Tag Archives: Film

“The Adjustment Bureau” opened this weekend and is already getting a lot of attention because of its theme of free will versus predestination. The movie, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, is really a love story, but it forces viewers to question whether a higher power really controls what we do and decisions we make every day.

In the film, “The Adjustment Bureau” are people who walk among us “adjusting” the minor details of everyday life (i.e., causing us to miss a bus, answer a phone, or run a stoplight) in order to keep us on track for the “plan” that has been written for our life. This “plan,” according to the movie, has been authored by the “Chairman,” who Christians would likely refer to as God.

In the movie, Matt Damon wants to believe he is in control of his life. He is soon confronted by the Adjustment Bureau and learns that his free will is an illusion – limited, at best – and that  deviating from the plan can have dire consequences.

I think Calvinists and free-will believers will have a heyday with this movie. Although the film muddles theology and ultimately avoids taking a clear stance on the argument, it will make you ponder the small events in life that seem inconsequential.

The movie ends by giving us hope that we can earn back free will or change God’s plan if we show that our intentions are genuine and we can be trusted with more control over our lives.

View trailer here.

Questions the movie leaves you with:

Do we really have free will, or is it limited free will?

If the “Chairman” makes all of the decisions for our lives, can we get him to change his mind? How?

Does predestination really encompass every detail of our lives, or just the major events and decisions that ultimately affect history and God’s plan?

Were you predestined to subscribe to my blog? 🙂

Related Articles

• Jonathan Kim: ReThink Review: The Adjustment Bureau — Love, Fate and Magic Hats (huffingtonpost.com)
• ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ Movie Review: A Wild God Chase That Trips On the Details (slashfilm.com)
• 365 Project: Adjustment Bureau (silentbleeding.wordpress.com)
• The Adjustment Bureau Review (screenrant.com)