The Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 American romantic action thriller film loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story, "Adjustment Team". The film was written and directed by George Nolfi and stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. The cast also includes Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly, and Terence Stamp.
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
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date(s) March 4, 2011
Running time 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $50.2 million
Box office $127,869,379 (worldwide)
Weekend Chart Record
IMDB - Ratings: 7.1/10 from 73,637 users
Story
In 2006, New York Congressman David Norris runs a campaign for United States Senate that ultimately collapses when photos of Norris mooning his former classmates at a drunken reunion party are splashed all over the New York newspapers. While rehearsing his concession speech in a hotel bathroom, Norris meets a woman hiding in a stall. The two share a surprisingly enjoyable conversation, ultimately leading to a kiss. She was hiding to evade hotel security men (she had dared herself to crash a wedding reception). Security men show up and chase her off before Norris can even get her name. Inspired, Norris goes off his prepared script and delivers a candid speech which is extremely well-received, making him an early favorite for the 2010 Senate race.
Thirty days later, Norris is preparing to start his first day at a new job. At a park near Norris' house, Harry Mitchell -- who had been present at many of David's campaign appearances -- receives an assignment from Richardson, his boss: Ensure that Norris spills his coffee on himself by 7:05 AM. Shortly thereafter Mitchell falls asleep while waiting and misses Norris, who boards his bus. David encounters the woman from the bathroom. Her name is Elise. She writes down her phone number on a card and gives it to Norris.
When Norris arrives at work, he finds his boss (also his childhood friend and his former campaign manager) Charlie Traynor is frozen in place in the middle of a conference room. Unfamiliar men led by Richardson, some in black combat gear, wave strange, glowing devices around Traynor's head. Richardson shouts for his men to grab Norris. David starts running and the men give chase. The chase winds through the entire office but it goes completely unnoticed by the rest of the office staff. Like Traynor, they appear to be frozen and are completely unaware of their surroundings. Eventually, Norris is incapacitated and taken to a vast, dark, and empty convention hall to meet Richardson and his men.
The repercussions of Mitchell and Richardson's botched operation are so severe that Richardson's supervisor arrives on the scene. He reminds his junior of an unrelated snafu decades earlier that was still legendary among Bureau operatives. The Bureau's attempts to fix it had been so complex, and so completely fruitless, that "In the end," he advises Richardson, "we just leveled with him."
Richardson explains to David that he and his fellow "caseworkers" are no mere men. They're from the "Adjustment Bureau." The caseworkers all appear to be normal people in plain suits and hats. They're visible to humanity and blend in seamlessly on the streets. They all have the personalities and demeanor of dedicated (but slightly weary) civil servants. But they somehow know every choice that every person makes before they make it, which Richardson quickly proves to David ("Think of a number. It's 17").
The job of the Bureau's caseworkers is to ensure that people's lives proceed as determined by "the plan", a complex document Richardson attributes to "the Chairman." If people unknowingly deviate from the plan that the Chairman has set for them, the Caseworkers can usually put them back "on plan" via subtle, conventional "adjustments" to simple events taking place around them. For instance, Mitchell's purpose in causing Norris to spill coffee on himself that morning was so that David would return to his apartment to change into a clean shirt, thus causing him to miss his bus, thus causing him to fail to reconnect with his mystery woman from the hotel bathroom.
When an "adjustment" won't suffice, the Bureau can stage a hands-on "intervention" in which the subject's brain is physically altered to shift their natural decision making pathways towards the choices defined by The Plan. This is the scene that Norris had stumbled upon earlier. Norris was supposed to have missed his bus and been ten minutes late, by which time the Bureau would have completed their intervention of Traynor inside the office and left behind no trace or memory of themselves or the intervention.
Richardson assures David that Charlie is fine and will not remember his adjustment. Norris is warned that if he talks about the Bureau, he will be "reset"—akin to being lobotomized. Finally, without really explaining the reason why, 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. Mitchell, who appears to be slightly more soft-hearted than Richardson, meets with David on a ferry shortly afterward and urges him to take their warnings seriously. Forget about Elise. And don't tell anybody about the Bureau.
