Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
If you haven’t seen the film, do. If you have, tell me if my thoughts are wrong.
First, The Adjustment Bureau does politics pretty well. One of the opening montages shows David Morris (played by Matt Damon) campaigning, complete with cameo appearances of Mayor Bloomberg and Jon Stewart, speeches in western New York farm counties (all of the extras are flannelled head to toe), jokes about how politicians are tightly leashed by their consultants, and a realistic political war room. The writers threw political junkies many bones.
Second, the story is nominally based off of Philip K. Dick’s short story, “Adjustment Team,” but the real genius behind the film seems to be Franz Kafka. Everything -- the twinned, mechanical agents who are indistinguishable except by a few gradations of rank; their labyrinthine bureaucracy; their inability to make their intentions and motivations comprehensible; their breathless (but contradictory) references to the majesty of “the Chairman”; their (almost) complete frustration of the protagonist’s desires; the complete obfuscation of “the Chairman” -- seems to be taken straight from The Castle.
Third, the film has been written up as a philosophical reflection on free will. I think this is a mistake. The debate over free will got boring a few of centuries ago. But more importantly, the question of whether David has the ability to exercise agency, or whether he is determined by physical mechanisms never presents itself to the viewer. It is resolved from the very beginning, in scenes in which the agents warn him of the bad consequences of making the wrong decision. He clearly has choices and multiple possible futures.
Rather, the dilemma in The Adjustment Bureau is not choice vs. free will, it is one mode of life versus another, both equally chosen. There is (1) the restrained, rehearsed, poll-tested life of the organization kid, the life we require of our public figures -- a life lived for self-improvement, self-advancement, image management, the eternal subordination of all impulses and postponement of all desires for the sake of some vaguely defined and never-enjoyed end. And there is (2) a life of impulsive spontaneity, the life of the artist, in which everything is enjoyed for its own sake, and the individual personality is expressed without regard to norms and expectations.
David Norris and Elise are clearly icons of these poles. David is running for U.S. Senate: teams of consultants tell him exactly what tie to wear and how much to scuff his shoes; every “personal” story he tells is in fact written, edited, and poll-tested by his consultants. Elise is flirty, punkish, sexually provocative -- we meet her hiding in a men’s bathroom after being caught crashing a wedding, and her profession (contemporary dance) is the epitome of anarchic self-expression. They represent organization versus creativity; self-restraint versus self-expression; the reality principle versus the pleasure principle; advancement versus enjoyment; investment versus consumption, etc.
But I read the meeting of the two, and the love-story between them, as essentially an allegory for what is actually going on inside David. The bourgeois and the bohemian have in fact clashed in David all along: after his first night in Congress he gets into a fist-fight in a Dionysian fit, and his first run for the Senate is tanked when the New York Post prints a photo of him mooning his old college fraternity brothers. Both elements have been in him all along.
And so the real story, behind the metaphor, isn’t actually about David wrestling with forces outside of his own control. It’s about him deciding whether to stick to his own “plan,” this organized life that could gain him the presidency, but at the expense of his soul/personality/self-expression/love of his life.
And what was best was that the film mostly presented this as a real dilemma, without a clear right choice. One of the agents makes clear that Elise will really, truly suffer because of David’s love, as indeed any Senator’s wife must. Anybody who thinks it’s always right to lay aside all practical considerations for feelings of “true love” has probably never witnessed the devastation that can lead to. And David, knowing what will happen to Elise, does briefly decide to give her up. I would like to see more films entertain the possibility that sometimes bourgeois restraint is actually the right choice.
[SPOILER ALERT] But the ending was dissatisfying because it eliminated the dilemma, and became un-Kafkaesque and happy. David, enabled by an inexplicably dissenting agent, steals Elise away on her wedding day (the film here becomes saccharine as Elise loses her spunk and becomes a baffled and passive damsel), and, after finally being cornered by the agents, they kiss lasciviously and (Chairman ex machina) the "plan" is changed, to allow them to stay together. Fin. It remains unclear whether David can become president or Elise a famous dancer.
A film that, throughout, presented a tragic dilemma at the center of each of our lives (with magnificent visuals, fine dialog, and wonderfully executed love scenes) concludes by...evaporating the problem entirely.
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May '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Ack! Date Night isn't until tomorrow night! And by the time I get around to commenting on this thread, I'll be the Thread Closer. Again.
Jul '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Matt Damon?
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Okay, okay, Matt, but was it worth twelve bucks for a ticket?
Jun '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Yes, but what about Galileo?
Jun '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
"Third, the film has been written up as a philosophical reflection on free will."
I don't think anyone has reflected philosophically on Free Willy and I find that most disturbing.
Jun '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
"The bourgeois and the bohemian have in fact clashed in David all along: after his first night in Congress he gets into a fist-fight in a Dionysian fit, and his first run for the Senate is tanked when the New York Post prints a photo of him mooning his old college fraternity brothers."
Really? I have to pay to see Matt Damon's derriere? Sounds like a trip to Tijuana...uh....never mind. I don't know...I could get a couple of drinks at the bar for $12 bucks, or a nice lunch, a book...
The film also seems to borrow a good deal from Alex Proyas' Dark City, which I thought was very satisfying with some amazing effects for its time. I am a fan of Philip K. Dick (Minority Report, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - wonderful title - aka, Blade Runner)...so I suppose I'll get around to seeing it...or wait until it hits cable.
