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The Adjustment Bureau

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This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (December 2011)
The Adjustment Bureau

Theatrical release poster
Directed by George Nolfi
Produced by George Nolfi
Chris Moore
Michael Hackett
Bill Carraro
Isa Dick Hackett
Joel Viertel
Screenplay by George Nolfi
Based on "Adjustment Team" by
Philip K. Dick
Starring Matt Damon
Emily Blunt
Music by Thomas Newman
Cinematography John Toll
Editing by Jay Rabinowitz
Studio Media Rights Capital
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date(s) March 4, 2011 (2011-03-04)
Running time 99 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $50.2 million[1]
Box office $127,869,379[1]

The Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 American romantic action thriller film loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story, "Adjustment Team".[2] The film was written and directed by George Nolfi and stars Matt Damon[3] and Emily Blunt.[4] The cast also includes Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly, and Terence Stamp.[5][6] The score was composed by Thomas Newman, with two songs by Richard Ashcroft ("Future's Bright" for the opening sequence; "Are You Ready?" for the closing credits).

Contents

[edit] Plot

In 2006, Congressman David Norris runs a promising but unsuccessful campaign for United States Senate. While rehearsing his concession speech in a hotel bathroom, Norris meets a woman hiding in a stall. The two share a pleasant conversation, ultimately leading to a kiss. Inspired, Norris delivers a candid speech that is well-received, making him a favorite for the 2010 Senate race.

Some months later, Norris is preparing to start his first day at a new job. At a park near Norris's house, Harry Mitchell receives an assignment from Richardson, his boss: ensure Norris spills his coffee by 7:05 AM; shortly thereafter Mitchell falls asleep while waiting and misses Norris, who boards his bus. He encounters Elise, the woman from the bathroom, who writes down her phone number on a card and gives it to Norris. When Norris arrives at work, he finds his boss and campaign manager, Charlie Traynor, in suspended animation and is being examined by unfamiliar men in suits. David attempts to escape and the men give chase. Norris is incapacitated and taken to a warehouse to meet Richardson and his men.

Richardson explains he and his men are from the Adjustment Bureau. The job of the Bureau's "caseworkers" is to ensure people's lives proceed as determined by "the plan", a complex document Richardson attributes to "the Chairman".[7][8] Charlie is fine and will not remember his adjustment, and Norris is warned that if he talks about the Bureau he will be "reset"—akin to being lobotomized. Richardson informs David that he is not meant to meet Elise again. He burns the card containing her phone number and tells David to forget her.

For the next three years David rides the same bus downtown, hoping to see Elise. He finally encounters her and they reconnect. The Bureau tries to stop him from building his relationship with her by causing their schedules to separate them again. David races across town, fighting the Bureau's abilities to "control his choices" to ensure he will meet Elise. During the chase the Bureau uses ordinary doorways to travel instantly to locations many blocks away.

Richardson discovers that David and Elise "were meant to be together in an earlier version of the plan", and Harry speculates on whether or not the plan is always correct. David and Elise spend an evening at a party, connecting when David tells her he became a politician after the loss of his mother and brother. They spend the night together, cementing their bond the next morning.

The Bureau has Thompson take authority regarding David's adjustment. He takes Norris to a warehouse, where David argues he has the right to choose his own path. Thompson says that they gave humanity free will after the height of the Roman Empire, but humanity then brought the Dark Ages down upon itself. The Bureau took control again and created the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. When free will was returned around 1910 it resulted in two world wars and the near destruction of the planet with a nuclear conflict. Thompson releases him, and he runs to Elise's performance at her dance studio. Thompson follows, and tells him that if he stays with Elise, he will ruin his political future as President of the United States and also ruin Elise's future as a world-famous dancer and choreographer; with David, Elise will be limited to teaching dance to children. To make a point, he uses his adjustment power to cause Elise to sprain her ankle. With his future in jeopardy and faced with sabotaging Elise's future as well, David abandons her at the hospital.

Eleven months later, David runs for election again and sees an announcement of Elise's imminent wedding. Harry, feeling guilty for earlier events, contacts David via secret meetings in the rain and near water. David learns from Harry that the Bureau's weakness is water, allowing them to meet without the Bureau finding out. Harry reveals that Thompson exaggerated the negative consequences of David and Elise's relationship, and he teaches David to use the doors so he may stop Elise's wedding. He gives David his hat, empowering Norris to use the doors. David finds Elise in the bathroom of the courthouse where she is to be wed. Furious and hurt after his earlier desertion, Elise is shocked when David reveals the Bureau's existence to her and shows her how he travels through doors. They are pursued across New York City. When David and Elise find themselves at the base of the Statue of Liberty, Norris decides to find the Chairman. Elise wavers briefly but then follows David across.

