Matt Damon plays a US politician whom is currently experiencing a rapidly rising career. From the beginning of the film it is apparent that Damon is being watched by a shadowy group of individuals (The Adjustment Bureau) who seem to be able to manipulate events to direct the path of their lives.
Damon's career, however, has a bit of a setback after a newspaper posts a photo of him bearing his arse at a party. Not the kind of scandal you'd expect of a politician. No, here in the UK we're much more accustomed to our Members of Parliament being arrested for accidentally, while walking their dog in a public park at 3am, falling into a bush that just happened to be occupied by a rent boy with his trousers round his ankles. However, for Matt Damon's character this bare buttocked shenanigans result in him losing an election to the senate.
Just before he makes “I didn't win” speech to his supporters he nips into the hotel toilet whereupon he meets a young lady, Elise (played by Emily Blunt). After a brief conversation, that involves her telling him that she thinks politicians spend too much time talking out of their backsides, they kiss before Blunt is chased away by hotel security. Damon, being rather taken by the young lady, is inspired to abandon his prepared speech. He ends up making it up as he goes, talking about how much of everything he says and does as a politician is vetted and orchestrated beforehand. Including how the colour of his tie may affect voters. This honest approach results in him becoming more popular with your average Joe voter. Whom is his main target audience. Scum, from a right wing point of view.
Soon afterwards the member of the bureau who's job it is to keep an eye on Damon falls asleep and fails to prevent him missing a bus. Damon boards the bus and again crossing paths with the young lady that inspired him so much.
It quickly becomes apparent that bumping into Blunt a second time wasn't part of the plan that The Adjustment Bureau had for either of them, so they set about trying to keep them apart. Damon soon learns of the Bureau and their plans for him however he cannot stop thinking abut Blunt and sets about trying to cheat the destiny that has been planned for him.
A game of cat and mouse then ensues, where Damon tries to stay one step ahead of the bureau in his pursuit of “the one”.
The film is much more of a romance tale than I had anticipated (I'm not a big fan of romantic films) however it is still thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Damon runs through the streets trying to stay out of reach of the bureau in what are fast paced chase scenes. That's pretty much the last half of the film, but it's not endless unoriginal shots of people running down street after street. He's going through doors too! Oooh! Not just any doors. These doors lead to other places. I don't mean to a toilet or your living room. But a door in one street in the city, can lead directly to a building in another part of the city. Think extra dimensions.
I don't wish to give away too much of the story, so I won't say much more about it. If you like films like Inception (which this has been repeatedly compared to) then you will most likely enjoy it.
Certainly worth seeing.
