The Adjustment Bureau
Encyclopedia
The Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 American fantasy
romantic
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
. The score was composed by Thomas Newman
, with two songs by Richard Ashcroft
("Future's Bright" for the opening sequence; "Are You Ready?" for the closing credits).
. 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. 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.
Some months later, Norris is preparing to start his first day at a new job. At a park near Norris's house, Harry Mitchell receives an assignment from Richardson, his boss: Ensure Norris spills his coffee by 7:05 AM; shortly thereafter Mitchell falls asleep while waiting and misses Norris, who boards his bus. He encounters Elise, the woman from the bathroom, who writes down her phone number on a card and gives it to Norris. When Norris arrives at work, he finds his boss (and campaign manager), Charlie Traynor, is being examined by unfamiliar men in suits. David attempts to escape and the men give chase. Eventually, Norris is incapacitated and taken to a warehouse to meet Richardson and his men.
Richardson explains he and his men are from the Adjustment Bureau. The job of the Bureau's "caseworkers" is to ensure people's lives proceed as determined by "the plan", a complex document Richardson attributes to "the Chairman." Charlie is fine and will not remember his adjustment, and Norris is warned that if he talks about the Bureau he will be "reset"—akin to being lobotomized
. Finally, 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.
For the next three years David rides the same bus downtown every day, hoping to see Elise. He finally does encounter her one day and they reconnect. The Bureau tries to stop him from building his relationship with her by causing their schedules to separate them again. David races across town, fighting the Bureau's abilities to "control his choices" to ensure he will meet Elise again. During the chase the Bureau uses ordinary doorways to magically travel instantly to another location many blocks away. This is a very familiar device, incidentally, to fans of the MATRIX trilogy of movies.
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 Thompson (formerly called "The Hammer") take authority regarding David's adjustment. He takes Norris to a warehouse, where David argues he has the right to choose his own path. Thompson says 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 releases him, and he runs to Elise's performance at her dance studio. Thompson follows, and tells him that if he stays with Elise, he will ruin his political future as President of the United States
and also ruin Elise's future as a world-famous dancer and choreographer; with David, Elise will be limited to teaching dance to children. To make a point, he uses his adjustment power to cause Elise to fall and sprain her ankle. Overwhelmed with his future in jeopardy and faced with sabotaging Elise's future as well, David abandons her at the hospital.
Eleven months later, David runs for election again and sees an announcement of Elise's imminent wedding. Harry, feeling guilty for earlier events, contacts David via secret meetings in the rain and near water. David learns from Harry that the Bureau's weakness is water, allowing them to meet without the Bureau finding out. Harry reveals that Thompson exaggerated the negative consequences of David and Elise's possible relationship, and 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. David finds Elise in the bathroom of the courthouse where she is to be wed. 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 on the base of the Statue of Liberty, Norris decides to find the Chairman. Elise wavers briefly but then follows David across.
They go through the door to the Bureau headquarters. 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 kiss before David can be reset. 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 showing such devotion to each other, 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.
Media Rights Capital
funded the film and then auctioned it to distributors, with Universal Studios
putting in the winning bid for $62 million. Variety reported Damon's involvement on February 24, 2009, and Blunt's on July 14, 2009. The film was released on March 4, 2011.
Nolfi worked with John Toll as his cinematographer. Shots were planned in advance with storyboards but changed often during shooting to fit the conditions of the day. The visual plan for the film was to keep the camerawork smooth using a dolly or crane and have controlled formal shots when the Adjustment Bureau was in full control, with things becoming more loose and using hand-held cameras when the story becomes less controlled.
The final scene (on the rooftop) was filmed four months after the rest of the film had completed shooting and has a different ending than the original.
theological implications, such as an omnipotent and omniscient God, as well as the concepts of free will
and predestination
. Moreover, it has been said that the Chairman represents God
, while his caseworkers are angel
s. The director of the film, George Nolfi, stated that the "intention of this film is to raise questions."
on 141 West 54th Street in New York City. Writer/director George Nolfi was in attendance along with the cast, including Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.
gives the film a score of 72% based on 237 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6 out of 10. Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the film three out of a maximum four stars, describing the movie as "a smart and good movie that could have been a great one if it had been a little more daring. I suspect the filmmakers were reluctant to follow its implications too far."The New York Times
called the film "a fast, sure film about finding and keeping love across time and space... [which] has brightened the season with a witty mix of science-fiction metaphysics and old-fashioned romance."
. Its total worldwide gross is $127,104,813 as of .
