BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Age of Adaline

[JeffSaylor]

What happens when immortality becomes boring...

Would you want to live forever?
Think about it before you answer...

The idea of being immortal and never aging or dying sounds pretty appealing...until you consider the unintended consequences. Would you be able to watch your family and friends age and pass away? Would you grow tired or bored after reading every book, watching every movie, learning every language, exploring every continent, traveling the world...alone...without anyone else?

The Age of Adaline, directed by Lee Toland Krieger and written by J. Mills Goodloe, Salvador Paskowitz and J. Mills Goodloe, attempts to pose this dilemma to the viewer, telling the story of Adaline Bowman, born in 1908...but never aging past the age of 29. Due to an accident involving a car rolling into a pond, drowning, a lightning strike and electricity, Adaline essentially becomes immortal, never aging a day past her late twenties. Jump ahead to modern day and she's now suffering from a depression of sorts. She has watched her daughter grow old, she's been hunted by the government and moved every every decade for the last sixty years. Now she's potentially fallen in love and her secret may not be a secret much longer. What is Adaline to do?

The story seems promising until it becomes clear Adaline isn't really bored or tired or really even depressed; she's simply scared and disconnected with living life to the fullest. While it's clear the romance she sparks with philanthropist Ellis Jones (the attractive Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life, unfortunately Ellis' father (played by none other than Harrison Ford) is a man Adaline had an affair with five decades earlier. Their encounter over a weekend at Ellis' parents house has us flooded in flashbacks. These memories and the experience of falling in love again with Ellis of course forces Adaline to consider who she is and what she's doing - is she really living or is she simply not dying?

Maybe the most impressive part of this film is actress Blake Lively, who plays Adaline with a coy, mysterious demeanor and yet remains engaging, attractive and beautiful throughout. The film's script unfortunately does little to inspire better acting for Lively or her fellow cast members, who struggle a bit to bring to life this fantastical tale that mixes romance and sci-fi. Sadly, the script at times seems almost cliche and trite as it tries to wrap up viewers in a interesting premise: Adaline, a woman who never ages, has grown bored and tired of living life as a 29 year old for nearly 70 years and seeks something different and new.

Again, Lively does a solid job of bringing Adaline to life. She's standoffish and stubborn as well as confident and in command; all traits that one might find in a woman who's lived sixty years as a 29 year old. Of course, Huisman as Adaline's love interest is good; though his character seems to take a backseat once Ford shows up and begins to recollect life with Adaline in the past. This dynamic is interesting, though not nearly as effective as the writers seem to think it should be. Melodramatic at times, the film will connect with fans of Nicolas Spark films and other romantic dramas.

As far as special features, the blu-ray includes an audio commentary with director Lee Toland Krieger, an impressive 30-minute "A Love Story for the Ages" featurette which provides a good number of behind-the-scenes looks and interviews; the 20-minute "Style Throughout the Ages" which provides viewers with a look at the film's production design; the 8-minute "Discovering Young Harrison Ford: Anthony Ingruber, A YouTube Sensation," which provides some interesting footage of Ingruber, the actor who plays Ford's character in flashbacks. Other bonus material includes a number of deleted scenes.

Overall, The Age of Adaline is an enjoyable romantic drama with a touch of sci-fi and fantasy. Reminiscent of other fantasitical films like Winter's Tale and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Age of Adaline delivers an interesting - if not cliche - story with solid performances. If you're a fan of Nicolas Sparks movies, romantic fantasy films or Blake Lively, it's worth giving The Age of Adaline a watch, you won't be disappointed.

The Age of Adaline is available now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy wherever fine home video is sold.

- Jess C. Horsley