Cause A Frockus

Review of The Age of Adaline

May 6, 2015 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns

Sunday I had the pleasure of joining my dear friend, and our resident beauty expert, Ashton for a showing of The Age of Adaline. With lights dimming and a cold Dr. Pepper bubbling before me, a rush of excitement flooded in as the film began. Was my enthusiasm ill-placed or did I have the time of my life? For those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet, let’s start with a twenty second plot overview: Adaline’s life is frozen as the world around her evolves – for the last eight decades she has remained 29 years old. She’s lived through a variety of historical events, forever seeing the world as an incredibly wise young woman. This movie chronicles her last moments of immortality, retelling her memories of love, loss, and acceptance. If you want the plot in detail – check it out here. I’ve tried not to give away too much of the story line, but read on with caution…

The first thing that took my breath away was Blake Lively’s stunning appearance – yes, she is naturally very beautiful – but I’m speaking more directly about the hair, makeup, and fashion of her character. The trio of costume designer Angus Strathie, makeup artist Monica Huppert, and hairstylist Anne Carroll is a phenomenal mix. I would love to see their working drawings because their translated visions are impeccable. Just check out these stills if you need further proof of their mastery. The success of this team is easy to understand when you consider that Angus Starthie is best known for his work in Moulin Rouge. As the film progresses, you’ll notice that same attention to detail as he molds this particular female protagonist. Like Satine, Adaline’s clothing captured her femininity without diminishing from her strength of character. While it’s hard for me to pick a favorite decade, I think their collaboration on Adaline’s 1920s looks was especially extraordinary. (Be prepared: when you see the interior of her apartment and the closet in particular, you will swoon. It’s totally normal to let out a gasp of envy – we did!)

The second thing that caught my attention was the general politeness of Adaline. Granted, she seemed soft-spoken at times, but she wasn’t afraid to stand her ground when needed. It’s sad to think of manners as an “old-fashioned” concept, but I kept feeling the distinction between her on-screen interactions and how I handle my own day to day greetings (and how others around me address their fellow man). It was at this point I made a mental note to consider the social evolution of manners – possible subject for a future article? It’s always good to have a movie inspire you long past the end credits.

I’ll get to the third thing that struck me in a moment, but first I’ll answer that burning question: what did I honestly think of this movie? Overall, I’m glad I went – it was the perfect event for a fun girls’ afternoon out and I recommend The Age of Adaline to anyone interested in vintage style. But when I really break it down, I have some complaints. For starters, when you think about the major events in the film, most were kicked off by Adaline’s poor driving skills. This is beyond tiring; men can be equally horrible drivers for Pete’s sake. I thought I was being overly sensitive at first, but later in the film they further the point with a “jolly” exchange about her speeding. Sigh. Next, may I say Lively’s performance is compelling – you feel her despair when she talks with her daughter, her sadness as she moves through the world without really being part of it, and her cautious joy when she is in love. We didn’t need the canine tragedy to understand the depth of her emotions. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater during this scene, but we were already invested in her journey – we didn’t require tears to connect with Adaline. Was this supposed to serve as a counterpoint to the introduction of Harrison Ford’s character? To provide us with insight into the range of loss her character had to navigate? I feel like even that is a stretch. My last hope is that the Blu-Ray edition includes a version where the dog isn’t a plot point.

Finally, let’s talk about the overwrought quasi-scientific explanations. I accepted the narration when the stage was being set, but after a while I found myself getting angry at this booming, calm voice. I began to wonder who is this guy and why does he have the nerve to interrupt my movie-going experience? But there he was, quietly walking through scientific reasons that seemed too tedious (especially considering they either were real facts, inaccurately explained or purposefully faux). Like they say, if you can’t say something concisely is it worth saying? We all know this is the kind of story you need to suspend your disbelief for – you want to fall into a world of romance and imagination. We bought the ticket so we’re on board. It’s tough to make the leap when someone’s trying to tie up every possible loose end with a bunch of technical explanations. To be honest, I didn’t really care about the why so much, rather I just wanted to see these characters fleshed out as individuals. Okay, so it was nice to have Harrison Ford’s character be the reason for Adaline’s new chapter, but by this point I just found it cheesy. Perhaps all this fuss is because the movie isn’t based on a book – there isn’t that safety net of another interpretation to guide the film adaptation?

Long story short, it’s a fun theater watch, but I would have been equally happy to have waited for it to hit my Netflix queue. I’ll leave you with the third thing that inspired me: at one point in the film Adaline laments how no one seems interested in history anymore. In that moment I felt like she was speaking to me directly and I know my fellow students of history will echo her feelings. Both Adaline and her modern love, Ellis, were history crusaders in their own right. My hope is that this film goes on to inspire a new generation of people passionate about how the past can influence our future. Let’s make history hip!

If you’ve seen this movie – would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. What do you think of my review of The Age of Adaline? What did you learn from the film? Which decade of fashion did you enjoy the most?

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