But for the next three years, David rides that same bus downtown every day, hoping to see Elise. He finally does encounter her one day and they reconnect. Richardson and other caseworkers attempt to prevent David from building his relationship with Elise by causing him to miss the dance rehearsal that he had promised to attend; she's already suspicious about the "lost phone number" and she would never give David a third chance. When David notices Richardson onlooking his Senate announcement speech, he realizes Richardson's plan. David races across town, fighting the Bureau's abilities to "control his choices" to ensure he will meet Elise again. Things that would otherwise seem like common, petty annoyances -- his cellphone suddenly drops a call, cabs ignore him, traffic lights turn red just as he's approaching the intersection -- are actually the Bureau attempting to delay David long enough to miss Elise's rehearsal. During the chase across the city, the Bureau uses ordinary doorways to magically travel instantly to another location many blocks away. Ultimately, the caseworkers fail, and David sees Elise dance. He now feels even closer to Elise than ever before.
The importance of breaking the couple up is now so great that the case has been "kicked upstairs" and taken out of Richardson's control. 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 personal bond the next morning.
The Bureau has handed David's case over to Thompson, whose blunt approach has earned him the nickname "The Hammer." Thompson is far more frank and direct and is granted wider latitude in dealing with problems. He takes Norris to the same dark, empty convention center where he first learned of the Bureau. David argues that he -- and Humanity -- has the right to choose their own path. Thompson tells David 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 explains that when David lost his family during his childhood, it created an emotional void in him that as an adult, David filled by seeking the attention, approval and love of the electorate. This drive will ultimately take him to the Presidency, where David will go on to "change the world." However, Elise's impulsive nature would amplify his own and cause David to re-make the same kinds of childish mistakes that had cost him his previous election to the Senate. Thompson releases David and urges him to go catch the end of Elise's performance at her dance studio. Thompson follows, and tells David that if he stays with Elise, he will ruin Elise's future as well as his own. According to The Plan, Elise is to become one of the world's greatest choreographers and marry the man she was formerly engaged to. But if she stays with David, Elise will be limited to teaching dance to children. Thompson uses his adjustment power to cause Elise to fall and sprain her ankle. The doctors assure her that she will recover completely in a few weeks' time, but Thompson has made his point. David, not willing to rob Elise of her dreams of success and fulfillment as a dancer, chooses to abandon her at the hospital.
Eleven months later, David's Senate campaign is in its late stages and he's amassed a 16 point lead over his opponent. He seems to lack his previous enthusiasm, however. Charlie shows David an announcement of Elise's imminent wedding. David decides to take a day or two off from campaigning. Harry, feeling guilty for earlier events, contacts David via secret meetings in the rain and near water. David learns from Harry that rushing water (such as rivers or rain) hampers the caseworkers' ability to anticipate people's movements. The Chairman imposed this on the caseworkers (as well as their reliance on special hats to move freely between the doors and into and out of Bureau headquarters) as an intentional limit to their influence on Humanity. This allows Harry and David to meet without Thompson or the rest of the Bureau finding out.
Harry reveals that Thompson exaggerated the negative consequences of David and Elise's possible relationship, stating that she only fills his emotional void and he would therefore not need to seek approval in the political world. 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 in exactly the same way as any member of The Bureau: turn a doorknob clockwise to pass through a different door on Earth, turn it counter-clockwise to enter headquarters. David finds Elise in the bathroom of the courthouse where she is to be wed. She appears as unenthusiastic about her imminent wedding as David was about his imminent election. Initially 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 implacably 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 and make his case for staying with Elise, though he knows he will suffer the Bureau's ultimate sanction -- a reset of his brain -- if caught. Elise wavers briefly but then follows David across, taking the same risks.
They pass through the door to the Bureau headquarters, where the chase continues. 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 but desperate kiss, knowing that David is about to be taken away and reset. But 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: a plan page, one half which shows where their paths were, heading side-by-side into a blank page starting just past their new current moment.
Harry, after commending both of them for being willing to sacrifice all for the possibility of being together, 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, holding hands, accompanied a voice-over from Harry, speculating that the Chairman's larger plan may simply be to get humanity back to a point where they can write their own plans for themselves.
