Typically, I
groan at similar movies that have the same corny characteristics and ambition
as The Age of Adaline, but I
surprisingly like this one.
The story focuses
on a young widow named Adaline Bowman who ceases aging when she got hit by
lightning after a vehicular accident (yep, it’s silly at it sounds, and it’s
made even sillier by giving it a faux scientific rationale that is supposed to
be established by 2035). The only one
who knows her condition is her daughter, who has already aged into her elderly
years. To avoid exposure, Adaline limits
her friendships, avoids being photographed, and takes on aliases and moves to a
new place every decade. Then one night,
she meets Ellis Jones, who becomes infatuated with her. She initially rebuffs his advances, but,
eventually, she has a change of heart and enters into a relationship with
him. He invites her to join him at his
parents’ 40th wedding anniversary party that weekend, and she
agrees. However, upon reaching the
Jones’ home, Adaline’s secret is threatened to be exposed when she discovers
that Ellis’ father is actually a former flame of hers.
There are some
interesting parts in the movie that there were times that I felt it was going
to be something special, smart, and novel.
However, it’s not. The Age of Adaline hardly offers
anything original or profound. And yet I
was completely enchanted by the narrative.
This movie being beautifully shot is one reason why. But the biggest reason is Blake Lively. Harrison Ford is worth noting, too, but Ms.
Lively is the stand-out here. She
displayed regal screen presence and delivered a compelling performance. And by being invested in Blake Lively’s
presence and performance, I was led to invest on the story of her character Adaline
as well.
The Age of Adaline is not an exceptional
story at all, and, honestly, you won’t really be missing out much if you decide
to skip this. However, if you think
witnessing a great performance from Blake Lively is a good enough reason to
check The Age of Adaline out, and/or
you don’t have anything else better to watch or do, then, by all means, do
so.
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