short story I don't know but it involved a man who slipped into the moments between moments and discovered who it was that made thingss - reality - happen. Fascinating but you need a strong belief in fate to take it seriously. It could have been a premise for an Eric Sykes comedy, like the Plank. Still, this does look intriguing...

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  • Karl-Flicks

    Damon was excellent as Loki, the Angel of Death, in Kevin Smith's 'Dogma'

  • Zee

    Ok say 3 Movies.. My bad! But that doesn't really prove the point otherwise.

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Really?

Zee B-Grader (?)

Let's be honest, the only two movies Matt Damon has acted well in is 'The Departed' and 'Good Will Hunting' and even then he was carried on the back of some brilliant actors (Robin Williams and Leonardo Di Caprio). This movie was no exception the acting was average and please don't get me started on the story line! I just didn't enjoy it at all.

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another dicking?

Shad Nobody (?)

i haven't seen a sci fi that didn't rip something, including whole plots in the case of dark city, from dicks huge catalogue of work. vanilla sky, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, terminator, truman show, sunshine, hardboiled, once you start looking he seems to be the ultimate origin, much like George Orwell. not so good though that i can only name 2, maybe pushing 3, decent direct adaptations of his work. no real hope for this, and what's with the damon/affleck connection? and the fact that no one has anything like a cellphone in bladerunner? even we have cellphones!

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enjoy

barbarosa A-Lister (?)

hey folks, sit back and enjoy this one. don't say much about it, just tell your friends to go.

pleasant surprise, in an increasingly wastelandic film panorama these days.

interesting story and passionate love tale, what the heck else do you want?

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Free Will > Fate?

leon897 A-Lister (?)

This film could be a story from The Outer Limits. The sci fi premise posits free will versus predetermined fate in the form of a love story between aspiring Senator David Norris (Matt Damon) and his instant attraction Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). The Bureau is like a celestine corporation of agents who ensure their charges don't stray from their predestined paths. Despite the Bureau's best efforts to separate David from Elise, chance keeps throwing them back together. Their union deviates from the Plan devised by the Bureau Chairman. I liked how each agent (Harry, Richardson and Thompson) handled David differently. The chase scenes were tense fun and I thought of alternative endings. Phillip Dick of Total Recall, Blade Runner and Minority Report fame wrote this story. Ajustment Bureau is more romance driven and mystical than pure sci fi but still highly interesting and entertaining.

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Magic Doors...Magic Hats....really?

SupaSharpShooter A-Lister (?)

Didn't enjoy it...no chemistry whatsoever between Damon and Blunt...especially for characters who were supposedly 'meant to be'. And if the 'Adjustment Bureau' was a limited liability company...the way they were running things...they would either be in receivership or liquidation! Problems being passed on to others...'management' making hasty decisions...a 'chairman' who is never seen...I know I wouldn't be buying any shares.

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If you go in expecting a Bourne-esque action flick...

clararar Flicks Superstar (?)

...you'll be disappointed, like I was! Unfortunately the trailer pretty much sold The Adjustment Bureau as such, so I was sorely disappointed by the lack of action. Overall it wasn't too bad a story, and I didn't mind either Damon or Blunt's performances, but the ending was a bit too cheesy to swallow. Okay as light entertainment but wouldn't especially recommend it.

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kinda boring

Jade-Francis Flicks Superstar (?)

i was expecting something a bit better, it was kinda a drag when Matt Damon would go for it and then give up, go for it then give up, they could of wrapped up the whole movie in 20 minutes if you ask me

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It's ok

Mark-anothany B-Grader (?)

Movie was ok but would never see it again! Knew how it was going to end from the start.

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ROMANCE? YUP. SCI-FI? NOPE.

adamatdramatrain Flicks Superstar (?)

The marketing lied (who knew?) If this was sold as a romance it'd be far less of a let-down. Think THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE - that sort of romantic flic with a sci-fi flavour. just a small flavouring, mind you. It's also a free will vs fate kinda message movie - watered down to appease Christians, Buddhists, Hindus - hell, just about every religious persuaison and atheists who are into Karma too. It's ok. Nothing more. But see it for what it is - a romance - and you'll be a lot lot less disappointed than this movie-goer. BLADE RUNNER it ain't. ROMEO & JULIET in Proyas' DARK CITY it is... sort of... Anyway, it's a romance flic, ok?

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Press Reviews

Dominion Post (Graeme Tuckett)

It's a cute enough idea, and it's certainly one that has been doing the rounds of movie theatres and fiction since before my time: our lives are not our own, and somewhere out there, maybe hidden in plain sight before us, an army of agents are prodding things this way and that to ensure the world turns out as they want it to. Full review.

Empire (UK)

By keeping the pace quick, the explanation light and the characters strong, Nolfi achieves the near-impossible: a film puzzle you won't mind leaving unexplained. Full review.

Total Film (UK)

Despite wobbling under the weight of some hefty ideas while straddling two genres, this sci-fi mystery surprises by emerging as a sweet, star-powered romance. It’s not Blade Runner. It’s not Minority Report. It’s worth chasing down though. Full review.

Variety (USA)

Its fun first hour soon gives way to a leaden, expository approach that unwisely favors emotional stakes over speculative-fiction smarts. Full review.