THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (2011)

Directed by: George Nolfi
Written by: George Nolfi
Studio: Universal Pictures
Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt
Rated: PG-13

About the film:
A political candidate is attracted to a young dancer only to discover that a mysterious organization is conspiring behind the scenes to keep them apart. As he learns more about this organization, he comes to the realization that the world may not be quite the place he always thought it was.

Movie Quote:
“Free will is a gift that you’ll never know how to use until you fight for it.”
Harry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie) in The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Bible Quote:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Commentary:
At the core of The Adjustment Bureau is a false premise… the idea that our free will is nothing more than illusion – given to us because we, as a race of beings, are not yet capable of living with such freedom without destroying ourselves in the process.

This, of course, is ridiculous. God would not provide us with a gift without giving along with it our ability to use it effectively. Our freedom was purchased with a dear price – the life of God’s only begotten son. He is not taking that back from us. Our freedom is real; it is no illusion. We are free from bondage; free from fear; free from the hundreds upon thousands of doubts and worries that can multiply within us to keep us from achieving all that is within us to be.

But our freedom is more than mere deliverance. We are not just free from things that are negative… we are free to do things that are positive. We are free to act; free to love; free to serve; free to be the sons and daughters of the God Who gave us our freedom in the first place. Our freedom provides us with more than the release from our spiritual chains of bondage; it also gives us the ability to never allow anyone or anything to ever hold us captive again. This is what “fighting for our free will” means – the fact that we have the ability to choose what we believe and how we will act upon that believing.

Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. Why does the Chairman’s plan change over time? How does that relate to the way God established the world and the lives of its people?
2. Can free will be a dangerous thing? How and why? What is the best way to protect ourselves from ourselves?