Thirty days later, Norris is preparing to start his first day at a new job. At a park near Norris' house, Harry Mitchell -- who had been present at many of David's campaign appearances -- receives an assignment from Richardson, his boss: Ensure that Norris spills his coffee on himself by 7:05 AM. Shortly thereafter Mitchell falls asleep while waiting and misses Norris, who boards his bus. David encounters the woman from the bathroom. Her name is Elise. She writes down her phone number on a card and gives it to Norris.
When Norris arrives at work, he finds his boss (also his childhood friend and his former campaign manager) Charlie Traynor is frozen in place in the middle of a conference room. Unfamiliar men led by Richardson, some in black combat gear, wave strange, glowing devices around Traynor's head. Richardson shouts for his men to grab Norris. David starts running and the men give chase. The chase winds through the entire office but it goes completely unnoticed by the rest of the office staff. Like Traynor, they appear to be frozen and are completely unaware of their surroundings. Eventually, Norris is incapacitated and taken to a vast, dark, and empty convention hall to meet Richardson and his men.
The repercussions of Mitchell and Richardson's botched operation are so severe that Richardson's supervisor arrives on the scene. He reminds his junior of an unrelated snafu decades earlier that was still legendary among Bureau operatives. The Bureau's attempts to fix it had been so complex, and so completely fruitless, that "In the end," he advises Richardson, "we just leveled with him."
Richardson explains to David that he and his fellow "caseworkers" are no mere men. They're from the "Adjustment Bureau." The caseworkers all appear to be normal people in plain suits and hats. They're visible to humanity and blend in seamlessly on the streets. They all have the personalities and demeanor of dedicated (but slightly weary) civil servants. But they somehow know every choice that every person makes before they make it, which Richardson quickly proves to David ("Think of a number. It's 17").
The job of the Bureau's caseworkers is to ensure that people's lives proceed as determined by "the plan", a complex document Richardson attributes to "the Chairman." If people unknowingly deviate from the plan that the Chairman has set for them, the Caseworkers can usually put them back "on plan" via subtle, conventional "adjustments" to simple events taking place around them. For instance, Mitchell's purpose in causing Norris to spill coffee on himself that morning was so that David would return to his apartment to change into a clean shirt, thus causing him to miss his bus, thus causing him to fail to reconnect with his mystery woman from the hotel bathroom.
When an "adjustment" won't suffice, the Bureau can stage a hands-on "intervention" in which the subject's brain is physically altered to shift their natural decision making pathways towards the choices defined by The Plan. This is the scene that Norris had stumbled upon earlier. Norris was supposed to have missed his bus and been ten minutes late, by which time the Bureau would have completed their intervention of Traynor inside the office and left behind no trace or memory of themselves or the intervention.
Richardson assures David that Charlie is fine and will not remember his adjustment. Norris is warned that if he talks about the Bureau, he will be "reset"—akin to being lobotomized. Finally, without really explaining the reason why, 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. Mitchell, who appears to be slightly more soft-hearted than Richardson, meets with David on a ferry shortly afterward and urges him to take their warnings seriously. Forget about Elise. And don't tell anybody about the Bureau.
But for the next three years, David rides that same bus downtown every day, hoping to see Elise. He finally does encounter her one day and they reconnect. Richardson and other caseworkers attempt to prevent David from building his relationship with Elise by causing him to miss the dance rehearsal that he had promised to attend; she's already suspicious about the "lost phone number" and she would never give David a third chance. When David notices Richardson onlooking his Senate announcement speech, he realizes Richardson's plan. David races across town, fighting the Bureau's abilities to "control his choices" to ensure he will meet Elise again. Things that would otherwise seem like common, petty annoyances -- his cellphone suddenly drops a call, cabs ignore him, traffic lights turn red just as he's approaching the intersection -- are actually the Bureau attempting to delay David long enough to miss Elise's rehearsal. During the chase across the city, the Bureau uses ordinary doorways to magically travel instantly to another location many blocks away. Ultimately, the caseworkers fail, and David sees Elise dance. He now feels even closer to Elise than ever before.
The importance of breaking the couple up is now so great that the case has been "kicked upstairs" and taken out of Richardson's control. 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 personal bond the next morning.
