The Adjust-"meh" Bureau (starring Matt Damon)

I think we've all been there - it's the biggest night of your life, you wander into the bathroom to collect your thoughts and there's a woman in there.  Of course, you begin chatting, share a kiss, then spend the next three years looking for her every day.  What's that?  That's never happened to you?  Me neither ... and that's what kept me from enjoying The Adjustment Bureau.  It was too hard for me to believe that a young, good looking Senator would spend years searching for a woman he met for 30 seconds.

So a quick overview of the movie ... there is a group (the Adjustment Bureau) that is tasked with making sure that all things happen according to the latest version of "the plan" (we never really learn who makes the plan and why it's the best way for things to go down).  When Matt Damon succeeds in finding the woman from the first scene, he pursues a relationship with her and the guys from the bureau go into overtime. They kidnap Damon and use some coercive methods to get him to leave her alone, but he's the hero, so of course he ignores them. Eventually he learns that if he pursues her they both lose their dreams - his of presidency and hers of being the greatest ballet dancer in the world (yeah right). As their relationship deepens, the Bureau gets more desperate to keep them apart. I won't give away the ending, but Damon and his girl (played by Emily Blunt) embark on a risky race against time and against the all-seeing, all-knowing agents.

Let's talk about the agents - they're very sharply dressed and look straight out of the 50's.  I half expected them to say things like "The jig is up" and refer to women as "dolls."  They seem to be able to appear wherever they are needed and can move objects with their minds. They each carry a notebook with The Plan inside to let them know how to shape events.  They seem generally friendly, but determined. It would be nice if they would at least break into a run, though, to help us understand the urgency of their mission.  Oh yeah, and their powers don't work around water (They must have liked the twist in "Signs" more than most people).  Luckily it starts to storm right when Matt Damon needs to make his big escape!

And what's with all the recent movies about dancing? Between "Benjamin Button," "Black Swan," a million "Step UP" movies there's way too much dancing on the silver screen. How is there not a remake of "Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo on the way? I'm sure I've ever heard anyone say "That movie was good, but it could have used some ballet scenes." Enough already, Hollywood!!

It may sound like I hated the movie and I didn't - Matt Damon is earnest enough to sell  his role. The other actors were enjoyable as well, although with the way they toured NYC landmarks made me think the director had never been there and wanted to see the sights while he was in town. Beyond the implausibility of the first scene (they tried to assuage me with vague references to "other versions of the plan") it was an OK movie and a GREAT choice for date night.  My wife LOVED it and had none of my cynical reactions.

So what grade did I give it?  I have to go with C+, but if you're not very cynical or enjoy a good love story, then check it out. It'll keep your attention and could be worse.