They go through the door to the Bureau headquarters. Eventually, they are trapped on a rooftop above New York, with Bureau members closing in. They declare their love for each other and embrace in a passionate kiss before David can be reset. When they let go of each other, the Bureau members are all gone. Thompson is abruptly on scene but is interrupted by Harry, who shows him a new, revised plan from the Chairman for David and Elise. After commending both of them for showing such devotion to each other, Harry takes his hat back and tells David and Elise they are free to "take the stairs". The film concludes with David and Elise walking through the streets accompanied by a voice-over from Harry, speculating that the Chairman's larger plan may be to get humanity back to a point where they can write their own plans.

[edit] Cast

Jon Stewart, Chuck Scarborough, James Carville, Betty Liu, Mary Matalin, Jesse Jackson, Wolf Blitzer, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg all have cameos as themselves.

[edit] Production

In early drafts, the character Norris was changed from a real estate salesman, as in the short story, to an up-and-coming politician.[9]

Media Rights Capital funded the film and then auctioned it to distributors, with Universal Studios putting in the winning bid for $62 million.[4][10] Variety reported Damon's involvement on February 24, 2009,[3] and Blunt's on July 14, 2009.[4] The film was released on March 4, 2011.[11]

Nolfi worked with John Toll as his cinematographer. Shots were planned in advance with storyboards but changed often during shooting to fit the conditions of the day. The visual plan for the film was to keep the camerawork smooth using a dolly or crane and have controlled formal shots when the Adjustment Bureau was in full control, with things becoming more loose and using hand-held cameras when the story becomes less controlled.[12]

The final scene (on the rooftop of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center ("Top of the Rock")) was filmed four months after the rest of the film had completed shooting and has a different ending than the original.[13]

[edit] Religious themes

Some reviewers identified Abrahamic theological implications, such as an omnipotent and omniscient God,[14][15] as well as the concepts of free will and predestination.[16][17] Moreover, it has been said that the Chairman represents God,[18] while his caseworkers are angels.[7][8] The director of the film, George Nolfi, stated that the "intention of this film is to raise questions."[19]

[edit] Release

[edit] Theatrical

The film had its world premiere on February 14, 2011, at the Ziegfeld Theatre on 141 West 54th Street in New York City. Writer/director George Nolfi was in attendance along with the cast, including Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.[20]

[edit] Home media

The Adjustment Bureau was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 21, 2011.[21] The film was the top selling release for its opening week.[22]

[edit] Reception

[edit] Critical response

Critics generally gave the film positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 72 percent based on 237 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6 out of 10.[23] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of a maximum four stars, describing the movie as "a smart and good movie that could have been a great one if it had been a little more daring. I suspect the filmmakers were reluctant to follow its implications too far."[24]The New York Times called the film "a fast, sure film about finding and keeping love across time and space . . . [which] has brightened the season with a witty mix of science-fiction metaphysics and old-fashioned romance."[25]

