"THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU" (2011) Review

 

"THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU" (2011) Review

Matt Damon made his second (or perhaps third) foray into the science-fiction/fantasy genre, when he starred in the 2011 film called "THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU". The movie turned out to be a loose adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1954 short story, "Adjustment Team".

Adapted and directed by George Nolfi, "THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU" is about an aspiring politician named David Norris, whose encounter with a talented modern dancer sparks a romance between the two. However, members of a mysterious force called the Adjustment Bureau keep interfering with their romance, explaining that Norris’ political career would be affected by his romance with Elise Sellas, the young dancer. They also explained that Elise’s future as a famous dancer would also be affected. At first, David agrees to stay away from Elise, when Richardson (one of the “angels” of the Adjustment Bureau) tells him that he will be “reset” or lobotomized, if he tells anyone about the Bureau. But three to four years later, David finds it difficult to forget Elise. And with the help from Harry Mitchell, the Bureau “angel” that has been overseeing his life, David sets out to fight the Bureau’s abilities to control his choices and form a permanent relationship with Elise.

"THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU" struck me as one of those pleasant and whimsical movies that I usually find mildly interesting. Both Matt Damon and Emily Blunt gave believable performances as the politician and dancer who find themselves attracted to one another. If I must be honest, the two had a very strong screen chemistry. The movie also gave moviegoers an interesting glimpse into the possibility of a supernatural force that determined the paths of all individuals. And the movie presented this premise in an interesting way that perfectly balanced reality with fantasy. An interesting aspect of the movie’s plot is that the Adjustment Bureau “angels” used doorways to instantly teleport from one location to another. And in order for them to accomplish this, each “angel” has to be wearing the Bureau’s signature fedora hat.

However, I had some problems with the movie. I never understood how both David and Elise managed to remember each other after three years. At the beginning of the movie, they had briefly met inside the men’s bathroom at a local hotel. The following morning, they met again aboard a public bus and spoke for a few minutes. Three years passed before they laid eyes upon each other again . . . and they clearly remembered one another. Why do I find that implausible? And the Bureau’s decision to finally let David and Elise alone, because; a) they somehow "discovered" that the two were always meant to be together struck me as a bit saccharine, and b) they fought so hard to stay together struck me as rather saccharine. Every time I think of that final scene, flashes of the movie, "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" enters my mind. In fact, I am beginning to suspect that "THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU" might be a slight remake of the 1945 movie. But at least "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" had more of a punch than "THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU". And that is my final complaint about the movie. It simply lacked punch. It failed to blow my mind. It was a nice movie that I would have enjoyed more, watching on my television screen.

The performances in the movie were pleasant, but did not strike me as particularly memorable. Well . . . I take that back. I was impressed by two performances. One came from Anthony Mackie, who portrayed David Norris’ personal Bureau “angel”, Harry Mitchell. With very few lines, Mackie did a first rate job in conveying Harry’s increasing disenchantment with the Bureau’s policy of controlling the choices of others with an intensity that struck me as perfectly balanced. I was also impressed by Terence Stamp’s portrayal of Thompson, one of the senior members of the Bureau, who is called to deal with David, when the latter proves to be troublesome. Stamp was commanding, intimidating, slightly ruthless and very convincing in his character’s arguments to keep David and Elise apart. As I had stated earlier, both Matt Damon and Emily Blunt gave charming performances as the two protagonists. During the scenes in which Damon’s David Norris flirted with Blunt’s Elise Sallas, I was struck by the similarities in Damon’s flirtations with Vera Farmiga in "THE DEPARTED" and Minnie Driver in "GOOD WILL HUNTING". And I began to wonder if Damon had a standardized method for on-screen romances. I also enjoyed John Slattery’s performance as another one of the Bureau’s “angels”, Richardson. But if I must be honest, his character struck me as another variation on his Roger Sterling character from "MAD MEN". It would be nice to see him in another kind of role.

"THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU" is a charming and clever movie. It benefitted from solid performances from a first-rate cast and a solid adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story by George Nolfi. But in the end, I found it slightly disappointing. It failed to pack a punch that this kind of story had the potential to deliver.

R.I.P. Terence Stamp (1938-2025)

"AMERICAN HUSTLE" (2013) Review

 

"AMERICAN HUSTLE" (2013) Review

Between 2010 and 2015, the career of David O. Russell had seemed to be on a roll. During this period, Russell had directed, produced or did both four movies that had garnered a great deal of acclaim and awards. The third of this "Golden Quartet" happened to be a period comedy-drama called "AMERICAN HUSTLE". 

Set mainly in 1978, "AMERICAN HUSTLE" is loosely based on the ABSCAM operation, set up by the F.B.I. as a sting operation against various government officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The movie begins with two con artists and lovers, Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser, who are caught in a loan scam by F.B.I. Special Agent Richie Di Maso. The latter proposes to release them if Irving assists him in a sting operation against Mayor Carmine Polito of Camden, New Jersey and other officials. Sydney tries to convince Irving not to agree with Richie's proposal. But desperate to avoid prison and reluctant to leave his adopted son with his verbose and slightly unstable wife Rosalyn, Irving agrees to assist Richie and the F.B.I. The sting operation nearly starts off on the wrong foot, thanks to a clumsy tactic on Richie's part, but Irving manages to woo back the charismatic and popular Carmine, who is seeking funds to revitalize gambling in Atlantic City. The scam seems to be going fine, despite Sydney's growing relationship with Richie. But when Carmine introduces Irving, Sydney and Richie to the notoriously violent Mafia overlord Victor Tellegio into the plan to raise money; and Rosalyn's jealous nature and notoriously big mouth threatens to expose the sting operation; Irving realizes he has to come up with an alternate plan to save him and Sydney from the Mob and the F.B.I.

