The Adjustment Bureau

Released:  March 4^th, 2011

Rated:  PG-13

Distributor:  Universal Pictures

Starring:  Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery

Directed by:  George Nolfi

Written by:  George Nolfi

Personal Bias Alert:  likes the cast, likes old-school sci-fi

7.7 of 10

            Floating in on a puff of fresh air is The Adjustment Bureau, a sci-fi romance that is the polar opposite of the grim, desaturated landscapes that dominate modern fantasy.  It’s bright and bubbly, begging you to like it just as much as much as the main characters pine for each other’s attention.  There’s an underrated value to this sort of film, the kind that’s perfect in just about every situation for every sort of person.  Broad appeal is nothing to be scoffed at, not when it’s done as assuredly and as winningly as it is in this film.

            Undoubtedly, the MVPs of this endeavor are Matt Damon and Emily Blunt as the love-struck leads David and Elise.  They’re two honest-to-god movie stars, enjoyable to watch no matter what they’re doing, even if that’s just surviving alone in space or singing about a cow in the woods.  When put together their chemistry crackles, and watching them flirt is one of the more enjoyable things you can do with your free time.  Of course, the film puts obstacles in their way, in particular a shady group of men in fedoras who actively prevent them from being together, and their battle against these men forms the crux of the film.

            Many romance-against-impossible-odds stories falter when the going gets rough primarily because the relationship isn’t well established.  It’s either too rushed or not genuinely felt, and the audience is left wondering why the pair are fighting so hard to stay together instead of just moving on.  This is never an issue in The Adjustment Bureau, not because the antagonists are weak (the fedora-clad group have some mysterious connection to God), but because Damon and Blunt sell their romance so well.  And the writing backs them up, making Elise and David engaging, charming folk, which the actors pounce on and amp it up to 10.  How refreshing it is not to be taunted by a rabble-rousing antihero, but to be given characters you instantly like, leaving you to worry only about the machinations of the plot getting in their way.

            Adapted by writer/director George Nolfi from a Philip K. Dick short story, the plot throws enough thoughtful menace into the mix to give the fluffy romance some weight.  For all the pair have going for them, it seems plausible throughout that they may not end up together.  God is a pretty strong force, after all, even if he is only referred to in code.  Nolfi plays around with other concepts as well, namely the positives and negatives of free will, and although it’s not expounded upon, it provides enough layering to keep the film from being a lightweight.  Hardcore sci-fi fans may be disappointed by the film’s airiness, but it’s clear that Nolfi didn’t want the audience to get too bogged down by serious thought.

            Where Nolfi does take some chances, and where he might lose a few viewers, is his decision to present the film’s action with a punchy realness.  Nolfi is a screenwriting alum of the Bourne series, and the imprint of that can clearly be seen here.  When Damon’s David is under duress, the film becomes shakier and narrows in to the action.  Cars crunch and faces slam, the blows palpably resonating to the audience.  It would be understandable to find this choice incongruous with the rest of the film, but Nolfi makes it work, using it to emphasize the fedora men’s power and to up the ante against our protagonists.  This element is sparingly used, taking a backseat to the overpowering nature of the film’s romance, but it pops up enough to turn off those severely averse to action.  To everyone else, it will simply add a jolt of energy to the proceedings, making the romantic drive more immediate and in more real danger.

            It’s this tidy package of action, romance, and science fiction that gives The Adjustment Bureau its broad appeal, and the winning combination of Matt Damon and Emily Blunt put the film into rarified air.  This satisfying of a crowd-pleaser doesn’t come along too often, and it’d be a shame to overlook the charm it has to offer.

Other Notes:

Ø  My one solid negative on this film is the score.  It’s just too basic and too prominent.

Ø  I love this kind of old-school, on-the-nose sci-fi.

Ø  This goes down as one of the best examples of on-screen chemistry I’ve ever seen. 

Hanna

Released:  April 8^th, 2011

Rated:  PG-13

Distributor:  Focus Features

Starring:  Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander

Directed by:  Joe Wright

Written by:  Seth Lochhead, David Farr

Personal Bias Alert:  big Saoirse Ronan fan, likes electronic music

7.8 of 10

            The fairy tale element runs strong in this one.  You wouldn’t expect that if you saw any of Hanna’s print advertisements, and even the trailer quickly abandons the idea after a mystical opening.  It’s much easier to sell action, people understand that quickly, than to try and explain Hanna’s arthouse blend of coming-of-age drama and science fiction thrills.

            The screenplay, which appeared twice on the Black List (an annual list of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood), is the kind of dense, ambitious piece that gets kicked around for years before finding the right combination of star and director to get a green light.  Saoirse Ronan signing on as the waif-like assassin got the ball rolling, and her recommendation of Joe Wright, who previously directed her to an Oscar nomination in Atonement, got the film a healthy enough budget to see out its off-kilter vision. 

Wright is well-known for his prominent visual style, and he throws everything he can at the fantastical story of a young girl fighting to escape the clutches of the CIA.  He plays with lighting simply for the awe factor (see the incredible escape scene early in the film), and employs his trademark tracking shots on several occasions.  Wright isn’t an action movie director by trade, and it shows in how unconventionally he presents these sequences.  All of them work and are made more engrossing by their originality, eschewing the hip, quick-cutting jerkiness of most modern action in favor of meticulously choreographed, long fights.

The other odd element of these action scenes, namely that a young girl continuously bests grown men in hand-to-hand combat, is an overt nod to its fairy tale aspirations, but a closer look reveals that the action itself is only a B-plot to a more traditional fable.  Hanna is primarily a tale about growing into the adult world, where you make bonds and encounter complications that leave you bewildered and overwhelmed.  Ronan as the titular character is perfectly cast, with a body not yet sprung into a woman’s but with a face that can encapsulate the pain and the joy of being alive.  Her performances have long exceed her years, and this may be the best of her childhood work.

All these elements make for a rather fascinating film, but not an even one.  At times, the fairy tale elements overpowers everything else, and anyone craving a solid explanation for what exactly is going on will likely be disappointed.  Hanna is a piece that’s content with indulgence.  Some have labeled this as pretention, but don’t mistake Hanna’s grasping reach for a film that lacks goals.

Anyone who has seen Hanna is likely wondering when I will get to the film’s score, because it’s a prominent, make-or-break component.  Done by the electronic dance duo The Chemical Brothers, it blends the film’s elements into kookily loud beats, driving the action forward and carrying much of the weight when it comes to keeping the fairy tale-feel front and center.  The most prominent song, The Devil is in the Details, is even hummed by a character throughout, and this inescapability is what makes it so divisive.  It’s a bold score, to say the least, and some people will just never be into electronic beats.  No matter your personal taste, what’s undeniable is how complimentary it is to the film’s ambitions.

Hanna is a film that puts itself out there, and because of that has attracted some strong sentiments.  However, its supporters haven’t coalesced into a singular fandom, and without a strong cult status, it’s likely to become forgotten.

Other Notes:

Ø  I didn’t even mention how awesome Erica Bana, Cate Blanchett, and Tom Hollander are.

Ø  Speaking of Hollander, he has quite a knack for playing characters that subtly unsettle you.

Ø  “Did she turn out as you hoped?”  “Better.”