SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

Follow @screenit

"THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU"
(2011) (Matt Damon, Emily Blunt) (PG-13)

QUICK TAKE:
Drama/Thriller: After losing his U.S. Senate bid, a New York congressman finds his view of the world changed when he learns the truth about his existence and that of everyone else, all while bucking the rules and trying to carry on a forbidden romance.

PLOT:
David Norris (MATT DAMON) is a young Congressman from New York who's running for the U.S. Senate, and is ahead in the poles until his immature behavior derails his efforts, much to the chagrin of the head of his campaign, Charlie (MICHAEL KELLY). While preparing his concession speech, David just so happens to meet Elise Sellas (EMILY BLUNT), a dancer who's hiding in the men's room from security after crashing a wedding. He's inspired by her frankness and that alters his speech and keeps him in the limelight for the next election.
A month later, he's joined Charlie at a venture capital firm, but can't believe his luck when he once again just so happens to run into Elise, this time on a bus. Like before, they hit it off, but unlike before, he gets her number. His chance to call her, however, quickly disappears when his view of the world is upended by the presence of Adjustment Bureau "case workers" Richardson (JOHN SLATTERY) and Harry (ANTHONY MACKIE), among others. They're there to reprogram Charlie, and David accidentally walks in on their work, only to learn that they control him and everyone else on Earth, all according to a master plan from above.
That includes David being forbidden to see Elise again, or tell anyone of his knowledge of their existence or work, lest Richardson's team erase his mind. Nevertheless, and motivated to be around Elise, David does what he can to skirt their rules, all of which results in them calling in Thompson (TERENCE STAMP), a.k.a. "The Hammer," to deal with the situation before it gets out of control and goes off their map.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Those who are fans of Damon and/or Blunt might show an interest, but the varying ads for this might confuse viewers about what sort of movie it really is.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image.

To continue reading the review and all of the highly detailed, scene-by-scene listings of the sex, nudity, profanity, violence and more (15 categories):

or

I have subscribed to ScreenIt for more than a decade. I check in every week to take advantage of their amazing services. Not only does their site provide a glimpse of exactly what content a movie offers, I've found the “Our Take” reviews and ratings for each movie to be right on the money every single time. I've referred dozens of friends to this service because my #1 resource for deciding whether or not to show a movie to my kids, or to see one myself, is ScreenIt.com!

Josh Nisbet
Director, State of CA Public Sector

I signed up to get Screen It weekly reviews a long time ago, when my kids were young and I wanted to know more about movies before we went to a theater or rented. Now one child is in law school, other in undergraduate, and I still read the weekly Screen Its! It helps me know what my husband and I want to see or rent, and what to have waiting at home that we all will enjoy when my "kids" come home. I depend on Screen It reviews. They usually just present the facts and let me decide if the movie is appropriate or of interest for my family and me. Thank you for providing that service, Screen It!

Patti Petree
Winston Salem, NC

I have 4 children who are now in college. I signed up for Screen It when my children were pre-teenagers. Often my children would ask to see a movie with a friend and I wished I could preview the movie prior to giving permission. A friend told me about ScreenIt.com and I found it to be the next best thing to previewing a movie. The amount of violence, sexual content, or language were always concerns for me and my husband as we raised innocent kids with morals. We constantly fought the peer pressure our kids received to see films that in our opinion were questionable. With the evidence we received at Screen It, our kids couldn't even fight us when we felt a film may have been inappropriate for them to watch. Thank you, Screen It. Continue to make this helpful service available to everyone, but especially the young parents.

Christine Doherty
Machesney Park, IL

Screenit.com is an amazing resource for parents, educators, church groups or anyone who wants to make an informed decision whether a movie is suitable for their viewing. The reviews and content descriptions are so detailed I am mystified how the reviewers can put them together.

Scott Heathe
Vancouver, BC

I love screen It! I don't know what I would do without it. It is well worth the membership. Before we take our son to the movies we check it out on screen it first. Thank you SO much for making it. Keep up the good work & keep 'em coming!!!

Patrina Streety
Moreno Valley California

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.