Jul '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Listen, kid, cut to the chase. How many exploding helicopters? How many rubber-suited Ninja chicks with poky nipples wielding gatling guns?
It takes real entertainment to pry twelve bucks out of my paw.
Jun '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
So pointing out the duality of man's miserable existence is hot stuff. Let's see, duty versus whoopee, well that's never been done before, at least not in Hollywood where whoopee reigns supreme. I suppose this movie is better than Woody Harrelson shooting zombies in an amusement park, but not by much. I think I'm with Kenneth, dash philosophy and blow something up, and fast, or I'm droppin' this existentialism class faster than a one-legged hooker hits the sheets. Also, if your chairman is Hollywood's latest metaphor for God—I didn't even know heaven had a board of directors—let's at least get the guy raining down lightening bolts at the board meeting. I will say this, the big kiss at the end of The Adjustment Bureau does turn the movie into a love-conquers-all bit of pancake ready schmaltz, but it's a date movie. Personally, I'd like to see some guy make a movie about how he could've had love but chose ambition, money, a coffee table strewn with coke, and cheap meaningless sex. Now, compare that to opening a warehouse door and walking into Yankee Stadium.
Oct '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
I think the duty vs. love story was once done by the great dramatists, Gilbert and Sullivan. Did you say that this story is a lot like Pirates of Penzance?
May '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Heaven is the point at which duty and spontaneity become one and the same. Occasionally, we each get a taste of it. We call it flow, being "in the zone" or wu-wei (in Confucianism). It's the experience of no longer having to seek direction or strive, but simply being. It's effortless being -- when body, mind and soul are in perfect harmony with one's actions and environment.
Aug '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
I have seen the previews to this movie so many times that I always laugh and whisper "The Hat Movie " sotto voce to my wife. We almost went to see it as there isn't much out right now, but it might go until next weekend. I skipped over the spoiler.
But really I haven't seen that many hats since my father was forty !
I'm with Kenneth, you get today's version of Sean Young and Darryl Hannah kicking ass and I'm there. And no, not Kick Ass, which Talleyrand warned us off of in another comment thread.
May '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
[WARNING! SPOILERS!!!]
Actually, I think the free will question is a red herring. The human actors in the movie all exhibit free will. The Adjustment Bureau agents are mostly employing nudges -- and sometimes threats and coercion -- to herd humans into the paths specified by The Plan. If David didn't have free will, it wouldn't require so much effort on their part to keep him away from Elise.
The film did nicely portray something I have always theorized with regard to God's hand in the world, to wit: If you are omniscient, you can guide events -- most of the time -- with very little application of force. It was amusing to watch the Agents' increasing sense of desperation as Chaos pushed back.
By the way, here are three inconsistencies with regard to the Bureau agents:
I do think the ending would have been better if The Chairman turned out to be Sarah Palin.
Mar '11
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Is it worth $12, Peter Robinson? I'd love to see your partial list of movies that are worth twelve bucks--to you, naturally. To me, it's an empty set. Usually "worth it" means "want it" and "willing to pay" so this may depend on how much money one has to begin with. You have a lot more money than I, so that's why I ask. I probably see a lot more than you do but none of then is worth anything close to twelve bucks. Last night my girl wanted to see the latest Ashtun Kuchner sex comedy (with Nately Portman). It cost us around forty cents apiece. That's because we bought the "pirate" DVD. You might find it hard to even justify spending 40 cents on this thing. But you'd be wrong. It was the perfect illustration of the recent "man up" debate on these pages (begun by Paul Rahe). My neighborhood DVD pirate is a criminal. But he's also at capitalism's cutting edge. If I taught business at the Hoover Institute I'd make my students study the DVD pirate business model. Is there a better example of "creative destruction" out there today?
May '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
12 bucks, Peter? If you're a member of AAA, you can buy VIP movie tickets for $8.00. That's what helps us afford our weekly forays.
Mar '11
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Cass Baliki, 1-You out schmaltz on pancakes? My hero. I thought I was cool for spreding it on rye bread before ladling on the sour-crean herring. 2-"Personally, I'd like to see some guy make a movie about how he could've had love but chose ambition, money, a coffee table strewn with coke, and cheap meaningless sex" Then go see the latest Ashton Kuchner/Nalalie Portman sex comedy. Kevin Kline's performance is exactly what you're demanding. It cuts to the bone because it's hilarious. And because he's brilliant. Worth every penny of my 40 cents if only to get to see Kline's tour-de-force.
Jun '10
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Did Kevin Kline grow a mustache for this movie? When Kevin signs on to do a movie he thinks is a turkey he usually grows a 'stache. As for sour cream and herring, ambrosia pure ambrosia.
Mar '11
Re: Commentary Returning from The Adjustment Bureau
Joined Jun '10 Cas Balicki Did Kevin Kline grow a mustache for this movie? When Kevin signs on to do a movie he thinks is a turkey he usually grows a 'stache. As for sour cream and herring, ambrosia pure ambrosia. #16 ·Mar 6 at 2:24pm ·Like, Quote,Share, Permalink No. The movie is barely worth 40 cents, let alone the prices you have to pay. At least until Mexican illegals bring the piracy biz up there. But artists like Kline can't turn a turkey performance even if they wanted to. That doesn't mean it has to satisfy your expectation (above). Check it out and tell me if it did.