The Age of Adaline

Sometimes a movie can be completely implausible, yet heartfelt and engaging at the same time.  Such is the case with The Age of Adaline.  This is a movie that needs to make up its own science, as well as include an off camera Narrator to explain said science to the audience, in order for the plot to make any sort of sense.  But the characters, performances and the romance at the center of the story ground the whole idea in a kind of reality that makes the whole thing work. 

Credit the sensitive performance of Blake Lively as Adaline Bowman, a woman who was born shortly after the dawn of the 20th Century, and has not aged a day in the past 78 years.  This occurred after a freak accident which combined hypothermia and a lightning strike.  It is to Lively's credit that we focus on her performance, and not the implausibility of her character's situation.  She perfectly sells the sorrow and loneliness of a woman who has had to cut off contact with nearly everyone she loves, save her daughter (played by Ellen Burstyn, who in the present looks old enough to be her grandmother), less her secret of being eternally young and apparently immortal (she celebrates her 107th birthday early in the film) is discovered.  In some flashbacks, we witness how medical science and the government found out about her secret when her appearance did not match her age on her birth certificate.  Not wanting to be experimented on, Adaline has spent her life on the run, changing her identity and moving to a new location every 10 years.  This life of constantly moving and changing her identity has caused her much heartbreak in the past, and has prevented her from getting close to anyone. 

As the film opens, it is the tail end of 2014, and Adaline (going under the name of Jenny) is living in San Francisco and working at the local library.  She is planning to move once again in a few weeks, and start her life over again, until fate steps in.  On New Years Eve, she has an encounter with a persistent young man named Ellis (Michiel Huisman), a historical preservationist who is working on a project with the library where Adaline works.  She tries to avoid getting into a relationship with him, as she's going to be leaving this current life behind shortly.  But Ellis is charming, and there is genuine chemistry when they spend time together.  When it looks like she is actually falling for him, her daughter advises her to let go and enjoy life for the first time in over 70 years.  Adaline and Ellis begin a relationship, and it culminates with him taking her to meet his parents.  Little does Adaline realize, Ellis' father is a man whom she once loved back in the 1960s.  His name is William (Harrison Ford), and he has not forgotten her, or the time they spent together.

In the wrong hands, I can easily see how The Age of Adaline could have easily been overwrought or melodramatic, but the movie never once veers into corny theatrics.  It is low key, elegant and kind of sad, while keeping a glimmer of hope for its characters.  It sympathizes and understands what they are going through, and never tries to play up the drama too broadly.  The character of William is a perfect example of this.  Not only is Ford's performance fantastic (it's probably the best acting he's done in a long time), but the character is written in a realistic way so that we can sympathize with him.  When Adaline walks back into his life as the girlfriend of his son, William feels a range of emotions.  Yes, he has been happily married to his wife of 40 years, but he has never forgotten his time with her.  And yet, he never once tries to break things off between her and his son, nor does he try to betray his wife's trust.  He remains conflicted and confused, and when he finally confronts Adaline, telling her that he remembers who she really is, it is a beautiful and sad moment with genuine performances from both Lively and Ford.  They know they can't be together, and maybe she can't even be happy with his son.  But they approach the problem as real people would.

There is a subtlety and a sweetness to this movie that really won me over.  Everybody here is smart, likable, and never once act like pawns of an underwritten screenplay.  This is what helped me suspend my disbelief over the basic premise.  The movie is not about the weird science that has kept Adaline eternally young for over 70 years, it is about the hearts and the emotions of the characters.  The performances are gentle and likable, and the emotions they feel for each other feel genuine.  We want to see these characters happy.  We also enjoy listening to them talk, which is a good thing, since this is a very dialogue-heavy film.  There's a lot to enjoy here, from the writing, right down to the casting.  Speaking of the casting, I should single out something that impressed me, which would be when we see flashbacks of Adaline spending time with the younger William (played in flashbacks by Anthony Ingruber).  I have not noticed Mr. Ingruber before, but he bares a remarkable physical resemblance to a younger Harrison Ford, it's almost eerie.  At first I thought some kind of CG was involved, as he even kind of sounded like him.   The filmmakers did a remarkable job of casting the younger version of the character here.

The Age of Adaline is a tender and romantic film, but more than that, it is a smart movie that really works.  Eventually you stop trying to figure out the science behind Adaline's condition, just accept it, and fall in love with the characters and the performances.  This is not check your brain at the door entertainment, rather it's a movie that requires you to take a mental leap of faith, and then rewards you with some great characters in a very sweet love story.

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