The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau was a bit of a surprise. I really liked this movie. I thought it was going to be another government intrigue, fight back against the man flicks.

It was a romance. A really good romance.

The couple meets and there is instant chemistry. From the very first sentences they exchange, they already know they met their soul mate. It was done expertly well, from the dialogue and the body language and the acting. Really perfect hero/heroine introduction.

Then it goes through the classical conflict and barriers to that romance, just like it would in a typical novel.

The Adjustment Bureau - actually let's call them angels. Adjustment Bureau sounds too federal. It's actually a group of beings looking out for the human race. They aren't cruel overlords with agendas. They honestly have our best interests at heart. They know it's wrong to meddle, and have tried twice to stop. Those were the Dark Ages and WWI and WWII. It's their hope that one day humans can direct their own fate.

So these angels wanted to keep the couple apart. He was supposed to go on to be president one day and change the world. But if he married her, he would be happy and consider his life fulfilled. She was going to be a famous dancer with worldwide renown. But if she married him, she would teach dance to 6th graders.

There were actually many conflicts for the couple to overcome:
1) get over their disbelief and put their faith in each other, despite all the hardship
2) convince the angels to leave them alone
3) support each other's dreams and goals while being together

It was a really nicely done plot. No true villain, and the protagonist felt like an actual flawed human being. He made wrong choices sometimes, good choices other times. He freely admitted how unhappy he was without her. I really liked how there were no secrets between the couple, no matter how outrageous reality got. Both said out loud, without awkwardness, they couldn't stop thinking about each other. She even broke off an engagement because while she loved the guy, it wasn't the same.

A lot of times in romance, the conflict is who is going to get over their pride and admit their feelings first. It doesn't make for interesting reading, and I get frustrated with the characters. Adults should be able to express their feelings.I hate reading about insecure characters.

It really was a nicely done story. I don't have any criticism for it. Please watch the movie!