The Age of Adaline

As a love story, this movie works, and will certainly appeal to its target audience. It is however, too uneven and inconsistent to recommend to the casual moviegoer. The Age of Adaline does boast a very talented cast and a few plot points that ultimately, almost save it. While I haven't seen much of her work, I must admit that Blake Lively did a fine job in her role, whose performance elevated many scenes that would have otherwise been flat. Harrison Ford, albeit in a much smaller role than Lively, contributes immensely to the film through a grounded, and very authentic performance. One of the most prominent features of The Age of Adaline was its huge spike in quality once Ford's character was introduced. Up until that point, the movie was on very shaky footing; the story felt forced, the scenes did not fit together to form a good, cohesive story, and nothing much was offered to keep the film from being boring. There was a lot of setup during this first act that could have been shortened or cut out. This all changed however once Harrison Ford was introduced; the movie finally figured out what it was, and became interesting. I started to buy into the (very far fetched) story, and started to care about what happened to the characters. There are a lot of clichéd "plot twists" that did work in their own right, as well as a finale that, while exactly what you expect it will be, ties the movie together. With strong performances and a satisfying second half, and lifeless first act, The Age of Adaline fits into the "middle of the road" category that isn't terrible, but also isn't good enough to recommend to anyone who isn't already a committed fan of on-screen love stories.