I saw “The Adjustment Bureau” recently and thought it was one of the most insidiously wrong-headed movies I had seen in a long time. Attractive characters, interesting plot at first and God as a capricious tyrant. I’m glad Fr. Barron has some erudite commentary.
March 22, 2011 at 2:54 am
you're right – interesting plot at first, but bad ideology passing as philosophy and theology wear it down.
March 22, 2011 at 5:41 pm
What clarity, he's a great speaker.
But how about if the "Chairman" isn't God, though? What if you twist it to make it closer to what it really might be — that the "plan" is human disordered and selfish will, unadulterated ego, while the "Scrap" is actually God? I think maybe folks who write movies like this are actually trying very hard to reach a truth they know is there but they can only express it using the worn metaphors and directions of modernism. At its root, all yearning for freedom is yearning for God — because freedom is only through God. And all yearning for love is yearning for God, because God is love. So a movie that sets love and freedom in contrast with some great plan, maybe without knowing the writers have played out the true modern conflict, God against those petty little gods we create of ourselves when we abandon Him?
Maybe not. . .
March 22, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Just curious. I haven't seen the movie, but could the Adjustment Bureau be Scientology rather than God? Considering Hollywood's entanglement?
March 22, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Bummer! The commercials looked interesting…
March 22, 2011 at 7:22 pm
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob refers to HIS children as "lesser gods", small "g", in the Old Testament (somewhere). Our God gives us our inheritance in small "gs". Our destiny is to be with God in heaven, sooner and later. Our destiny is or is supposed to be "the plan". Just suppose that the man chooses love with the girl and the girl chooses love with the man. How can God not be with them? He can still be president and she can still dance.
The plot has more holes than a sive, and surely God's angels look better than these guys. This is a cross between MIB with the memory eradicator and Stephen King's Hearts in Atlantis
Father Barron, Thank you for becoming a priest. We need priests.
March 23, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I thought it was supposed to be pitting a Protestant predestination idea VS. free will. I don't know what the writer's thoughts and motives were, though. Having said this, I certainly appreciated Father's insights. Having just 'discovered' him I am so glad to hear him on this and other subjects. We need his wisdom and thoughtful 'common man' explanations. So, while the movie was enjoyable, if thin and predictable, now I see it was also errant. Thank you for sharing this!