The Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 American science fiction romantic thriller film directed and co-produced by George Nolfi in his directorial debut.

The film stars Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly, and Terence Stamp.

It follows an ambitious young congressman who finds himself entranced by a beautiful ballerina, but mysterious forces are conspiring to prevent their love affair.

The film premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on February 14, 2011, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 4, 2011, by Universal Pictures.

David does not get Elise's name before they are separated, but, inspired by her, he delivers an unusually candid speech that is well-received and makes him a favorite for the next Senate election.

After some debate about what to do, Richardson reveals to David the existence of the "Adjustment Bureau", an organization that ensures people's lives proceed according to "the Plan" created by "the Chairman".

[3][4] Humans only have the appearance of free will, as the Bureau's experiments with withdrawing their influence resulted in the Dark Ages and the horrors of the first half of the twentieth century.

Thompson appears, but is interrupted by Harry, who presents the chairman's newly revised Plan for David and Elise, which is blank going forward.

Chuck Scarborough, Jon Stewart, Michael Bloomberg, James Carville, Mary Matalin, and Betty Liu appear as themselves.

[10] The climactic scene on the "Top of the Rock" rooftop observation deck of 30 Rockefeller Plaza was filmed four months after the completion of principal photography.

[12]The chairman was later revealed to have been portrayed by actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who, in her 2013 memoir The Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines, said Nolfi told her that Universal Pictures was to blame for the change to the ending.

Some reviewers identified Abrahamic theological implications in the film, such as an omnipotent and omniscient God,[15][16] the concepts of free will and predestination,[17][18] and elements from the descent to the underworld (a mytheme dating back at least to the story of Eurydice and Orpheus).

[26] In July 2010, Universal Pictures announced that the release date was pushed back again to March 4, 2011 because Damon had to promote his two other films, True Grit and Hereafter.

The website's consensus reads: "First-time writer/director George Nolfi struggles to maintain a consistent tone, but The Adjustment Bureau rises on the strong, believable chemistry of its stars.

[35] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, describing it as "a smart and good movie that could have been a great one, if it had been a little more daring.