THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

If you want to know what fantastic onscreen chemistry looks like, look no further than the terrific pairing of Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in this clever sci-fi romance-thriller.

Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, and deftly helmed by first-timer George Nolfi, the film, in its broadest sense, is about destiny... and what can happen when free will gets in the way of plans secretly laid out for us by a mysterious greater power.

David Norris (Damon) is a charming would-be senator who, on the night of his defeat, has a chance encounter with a beautiful dancer named Elise (Emily Blunt). They meet, talk and kiss... and then she disappears just before he delivers a career-defining speech in front of his supporters. They accidentally cross paths on a city bus shortly thereafter, and both feel the intense pull of attraction in that we-were-meant-to-be-together-forever way.

Problem is, David’s unknowingly deviated from the life plan that’s been set for him and, by default, has also altered the course of his life and that of Elise’s equally mapped-out-by-the-universe future. They were meant to meet once but never again, and the ripple effect of their re-connection sends the unseen power-that-is scrambling. Faster than you can say “men in hats,” a team of cosmic fixers – led by an increasingly frustrated supervisor named Richardson (John Slattery) – is on the case, with its work cut out, trying to separate the pair and tweak happenstance to get everyone back on the right course.

Smart and inventive, Bureau has a lot going for it. Anyone who’s ever wondered about why things happen the way they do, or coincidence, or what hand fate might play in the way a life unfolds, will likely very much enjoy the creative hypothesis posited here. Much to my personal delight, there was also a lack of a bonafide “villain.” Yes, the fixers are in opposition of our hero’s desires, but they’re simultaneously relatable and, despite their seemingly nefarious meddling, understandable. (The best one of the lot is Harry, played by The Hurt Locker’s Anthony Mackie, who’s equal parts bureaucrat, guardian angel and hopeless romantic.)

Similarly, I loved the fact that all the bigger-than-life (literally) machinations and operations that, in a less imaginative film, would have been presented with tons of CGI and computer wizardry are, here, made very simple and ordinary. These fixers are very much supernatural beings working in a wholly natural environment – they have offices, a hall of (paper) records that looks like a library and, when David learns how they do what they do, it’s not through some mind-melting, fantastical process. It’s handed to him in a three-ring binder. Special effects, when they *are* employed, are very subtle and comparatively small, which suited the material perfectly.

Best of all, as mentioned off the top, were the film’s stellar leads. The entire film relies on the fact that we, the audience, really and truly believe and feel that these two characters belong together. We have to want it as much as they do, otherwise the whole undertaking is a huge waste of time. Quite literally from the first second they meet, both Damon and Blunt light up the screen and the energy between them is palpable. Their rapport is easy and natural and hugely appealing, and they just work. This is the first time I can recall Damon in this type of romantic-leading-man role, and it’s one that fits him well. Likewise, Blunt is sharp, funny and sexy, and her Elise is more than convincing as a woman for whom someone like David would risk everything.

If I have any complaint, and it’s very mild, it’s that the film wraps up rather quickly. The payoff doesn’t quite match the epic build-up, and it feels a tiny bit rushed. But perhaps that’s because the movie, like life, is more about the journey and not the destination. And this pair’s journey is well worth the price of admission.