We Feel Nothing

Metro-042215-TrailerReview

At age 29, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) is involved in an accident, and somehow, it stops her from aging. Adaline gets to live the next several decades as a young woman, but at a cost: She has to watch those she loves grow old and die, while she lives a secluded life to ensure that nobody discovers her secret. That could be an interesting concept, but it looks like the film falls short of really exploring its premise by being single-minded in its concern with Adaline’s love life, which doesn’t look all that captivating. The Age of Adaline opens in wide release April 24.

‘THE AGE OF ADALINE’ TRAILER >REVIEW BY METRO CREW

JAMES: It’s an interesting case of what makes anyone a complete person, a compete identity. If you never grew old, and never had to bear declining in your abilities, appearance and health, would you be a complete human being? The saying “youth is wasted on the young” is a deeply human sentiment. But if someone has youth indefinitely, that’s half a normal person’s psychological development right there. Basically, you’re all middle chapter. That scene when her octogenarian hugs her and says “Hi, Mom,” who do you think is the wiser of the two?

PAIGE: The premise of the movie is kind of weird. Why does she have to keep running away and changing her identity? If she’s so concerned about being spotted, why doesn’t she maybe dye her hair or cut it, instead of just styling it vaguely appropriately to the era she’s living in? Like, let’s see Blake Lively rock that punk look instead of just being classy and glamorous the whole time. But that’s too edgy for this film. This isn’t a movie, this is a Vogue fashion editorial that had a really huge budget.

NICOLE: Do they address the problem/issue of what keeps her young? And seriously, why wouldn’t her internal organs age? I’m getting frustrated just talking about this film.

JAIMIE: Blake Lively is a constant source of frustration for me. I mean, not really because I don’t care about her that much, but she is so pretty. And yet, she fails so hard at evoking any sort of emotion when she speaks. When she’s angry, she sounds the same; when she’s happy, she sounds the same. I feel nothing.

CHRISTINA: I agree about Blake Lively. I don’t get what is so great about her.

PAIGE: Harrison Ford should not be here. What is he doing here? How can he look her in the face and say those cheesy lines? What’s with that beard-goatee thing? I’m so embarrassed on his behalf.

NICOLE: I could care less if she ends up falling in love with that dude at the end of the trailer (not Harrison Ford). I don’t care if she grows old with him. I don’t care if he dies old and she’s still young.

CHRISTINA: That guy who plays the young Harrison Ford looks just like him, though! That was the most impressive part of the trailer. Other than that, it seems to lack substance.

JAMES: This reminds me of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. There was the subtle use of magical realism to heighten an otherwise earthbound story, with all the rules of the world remaining the same except for when it comes to this temporal aberration. But the thing is, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was filled with this foreboding sense of loss. Every line of dialogue hinted at time lost to age, illness, war and cataclysm. Stylistically, this trailer emulates that mood. But it seems it lacks those philosophical themes.

PAIGE: I thought there’d be more emphasis on how difficult it must be to have lived through 100-plus years of tumultuous American history. How does Adaline cope with all the different wars? With civil rights? With technology shifting? With advances in modern medicine? With shifting attitudes about feminism and women’s rights? But no, Adaline is only concerned about love. SO BORING.