Publications
Partners
What it's about:
After miraculously remaining 29 years old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.
What we thought:
The concept of living forever has inspired many movies, supernatural beings; mainly vampires have been at the top of the list in recent years. We have learned through all those movies that immortality is not all fun and games and living forever can end up being a very lonely existence.
A near fatal accident alters the course of Adaline Bowen’s (Blake Lively) life. Driving home in the snow one night in the 1930s Adaline’s car plows into a lake where she gets struck by lightning. Normally this would have led to instant death but it had the total opposite effect on Adaline. The narrator quotes some fancy scientific explanation to describe it all.
Adaline has stopped ageing at 29 years old. It is not long until her condition raises red flags and so to avoid becoming some medical experiment she changes her identity and moves constantly.
Fast forward to 2015, Adaline is now Jenny. She lives in San Fransico and works at the city records office. She lives an isolated, loveless life. Her closest companions are her dog, a blind pianist and her ageing daughter Fleming (Ellen Burstyn).
And then she meets hunky self-made millionaire philanthropist Ellis (Michiel Huisman), aka the Game of Thrones hottie who somehow manages to breakdown the walls she has built around her life and heart.
But as Adaline’s fate would have it this love affair would not be smooth sailing as her past catches up with her when she meets Ellis’s father (Harrison Ford). Predictable as it might be I really don’t want to give away too much of the plot.
Who wouldn’t want to look like Blake Lively for 8 decades! She is beautiful and she manages to be stylish and elegant so effortlessly. She also manages to pull off the aloofness very well. And while she certainly fits that bill, there was something missing from the character; a depth that Blake just hasn’t reached yet in her acting. Michiel gives an okay performance.
Surprisingly it is the stars in the supporting roles that give stand-out performances. When Ellen Burstyn calls Blake Lively ‘mama’ your heart will melt. And seeing tough guy Harrison Ford take on the role of a somewhat awkward astronomer is a delight.
It’s really hard not to like this movie. Everyone can relate to the themes explored in the film: living life to the fullest, learning to deal with loss, taking a chance on love and that remaining youthful certainly has nothing to do with your age.
