SYNOPSIS: Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he’s ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York. 

On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)—a woman like none he’s ever known. But just as he realizes he’s falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. 

David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself—the men of The Adjustment Bureau—who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path…or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her.

REVIEW: Every once in a while you run into a movie that impacts you in a special way. Maybe it catches you off guard, or it was totally not what you were expecting, or maybe you were in the right frame of mind, or maybe you were just in a really good mood. I’m not necessarily talking about your Oscar winning movies though. I’m talking about that certain movie that might not have been too popular with the masses but for some reason you just love it. I don’t know, like Rocky Horror Picture Show, or Tron (the first one), or Anchorman, the Fifth Element, Cloverfield, Signs, or even The Family Man. The list can go on and on. Well on a very personal note, I’m adding this one to my list. This movie touched me, inspired me, entertained me, and moved me. For some it can be shallow, for others, like me, it can be deep, real, meaningful and mysterious. Unfortunately it is very easy to give away too much information about this movie so I can’t say a whole lot about it. I really don’t want to ruin it for you. But I do want you to go in with the right frame of mind. This is not an action movie; it is a romantic thriller that happens to have some good action in it. What an awesome combo! I went in expecting some sci-fi action flick that would simply answer that question . . . “what is the Matrix?”, oops no sorry, “what is the Adjustment Bureau?” I was more than pleasantly surprised to see that there was a lot more to this movie than just to answer that question. Its foundation is a love story, believe it or not, with some really good undertones. It also strongly asks the question, do you believe in fate? Do you believe your life is following a predetermined plan? Yeah, this movie can give you some chills too.

Is there anything that Matt Damon doesn’t do? Seriously. There is no role too big or too small, or too strange for this guy. You’ve got to admire him for that. And boy has he been busy. Needless to say he was excellent with this particular role as well. He plays a politician and can I tell you that he looks like a natural. His first encounter with Emily Blunt’s character was intense and memorable with surprisingly great chemistry. The banter between them as well as the sexual tension was palpable. Needless to say, Emily was also excellent with her performance. We also get some solid supporting role performances from Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, and the incomparable Terence Stamp. All of the above were superbly casted for their respective characters and they all contribute to the smooth flow of the story which is a pretty unique one I would say. The special effects were not exactly over the top but still very well used and effective. I also got a kick from seeing Pier 17 and MOMA in Manhattan, as per I was there not too long ago. Oh yeah, icing on the cake is that it takes place in New York. George Nolfi produced, directed, and wrote the screenplay for this wonderful work. This is his first job as Director and you would never know it based on the quality of the production. The tagline on this movie’s poster is Fight For Your Fate. I think George Nolfi did exactly that and you should too by going to see this movie.