MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

The Adjustment Bureau Rated PG-13

Photo © 2011 Universal Pictures
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

 For as long as I’ve been a Christian – about half a century – I have listened to many discussions (some including myself) about God’s will for our lives.  And, for about as long, I have struggled to make absolute sense of it.  To be sure, I believe that God’s will is ultimately what is going to be best for us.  But then, I also believe that what we think is best for ourselves is not always the best, and we are capable of blaming God for some of our poor choices.

While I have enjoyed these mind-bending (and usually frustrating) attempts to figure out the mind of God, there are other Christians throughout the country that are content to simply accept whatever happens as God’s will.  Who are we to judge God when good or bad things happen?

The Adjustment Bureau is an enjoyable fantasy about David Norris (Damon), a politician who is on the fast track towards becoming a State senator and possibly (some day) the President of the United States.  An embarrassing incident in his past is revealed in the media just prior to Election Day and he is defeated.  But all is not lost. David is a gifted politician and his concession speech brings him back into the media’s good graces. He also discovers that there are second chances in store for him.  He meets Elise, a beautiful dancer (Blunt) and falls in love.  He also stumbles into a mysterious group of men (dressed in matching hats and suits) who seem able to control his destiny.  There’s just one glitch: these guys tell him that, in order to fulfill his destiny, his relationship with Elise has to end and they plan to keep the two lovers apart.

What’s it going to be, then?  Predestination or free will?  Thankfully, the film chooses to be playful rather than dour, and The Adjustment Bureau turns into a merry chase between the two alternatives.  The location filming in New York City give the movie some class and the cinematography by John Toll is top notch, as well. 

Some viewers of the film are already picking apart its worldview, as if this movie were a theological term paper.  I choose to enjoy its style and good humor and the opportunity it gives us to talk about life’s big questions.  This is the first good discussion film of 2011 and I recommend it highly.

Pitchfork/Halo Ratings:
Three halos
An entertaining love story that is also a meditation on free will.

One pitchforks
For a discreet love scene that could have been out of a James Bond movie and mild swearing with the exception of one use of the F Bomb.

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