The Age Of Adeline - This Movie Slush Rocks

Dir: Lee Toland Krieger

Starring Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, Ellen Burstyn, Kathy Baker, Michiel Huisman

First off, it’s daft as a brush. Second off, it’s not helped by the “here’s the science part” voice over which is at pains to explain that some combination of driving into a freezing cold river, and then being struck by lightning can lead to immortality – as this indeed happens to the movie’s titular heroine Lively who remains a permanent 29 forever.

All that said, The Age of Adeline is a solidly old-fashioned slushy movie that has just about enough charm to work. Lively herself is partly responsible for this, offering up an engaging, slightly detached performance that works well. However, it is the older members of the cast – and their interactions with her – that work the best. There’s something incredibly sad yet moving about seeing Adeline talk to her daughter, a very noticeably older (and wonderful) Ellen Burstyn. Similarly, Harrison Ford reminds us of just what a good actor he can be when he’s not off crashing planes or breaking his leg saving the universe. In an understated role, as a former lost love of the ageless woman, Ford is just brilliant to watch, providing, alongside Burstyn, the heart of this film. Even if it does gloss over the potentially icky stuff about Adeline having slept with both the father and the son (Huisman) – hey, it’s simply not that kind of movie.

The disembodied voice of all wisdom (who tells us that science will catch up and discover the freezing-lightning combo for immortality by 2035 – no, really!) unfortunately pops up again for the movie’s contrived denouncement. But there’s no denying that this film knows the better side of slushy. And has just enough charm to carry it off.

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