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
romantic
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
thriller film loosely based on the Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
short story, "Adjustment Team
Adjustment Team
"Adjustment Team" is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick. It was first published in Orbit Science Fiction with illustration by Faragasso. It was later reprinted in The Sands of Mars and other Stories in 1958, The Book of Philip K...
". The film was written and directed by George Nolfi
George Nolfi
George Nolfi is an American screenwriter. He directed the 2011 film The Adjustment Bureau, which he also wrote .- Life and career :...
and stars Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
and Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Emily Olivia Leah Blunt is an English actress best known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada , The Young Victoria , and The Adjustment Bureau . She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two London Film Critics' Circle Awards, and one BAFTA Award...
. The cast also includes Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
, John Slattery
John Slattery
John M. Slattery, Jr. is an American actor and director, best known for his role as Roger Sterling on AMC's series Mad Men. He has been nominated for many awards, and has won two SAG Awards with the Mad Men ensemble....
, Michael Kelly
Michael Kelly (American actor)
Michael Joseph Kelly is an American actor.-Early life:Kelly was born in Philadelphia and raised in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the son of Maureen and Michael Kelly. He has one brother and two sisters . He graduated from Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia...
, and Terence Stamp
Terence Stamp
Terence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
. The score was composed by Thomas Newman
Thomas Newman
Thomas Montgomery Newman is an American composer and conductor, best known for his many film scores. He is one of the more respected and recognized composers for modern film and has scored over fifty feature films in a career which spans nearly three decades.Newman has received a total of ten...
, with two songs by Richard Ashcroft
Richard Ashcroft
Richard Paul Ashcroft is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer and occasional guitarist of alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their split in 1999, and continues as a lead vocalist working with guitars and keyboards...
("Future's Bright" for the opening sequence; "Are You Ready?" for the closing credits).
Plot
In 2006, New York Congressman David Norris runs a promising but ultimately unsuccessful campaign for United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. 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. 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.
Some months later, Norris is preparing to start his first day at a new job. At a park near Norris's house, Harry Mitchell receives an assignment from Richardson, his boss: Ensure Norris spills his coffee by 7:05 AM; shortly thereafter Mitchell falls asleep while waiting and misses Norris, who boards his bus. He encounters Elise, the woman from the bathroom, who writes down her phone number on a card and gives it to Norris. When Norris arrives at work, he finds his boss (and campaign manager), Charlie Traynor, is being examined by unfamiliar men in suits. David attempts to escape and the men give chase. Eventually, Norris is incapacitated and taken to a warehouse to meet Richardson and his men.
Richardson explains he and his men are from the Adjustment Bureau. The job of the Bureau's "caseworkers" is to ensure people's lives proceed as determined by "the plan", a complex document Richardson attributes to "the Chairman." Charlie is fine and will not remember his adjustment, and Norris is warned that if he talks about the Bureau he will be "reset"—akin to being lobotomized
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
. Finally, 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.
For the next three years David rides the same bus downtown every day, hoping to see Elise. He finally does encounter her one day and they reconnect. The Bureau tries to stop him from building his relationship with her by causing their schedules to separate them again. David races across town, fighting the Bureau's abilities to "control his choices" to ensure he will meet Elise again. During the chase the Bureau uses ordinary doorways to magically travel instantly to another location many blocks away. This is a very familiar device, incidentally, to fans of the MATRIX trilogy of movies.
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 Thompson (formerly called "The Hammer") take authority regarding David's adjustment. He takes Norris to a warehouse, where David argues he has the right to choose his own path. Thompson says that they gave humanity free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
after the height of the Roman Empire, but humanity then brought the Dark Ages
Dark Ages
The "Dark Ages" is a historical periodization emphasizing the cultural and economic deterioration that supposedly occurred in Europe following the decline of the Roman Empire. The label employs traditional light-versus-darkness imagery to contrast the "darkness" of the period with earlier and later...
down upon itself. The Bureau took control again and created the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
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
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. Thompson releases him, and he runs to Elise's performance at her dance studio. Thompson follows, and tells him that if he stays with Elise, he will ruin his political future as President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and also ruin Elise's future as a world-famous dancer and choreographer; with David, Elise will be limited to teaching dance to children. To make a point, he uses his adjustment power to cause Elise to fall and sprain her ankle. Overwhelmed with his future in jeopardy and faced with sabotaging Elise's future as well, David abandons her at the hospital.
