Review of The Age of Adaline (2015) by Shpostal — 25 Apr 2015

I'm not a fan of the chick flick genre, but I take my wife because she does like them, and she indulges me with my movie preferences, historical, gangster or twisted. But every genre has its gems and its rocks, and "The Age of Adaline", while it may not be a diamond, is a compelling film that allows just enough of the supernatural to keep it interesting.

Blake Lively plays Adaline, a woman whom, through a car accident in the late 1930's, somehow after being struck by lightning in the car she's submerged in and revived, discovers that she doesn't age. This explanation of how her body stops the aging process may or may not be pliable, but that's missing the point, mainly - just what would it be like to be in that situation.

Without giving too much away, the focus in this movie is her loneliness, which happens because she can't tell potential suitors what's wrong with her and doesn't want to watch them age while she stays young. As luck would have it, she meets Ellis, played by Michael Huisman, starts to fall in love, and then, upon meeting his parents for the first time, re-acquaints herself with Ellis' father, who was also a suitor of hers in the 1960's and recognizes her.

We'll leave the plot there for now. Overall, the movie is touching in places, a bit sad, and does serve to remind those of us chasing our immortality that it may not be all it's cracked up to be. Harrison Ford, after spending a large portion of his career as wooden tough guys, has shown a tremendous improvement in movies where he acts for roles his age, including Branch Ricky, the legendary baseball coach in "1947" and as the father/former boyfriend in "The Age of Adaline". His acting is moving, emotional and perfect for this role.

Hats off also to Anthony Ingruber, who plays the young Harrison Ford character, and while physically not being a dead ringer, his voice and mannerisms are eerily close. "The Age of Adaline" is a good movie, perhaps not a great movie, but will not disappoint.