The Bureau has handed David's case over to Thompson, whose blunt approach has earned him the nickname "The Hammer." Thompson is far more frank and direct and is granted wider latitude in dealing with problems. He takes Norris to the same dark, empty convention center where he first learned of the Bureau. David argues that he -- and Humanity -- has the right to choose their own path. Thompson tells David 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 explains that when David lost his family during his childhood, it created an emotional void in him that as an adult, David filled by seeking the attention, approval and love of the electorate. This drive will ultimately take him to the Presidency, where David will go on to "change the world." However, Elise's impulsive nature would amplify his own and cause David to re-make the same kinds of childish mistakes that had cost him his previous election to the Senate. Thompson releases David and urges him to go catch the end of Elise's performance at her dance studio. Thompson follows, and tells David that if he stays with Elise, he will ruin Elise's future as well as his own. According to The Plan, Elise is to become one of the world's greatest choreographers and marry the man she was formerly engaged to. But if she stays with David, Elise will be limited to teaching dance to children. Thompson uses his adjustment power to cause Elise to fall and sprain her ankle. The doctors assure her that she will recover completely in a few weeks' time, but Thompson has made his point. David, not willing to rob Elise of her dreams of success and fulfillment as a dancer, chooses to abandon her at the hospital.
Eleven months later, David's Senate campaign is in its late stages and he's amassed a 16 point lead over his opponent. He seems to lack his previous enthusiasm, however. Charlie shows David an announcement of Elise's imminent wedding. David decides to take a day or two off from campaigning. Harry, feeling guilty for earlier events, contacts David via secret meetings in the rain and near water. David learns from Harry that rushing water (such as rivers or rain) hampers the caseworkers' ability to anticipate people's movements. The Chairman imposed this on the caseworkers (as well as their reliance on special hats to move freely between the doors and into and out of Bureau headquarters) as an intentional limit to their influence on Humanity. This allows Harry and David to meet without Thompson or the rest of the Bureau finding out.
Harry reveals that Thompson exaggerated the negative consequences of David and Elise's possible relationship, stating that she only fills his emotional void and he would therefore not need to seek approval in the political world. 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 in exactly the same way as any member of The Bureau: turn a doorknob clockwise to pass through a different door on Earth, turn it counter-clockwise to enter headquarters. David finds Elise in the bathroom of the courthouse where she is to be wed. She appears as unenthusiastic about her imminent wedding as David was about his imminent election. Initially 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 implacably 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 and make his case for staying with Elise, though he knows he will suffer the Bureau's ultimate sanction -- a reset of his brain -- if caught. Elise wavers briefly but then follows David across, taking the same risks.
They pass through the door to the Bureau headquarters, where the chase continues. 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 but desperate kiss, knowing that David is about to be taken away and reset. But 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: a plan page, one half which shows where their paths were, heading side-by-side into a blank page starting just past their new current moment.
Harry, after commending both of them for being willing to sacrifice all for the possibility of being together, 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, holding hands, accompanied a voice-over from Harry, speculating that the Chairman's larger plan may simply be to get humanity back to a point where they can write their own plans for themselves.
Review - Intelligence mixed with big-budget Hollywood action to form the new science fiction romance genre
David (Matt Damon) has met Elise (Emily Blunt) and based on one spontaneous kiss and one flirtatious encounter, he's determined that she's the one he's supposed to be with. They have other plans. Oh yes, the indefinable, ambiguous pronoun "they". Just to keep a sense of the intrigue afloat, I'll define "they" as the men of "The Adjustment Bureau". What they want, we don't really know. But David wants the girl—a beautiful girl—but just a girl nonetheless.
For us, questions of free will, fate, soul mates, success and pre-defined destinies abound. All running around an intricate maze of New York architecture. Although intricate might not be the best word because there's nothing here for us to figure out; the film lays everything out well in advance, and over and over again in case you missed it. At least there's intelligence to the story but unfortunately no subtlety.
"The Adjustment Bureau" has pretty city-scapes and pretty people playing more profound characters than pretty people usually play. As with most genre-mixing films, there is something for everybody. I got the intelligence that is usually sorely missing from big-budget Hollywood action films although I could have done with a bit more respect.
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