Eleven months later, David runs for election again and sees an announcement of Elise's imminent wedding. Harry, feeling guilty for earlier events, contacts David via secret meetings in the rain and near water. David learns from Harry that the Bureau's weakness is water, allowing them to meet without the Bureau finding out. Harry reveals that Thompson exaggerated the negative consequences of David and Elise's possible relationship, and 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. David finds Elise in the bathroom of the courthouse where she is to be wed. 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 on the base of the Statue of Liberty, Norris decides to find the Chairman. Elise wavers briefly but then follows David across.
They go through the door to the Bureau headquarters. 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 kiss before David can be reset. 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 showing such devotion to each other, 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.
Cast
- Matt DamonMatt DamonMatthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
as David Norris - Emily BluntEmily BluntEmily Olivia Leah Blunt is an English actress best known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada , The Young Victoria , and The Adjustment Bureau . She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two London Film Critics' Circle Awards, and one BAFTA Award...
as Elise Sellas - Anthony MackieAnthony MackieAnthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
as Harry Mitchell - John SlatteryJohn SlatteryJohn M. Slattery, Jr. is an American actor and director, best known for his role as Roger Sterling on AMC's series Mad Men. He has been nominated for many awards, and has won two SAG Awards with the Mad Men ensemble....
as Richardson - Anthony RuivivarAnthony RuivivarAnthony Michael Ruivivar is an American actor known for his portrayal of FDNY paramedic Carlos Nieto in the TV series Third Watch, and other law-enforcement roles in different TV series.-Background:...
as McCrady - Michael KellyMichael Kelly (American actor)Michael Joseph Kelly is an American actor.-Early life:Kelly was born in Philadelphia and raised in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the son of Maureen and Michael Kelly. He has one brother and two sisters . He graduated from Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia...
as Charlie Traynor - Terence StampTerence StampTerence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
as Thompson - Jon StewartJon StewartJon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
as himself
Production
In early drafts, the character Norris was changed from a real estate salesman, as in the short story, to an up-and-coming politician.Media Rights Capital
Media Rights Capital
Media Rights Capital II LP is an independent film, television and digital studio founded by Mordecai Wiczyk and Asif Satchu. MRC specializes in the creation of premium content. It has full in-house physical production, legal, finance and sales teams, and a complete marketing infrastructure...
funded the film and then auctioned it to distributors, with Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
putting in the winning bid for $62 million. Variety reported Damon's involvement on February 24, 2009, and Blunt's on July 14, 2009. The film was released on March 4, 2011.
Nolfi worked with John Toll as his cinematographer. Shots were planned in advance with storyboards but changed often during shooting to fit the conditions of the day. The visual plan for the film was to keep the camerawork smooth using a dolly or crane and have controlled formal shots when the Adjustment Bureau was in full control, with things becoming more loose and using hand-held cameras when the story becomes less controlled.
The final scene (on the rooftop) was filmed four months after the rest of the film had completed shooting and has a different ending than the original.
Religious themes
Some reviewers identified Judeo-ChristianJudeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
theological implications, such as an omnipotent and omniscient God, as well as the concepts of free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
and predestination
Predestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
. Moreover, it has been said that the Chairman represents God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, while his caseworkers are angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s. The director of the film, George Nolfi, stated that the "intention of this film is to raise questions."
Theatrical
The film had its world premiere on February 14, 2011, at the Ziegfeld TheatreZiegfeld Theatre
The Ziegfeld Theatre was a Broadway theater located at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 54th Street in Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1927 and, despite public protests, was razed in 1966....
on 141 West 54th Street in New York City. Writer/director George Nolfi was in attendance along with the cast, including Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.
Home media
The Adjustment Bureau was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 21, 2011. The film was the top selling release for its opening week.Critical response
Critics generally gave the film positive reviews. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a score of 72% based on 237 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6 out of 10. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the film three out of a maximum four stars, describing the movie as "a smart and good movie that could have been a great one if it had been a little more daring. I suspect the filmmakers were reluctant to follow its implications too far."The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the film "a fast, sure film about finding and keeping love across time and space... [which] has brightened the season with a witty mix of science-fiction metaphysics and old-fashioned romance."
Box office
In its opening weekend in the United States (March 4-6, 2011), The Adjustment Bureau grossed $21,157,730, which was the second most of any film that weekend, behind RangoRango (2011 film)
Rango is a 2011 American computer-animated Western Comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Graham King. In the film, a chameleon named Rango accidentally ends up in the town of Dirt, an outpost that is in desperate need of a new sheriff...
. Its total worldwide gross is $127,104,813 as of .