Age of Adaline, The (2015) [Blu-ray]
Drama | Fantasy | Romance

29-year-old Adaline survives a near-death experience, and from that day on, never grows older. Adaline guards her secret and her heart for eight decades until a charming philanthropist and his parents force Adaline to confront her destiny in this tale about the timeless power of love.

Storyline: After miraculously remaining 29 years old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, August 29, 2015 -- Eternal youth isn't all it's cracked up to be would seem to be the moral of any number of tales told on both the small and large screens. Who amongst us hasn't wished for time to stand still, especially once we reach a certain age, look in the mirror, and ask in wonder, "How (and/or when) the hell did that happen?" But as if to subliminally transmit the ameliorative message that staying young may not in fact be a panacea for any and all things that ail an individual soul, just about every story that features various characters in a state of perpetual vivacity tends to suggest that such a phenomenon comes at a substantial price. Sometimes that price is linked to exactly how eternal youth is obtained, as outlined in such vampirically themed outings like The Hunger or Innocence. The granddaddy (still looking mah-velous, of course) of such dramas, The Picture of Dorian Gray, went a step further, suggesting that the bargain to attain a callow state amounted to a Faustian deal with the Devil (or at least something close to it). Even offerings that shy away from the details on how such a state is attained tend to posit severe emotional repercussions not just for whomever is experiencing the circumstance, but for those around them as well, as detailed in the hokey but effective "Queen of the Nile" episode from The Twilight Zone: Season 5. "Queen of the Nile" actually shares a somewhat similar depiction of a perpetually fresh faced woman and her increasingly aging daughter (who ultimately looks like her own mother or in fact grandmother) to one shown in The Age of Adaline. Perhaps surprisingly, though, the not very surprising "reveal" in that Twilight Zone episode is eschewed here, and interestingly enough, The Age of Adaline doesn't play around with obfuscating what's going on with its titular character and in fact lays it all out, newsreel style, in the film's opening moments.

Though she's first seen as a young woman in contemporary San Francisco, it's soon detailed that Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively), currently going by the name Jenny, was actually born on New Year's Day 1908. Adaline's life proceeded pretty much according to normal standards, including a marriage to a man working on the Golden Gate Bridge and, soon thereafter, the birth of their daughter Flemming (ultimately played as an elderly adult by Ellen Burstyn). A weird, tragic but seemingly cosmically influenced accident involving a car tumbling into frigid water and then being struck by a lightning bolt alters Adaline's genetic makeup and keeps her in a temporal stasis from that point forward. It takes her a while to figure out what's going on—at least insofar as she's able to figure out, for as the film's cheeky narration makes clear, the actual scientific reason behind her lack of aging will not be discovered until 2035. The whole opening sequences of The Age of Adaline play like the cinematic equivalent of an omniscient narrator in literature, and there is in fact (as has been mentioned) a narrator guiding the viewer through the somewhat circuitous set up. Director Lee Toland Krieger adds to this "from beyond" ethos by framing a number of early shots from directly overhead, as if the audience is part of some godly aggregation gazing down on its peculiar handiwork.

Adaline has been segueing from alias to alias through the decades of the 20th century, especially after she gets wise to the fact that people start to notice her lack of aging, and, later, that the government (in the form of the FBI) is apparently getting a little suspicious as well (a plot point that is dropped about as soon as it's presented). As her daughter moves through the years gaining the typical signs of age, Adaline stays "dormant," so to speak, finally bidding her offspring goodbye and attempting at least to disappear into the woodwork. She is in fact getting ready to assume a new identity as the film opens, though events soon detour her plans.

At a New Year's Eve party, Adaline meets cute with a guy named Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman), and it's obvious that it's love at first sight, though of course Adaline is a bit uptight about divulging too much about herself. It's at this point that things get "complicated," to utilize that overused relationship descriptor. In a somewhat predictable and mawkish development, it turns out that Ellis' father William (Harrison Ford) was a long ago suitor of Adaline's, and he's still obviously carrying the torch for her, though Adaline initially insists he's mistaken about the nature of her identity. That sets up a potential love triangle of sorts that the film struggles fitfully at times to artfully resolve.

Performances elevate what is at times a kind of overly florid, melodramatic tale of unconsummated (or at least unrequited) love, though The Age of Adaline muddies its fantasy laden waters by ascribing a metaphysical angle to events that is probably not helpful and which is definitely not needed to establish its premise. Harrison Ford delivers one of his more enjoyable characterizations in some time as a man who is suddenly awash in a flood of memories, even as he's gobsmacked by the eventual truth of Adaline's state. Anthony Ingruber, who created something of a stir on YouTube with his Harrison Ford impressions some time ago, is also excellent as the young William in flashback material. The film gives in to a few too many contrivances, especially in its closing moments, but the general whimsy of its storyline propels things along in a generally involving, even compelling, manner.

The Age of Adaline probably could have done without all of the cosmic portentousness which acts as a sort of subtext throughout the story. The basic setup is quite compelling in and of itself, even if it tends to ultimately recall such generational dramas as Edna Ferber's Come and Get It, where a man falls in love with the lookalike daughter of a woman he forsook years previously, and the young woman is caught between the desires of the father and his son, who is now in love with her as well. The film ultimately strains an already tenuous credulity by its third act, but things manage to stay on course due to some winning and heartfelt performances. Technical merits are generally first rate, and The Age of Adaline comes Recommended.

[CSW] -3.8- Tagline: "The world has changed in the last century. Adaline has not." The theme of youthful immortality is not new to cinema; but this film approaches it in a refreshing and intriguing way and I was sucked right in to believing the 107 year old Adaline Bowman had maintained the looks and physique of a beautiful 29 year old woman for almost 80 years. But Adaline learns that youthful immortality is not exactly what its cracked up to be. I loved the movie and in addition to the story - which kept my interest throughout - the biggest reason was Blake Lively. I've seen Lively in a couple of other roles - mostly forgettable - but this is a legitimate breakout role for her; and I'm betting she'll be tabbed for even bigger and better roles. Adaline has made it a practice not to get too close to anyone since the event that gave her eternal youth; but she has slipped up a couple of times, once in the 60s with William Jones, played by Harrison Ford as an elderly Jones; and once contemporaneously with Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) coincidentally the son of William. Both actors, but especially Ford, turn in fine performances. Also look for Ellen Burstyn who plays Adaline's daughter; and Kathy Baker, who plays William's wife of 40 years. This superb film is a romantic fantasy of the first order and highly recommended!
[V4.5-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.


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