The Age of Adaline
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Year: 2015
Rating:
6.0
I am not sure why I watched this, it isn't my
kind of film really but I put it on and was honestly too lazy to look for
something else and eventually it grabbed my attention. It is a romantic fantasy
and the film reminded me of one of those Harlequin romance novels for women
with the bare-chested man on the cover looking lustful and hunky. Given up
on love till the perfect man comes into your life. And I mean perfect. Rich
but casual cool, sensitive, passionate, good looking, smart and best - his
father is Harrison Ford. Ford though a supporting player is amazingly good
in this and gives it an emotional core that the main characters can't. And
I enjoy the theme of living forever in films like this and Highlander. It
is something I am aiming for though I have had my doubts lately - and do
you really want to outlive all the friends and family you have and love?
Sure, why not. I already have in many cases.
The film has a narrator explaining what
has happened that is totally annoying. They must have added that for Fox
viewers who otherwise could not figure it out by themselves. It tells us
that Adeline was born early in the 20th century and through a freak accident
never ages since she was 27. And Blake Lively is an attractive woman with
fine cheekbones, so that is a good thing. Before the accident her husband
had died building the Golden Gate Bridge and she had a daughter. Now in the
present age, her daughter (Ellen Burstyn) is 80 and pretends to be her mother's
grandmother. Adaline has kept this odd phenomenon a secret rather than cashing
in on it like people would today. She never stays anywhere too long in case
people begin to notice she never gets wrinkles or gray hair. Changes her
name and moves on.
She is planning another move when a bearded
hunky perfect guy chases after her. This is Ellis (Michiel Huisman) who accidentally
made a zillion dollars with a program that could predict financial movements
- though that was not its purpose. He sits on the boards of charities and
other do-gooder things. I'd marry this guy if I was gay. And he spots Adaline
one day sitting on the steps of the library reading a braille book. Because
you see, she has a lot of time on her hands and believes in adult education.
So, she can speak every language and is great at Trivial Pursuit. My guess
is if that were me, I would just have watched a lot more movies. He chases,
she demurs, he chases more, she demurs until she doesn't. It has been some
fifty years since the last man she loved and then ran away to hide her secret.
Now she is ready again. A man and a much younger woman (in the future) is
no big deal, especially if he is rich. They go to meet his family - his father
Harrison Ford and the mother is Kathy Baker. And wouldn't you know it. I'll
leave the big surprise right there. It is all very silly on one level but
it works for the weak-minded like me. We all want happy endings.
