The Adjustment Bureau could have taken more risks and been a better film, but as it stands I enjoyed it and recommend everyone watch it.  If for no other reason than to talk about things like choice and fate.

Matt Damon plays David Norris, a young congressman running for senate who has a chance meeting with Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt).  That meeting becomes the catalyst for a career changing speech.  Is their relationship supposed to be more than just that one meeting?  Are our lives already planned out and unchangeable?

This is definitely a unique film.  There is great chemistry between Damon and Blunt that helps to carry the film, along with a great performance by Anthony Mackie.  The cinematography captures the light in a city like nothing I've seen lately and it was beautiful to watch.  I loved the ideas this film had and what it wanted to explore.  I felt it could have been more daring and less vague with its convictions.

For all their chemistry, I felt something was missing between David and Elise and I blame it completely on their second meeting.  I feel consumed by the notion, as much as I try to shake this simplistic frustration, that no man would ever, ever, ever (is that enough evers?) find it cute for a woman to drop his new phone into a cup of coffee.  How many teams of writers and producers read this script and thought, "yep, it would be darn cute for her to ruin his phone.  Guys dig that."  Have you ever done this yourself by accident?  Even if you HATE your phone, this is a major inconvenience at the very least.  So, that said, rather than establishing their relationship and helping me understand why David Norris would spend three years searching for this woman against rough consequences, the banter between them on the bus left me wanting more.

So How Does It End?

David and Elise decide to fight the bureau to have a relationship.  With the help of Anthony Mackie they try to find the Chairman (aka God, let's call a spade a spade).  They prove that they are willing to fight for their relationship and risk everything to have it.  As a reward, the "chairman" re-writes their life plans and allows them to be a couple.

I had really high expectations (trailer for this still gives me goosebumps).  I don't think it reached its full potential, but I still really enjoyed it and recommend it.  I give it 4 out of 5.