[edit] Box office

In its opening weekend in the United States (March 4-6, 2011), The Adjustment Bureau grossed $21,157,730, which was the second most of any film that weekend, behind Rango. Its total worldwide gross is $127,869,379 as of December 18, 2011 (2011 -12-18).[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Adjustment Bureau". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  2. ^ "Damon Set For The Adjustment Bureau". Empire. February 25, 2009. http://www.empireonline.com/News/story.asp?nid=24271. Retrieved July 28, 2009. 
  3. ^ a b Michael Fleming (February 24, 2009). "Studios weigh star packages". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118000550.html. Retrieved July 28, 2009. 
  4. ^ a b c Michael Fleming (July 14, 2009). "Emily Blunt boards 'Bureau'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118005971. Retrieved March 1, 2011. 
  5. ^ Justin Kroll (October 12, 2009). "Ruivivar added to 'Adjustment Bureau'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118009848.html. Retrieved October 22, 2009. 
  6. ^ Marc Graser (August 27, 2009). "Thesp makes 'Adjustment' for Universal". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118007850.html. Retrieved September 25, 2009. 
  7. ^ a b "‘Adjustment Bureau’: The surreal feels real". The Kansas City Star. http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/03/2694442/the-adjustment-bureau-damon-and.html. Retrieved 2007–10–18. "Are you angels?” he asks Richardson. “We’ve been called lots of things,” is the reply. “Think of us as case workers.”" 
  8. ^ a b "Matt Damon Defies God’s Insidious Bureaucracy in The Adjustment Bureau". D Magazine. http://frontrow.dmagazine.com/2011/03/matt-damon-defies-gods-insidious-bureaucracy-in-the-adjustment-bureau/. Retrieved 2007–10–18. "You see, “the Chairman” (as the film calls the being responsible for managing the entire universe) has dispatched “case workers” (angels — without wings, but with magical hats) to keep humanity moving according to his carefully choreographed plan." 
  9. ^ Todd McCarthy (February 25, 2011). "Movie review: "The Adjustment Bureau"". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/25/us-film-adjustmentbureau-idUSTRE71O5TY20110225. 
  10. ^ Kaufman, Amy (March 3, 2011). "Movie Projector: 'Rango' expected to shoot down the competition". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/03/movie-projector-rango-adjustment-bureau-beastly-take-me-home-tonight.html. Retrieved March 3, 2011. 
  11. ^ "The Adjustment Bureau". http://www.theadjustmentbureau.com/. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  12. ^ Steve Weintraub (February 26, 2011). "Writer-Director George Nolfi Exclusive Interview The Adjustment Bureau". http://collider.com/george-nolfi-interview-the-adjustment-bureau/77993.  MP3
  13. ^ http://mix949.com/ileanas-movie-review-the-adjustment-bureau/
  14. ^ "The Adjustment Bureau". Catholic News Service. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/movies/11mv024.htm. Retrieved 2007–10–18. "Though this is certainly not a film for young people -- in addition to the quasi-theological issues underlying the story, David and Elise's liaison becomes physical prematurely -- the metaphysical elements of the plot can be interpreted by mature viewers in a way that squares with Judeo-Christian faith." 
  15. ^ "Finally, an Action Thriller for Religious Thinkers". The Jewish Journal. http://www.jewishjournal.com/film/article/finally_an_action_thriller_for_religious_thinkers_20110307/. Retrieved 2007–10–18. "Even rarer are those films which tackle theological dilemmas, like the age-old apparent contradiction of free will vs. determinism. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all believe in an all-powerful and all-knowing God who controls everything that happens in the world. What, then, is the role of our own decisions? Does man truly possess free will, or does he only have the "appearance" of free will? Did I truly decide of my own free will to marry my wife, or did God orchestrate a complex set of circumstances which forced my hand and caused me to fall in love with this wonderful woman in order to fulfill His unknowable Divine plan? This is precisely the theme of the new film, The Adjustment Bureau (Grace Films Media, now playing." 
  16. ^ "The Adjustment Bureau: Fate vs. Free Will, Matt Damon Style". The Christian Post. http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-adjustment-bureau-fate-vs-free-will-matt-damon-style-49022/. Retrieved 2007–10–18. "How much power exactly do the agents of fate hold over someone's life? Can free will ever win over fate? And is it free will or fate that orchestrates action? Such are the questions that come to mind throughout George Nolfi's newest film, "The Adjustment Bureau," based on the short story by Phillip K. Dick." 
  17. ^ "The Adjustment Bureau: Fate vs. Free Will, Matt Damon Style". The Christian Post. http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-adjustment-bureau-fate-vs-free-will-matt-damon-style-49022/. Retrieved 2007–10–18. "Free Will vs. Predestination: What's Matt Damon Got to Do with It? "It's not this or that," responded Detweiler. "Gamers understand this very well, this tension between predestination and free will. It seems like they may be able to live better with that tension."" 
  18. ^ Falsani, Cathleen (March 8, 2011). "The Adjustment Bureau: Does God Change Our Minds, or Do We Change God's?". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cathleen-falsani/the-god-factor-does-god-c_b_833118.html. Retrieved 2007–10–18. "The Chairman -- i.e., God -- has written the stories of our lives and the Big Story of the world." 
  19. ^ "The Adjustment Bureau: Fate vs. Free Will, Matt Damon Style". The Christian Post. http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-adjustment-bureau-fate-vs-free-will-matt-damon-style-49022/. Retrieved 2007–10–18. ""The intention of this film is to raise questions – that's what art should do," commented Nolfi about his soon-to-be released motion picture at an earlier Pasadena screening. And that, Mr. Nolfi, it definitely did." 
  20. ^ "Universal Pictures presents the world premiere of The Adjustment Bureau at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City Monday, February 14, 2011". CNBC. February 8, 2011. http://www.cnbc.com/id/41476978/UNIVERSAL_PICTURES_PRESENTS_THE_WORLD_PREMIERE_OF_THE_ADJUSTMENT_BUREAU_AT_ZIEGFELD_THEATRE_IN_NEW_YORK_CITY_MONDAY_FEBRUARY_14_2011. [dead link]
  21. ^ Gaul, Lou (June 20, 2011). "'Adjustment Bureau' arrives Tuesday on home video". Beaver County Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zzS9MJUn. 
  22. ^ Arnold, T.K. (June 29, 2011). "'The Adjustment Bureau' Tops DVD, Blu-ray Sales Charts". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zzS4YlFr. 
  23. ^ "The Adjustment Bureau (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adjustment_bureau. Retrieved 2011-03-22. 
  24. ^ Roger Ebert (March 2, 2011). "The Adjustment Bureau". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110302/REVIEWS/110309994. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
  25. ^ Dargis, Manohla (March 3, 2011). "Creepy People with a Plan, and a Couple on the Run". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/movies/04adjust.html. Retrieved March 27, 2011. 

[edit] External links

Films based on works by Philip K. Dick
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