Matt Damon Led An All-Star Cast In This Sci-Fi Movie That Audiences Underappreciated

When you think of all the movies and TV shows that adapted many of the legendary sci-fi author Philip K. Dick's novels and short stories, cute romances and heartfelt love affairs are hardly what pop into your mind. Those adaptations usually explored and expanded Dick's fascinating and uncanny ideas about alternative futures and their fascinating inventions, leaving little room for passion and love. Yet the Matt Damon-led 2011 sci-fi, "The Adjustment Bureau," directed and written by George Nolfi, was one of the rare occasions that revealed Dick may have been kind of a hopeless romantic besides being a brilliant futurist thinker.

Loosely based on the author's 1954 short story, "Adjustment Team," Nolfi's directorial debut feature — taking creative liberties in modernizing the material — clearly leaned into romance over futuristic mystery while blending the two.

His film follows David Norris (Damon), an ambitious and charming young man running for Senate, who bumps into a vivacious and disarming damsel on election night in the men's bathroom while practicing his defeat speech. The meet-cute ends with a kiss before a group of fedora-wearing men intervene. It turns out, the two were never supposed to meet, let alone fall in love at first sight. That's what these strange men who claim to be members of the Adjustment Bureau say when they capture David. Apparently, they're a sort of "fate agency" controlling the kismet of common people. They can teleport through doors, track subjects, and guide them to certain decisions, while also being capable of resetting people's memories — which is what they threaten David with if he continues to look for Elise (Emily Blunt). But David continues looking for her and after three years, destiny and love find a way.

"The Adjustment Bureau" may be one of the few Dick adaptations that feels almost completely non-threatening. It's a hopeful love story through and through that hardly cares about conspiracy, dystopia, or even glaring plot holes, but merely the power and potency of a deep-seated love that's here to overcome every obstacle and setback in order to be fulfilled. Nolfi's screenplay doesn't delve into the ins and outs of every small detail of how the Adjustment Bureau operates throughout the universe. It only establishes the cornerstones of the film's central concept in relation to David and Elise. They are the core that matters, and if you can't be enamoured by their serendipitous relationship and alluring chemistry, you'll likely come away from the movie somewhat disappointed.

I guess that may've been the reason why audiences underappreciated the picture upon its release back in the early 2010s, possibly holding higher expectations going in (given it's a Dick adaptation after all) than simply watching a fairly idealistic romantic drama about two people who battle every force of the universe to end up together despite being warned several times not to. Ultimately, "The Adjustment Bureau" has a lot more in common with other similar romance-based sci-fis like "About Time" and "The Time Traveller's Wife" than such classic Dick adaptations as the original "Blade Runner," "Total Recall," or the Keanu Reeves-led animation, "A Scanner Darkly." Still, most critics praised it (the film currently holds a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), and its box office performance was fairly decent, garnering $127 million worldwide against a $50 million production budget. That's hardly a poor track record as far as hits and flops go in Hollywood.

"The Adjustment Bureau" is far from perfect. Nolfi's screenplay has more than a few illogical plot points, tonal shifts that at times hint at a far darker story than the film settles for, and some schmaltzy dialogue that almost crosses over to soap territory. But those flaws can easily be overlooked and forgotten due to the top-tier performances that virtually every cast member here delivers.

John Slattery and Anthony Mackie do a wonderful job as the cryptic and overly confident employees of the bureau in the supporting roles, and so does Michael Kelly as the firm-handed yet playful Charlie, David's campaign manager. But the main attraction here is Damon and Blunt's lovey-dovey duo, and undeniably so. Their youthful back-and-forth and piercing gazes create a chemistry between the two that practically melts off the screen. They click, they play, and they dance to the rhythm of their own love song every time they share the screen. It's a genuine connection that makes "The Adjustment Bureau" adorably sweet and endearing. Whatever comes their way (and the bureau makes sure there's much hardship and many obstacles they have to overcome), you can't help but wholeheartedly root for them to pull through and find a happy ending together. And on that promise — the one that counts the most in this flick — "The Adjustment Bureau" delivers with aplomb, putting a big and satisfied smile on anybody's face who ever had a soft spot for believing in kismet.