While watching "AMERICAN HUSTLE", it occurred to me that it is filled with some very interesting and eccentric characters. First, there are the two lovebirds - Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser - with his odd toupee and her fake British accent. Then we have Richie Di Maso is an ambitious "Mama's Boy" with hair permed into tight curls, who is a bit too eager to prove himself with the F.B.I. Irving's wife Rosalyn is an unhappily married woman with a big mouth and a careless and self-involved personality. And Mayor Polito is a happy-go-lucky politician with a rather large pompadour hair-style and questionable connections to the Mob. The movie is also populated with a Latino F.B.I. agent recruited by Richie to potray a wealthy Arab sheik, a charming Mob soldier who ends up falling for Rosalyn, Richie's frustrated and wary F.B.I. supervisor, and a very sinister Mob boss that can speak Arabic. If I have to be perfectly honest, I would have to say that the movie's array of characters struck me as being the movie's strong point.

This should not have been a surprise. "AMERICAN HUSTLE" is also filled with some great performances. Christian Bale gave a wonderfully subtle and complex performance as the aging and stressed out con man who reluctantly finds himself involved with a scam operation set up by the F.B.I. He certainly clicked with Amy Adams, who gave one of the most subtle performances of her career as the charming, yet desperate former stripper-turned-con artist, who found herself in a state of flux over her freedom and her relationship with her partner/lover. Bradley Cooper was practically a basket of fire as the aggressive F.B.I. Agent Richie Di Maso, who become over-eager to make a name for himself within the Bureau. Mind you, there were moments when Cooper's performance seemed to border on hamminess. I could also say the same for Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Irving's not-so-stable wife, Rosalyn. However, I must admit that Lawrence also provided the movie with some of its best comic moments. Jeremy Renner was a joy to watch as the charismatic mayor of Camden, Carmine Polito. The latter must have been the most happy-go-lucky role he has ever done.

"AMERICAN HUSTLE" also featured some first-rate performances from the supporting cast. Louis C.K. was very effective Richie's long suffering boss, Special Agent Stoddard Thorsen. Michael Peña provided some memorable comic moments as Special Agent Paco Hernandez, who surprised everyone with his ability to speak Arabic. Robert De Niro, who also made a surprising appearance as mobster Victor Tellegio, gave a subtle and intimidating appearance . . . especially in a scene in which he tested Agent Thorsen's ability to speak Arabic. The movie also featured solid performances from Jack Huston as a young mobster, Alessandro Nivola as Richie and Thoren's boss, Anthony Zerbe as a corrupt congressman, and Elisabeth Röhm as Mayor Polito's equally happy-go-lucky wife Dolly.

I was also impressed by the production designs for "AMERICAN HUSTLE". Judy Becker and her team did an exceptional job of bringing the late 1970s back to life. She was also assisted by Heather Loeffler's set decorations and Jesse Rosenthal's art direction. Michael Wilkinson's costume designs did an excellent job of not only capturing that particular era, but also representing the major character. This was especially apparent in his costumes for the Sydney Prosser, who used low-cut dresses and gowns to distract her marks. And I mean very low cut.

If there is one problem I had with "AMERICAN HUSTLE", it is probably Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell's screenplay. At first, it seemed perfectly fine to me. But eventually, there were a few aspects of the screenplay I found either troubling or confusing. One, I noticed that Russell tried utilize the use of multiple narrations that Martin Scorsese used in his 1995 movie, "CASINO". At first, he used Irving and Sydney's narration. Then he added Richie's voice to the mix. The problem is that I can only recall Richie's narration in one scene. Nor do I recall Sydney's narration in the movie's second half. Also, the first half of the movie seemed to hint that Richie's mark in his operation was Camden's Mayor Polito, who wanted to raise funds to revitalize Atlantic City. Why? Why would the mayor of Camden be interested in revitalizing the fortunes of another city, located in another county? And why was the F.B.I. so interested in Camden's mayor? At first, I thought the agency was aware of his mob ties. But when Carmine introduced Irving and Richie to mobster Victor Tellegio, both the con man and the Federal agent seemed taken by the mobster's appearance. So, why did Richie target Carmine in the first place? To make matters even more confusing, Richie extended his sting operation to several members of Congress. There seemed to be no focus in the operation and especially in the narrative.  Or perhaps Richie had more than one target.  Who knows.

Despite the slightly confusing screenplay, I must admit that "AMERICAN HUSTLE" was a very entertaining movie. Not only did it recaptured the era of the 1970s, but also featured some superb performances from a cast led by Christian Bale and Amy Adams. I thought it was entertaining enough to overlook its flaws.

"DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" (1990) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER", the 1990 sequel to the 1988 hit movie and adaptation of Walter Wager's 1987 novel, "58 Minutes". Directed by Renny Harlin, the movie starred Bruce Willis:

"DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" (1990) Photo Gallery

"SUNDAY IN NEW YORK" (1963) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "SUNDAY IN NEW YORK", the 1963 adaptation of Norman Krasna's 1961 Broadway play. Directed by Peter Tewksbury, the movie starred Rod Taylor, Jane Fonda and Cliff Robertson:

"SUNDAY IN NEW YORK" (1963) Photo Gallery