As a Blake Lively fan, I was excited to see Age of Adaline. I thought that I would love the movie as much as I loved Blake Lively’s TV series, Gossip Girl. However, I was disappointed by the movie, because of Blake Lively’s performance, and in the movie overall. I had read an E! online review that said “Lively has a refreshingly naturalistic acting style, and she brings a quiet, unshowy gravity to the role” (Toomey). After reading this review, I was expecting Age of Adaline to be good or at least decent.
The three main characters are played by Lively, Michiel Huisman, and Harrison Ford. Adeline is a woman who is 107 years old, but still looks like she is 29 because of an accident. Living in San Fransisco, Adeline has difficulty keeping her identity a secret. While she remains 29, everyone around begins to age and at one point, her own daughter becomes elderly. Adeline’s biggest problem is when she falls in love with Ellis Jones, played by Huisman. In addition to keeping her age a secret, Adeline faces many other obstacles in her relationship with Ellis.
One of the reasons I did not enjoy Age of Adaline was because of Lively’s acting. While it is difficult to look 29 and act 107 years old, her attempt to appear older seemed forced. Her voice, how she dressed and her performance overall took away from the movie. Lively’s voice was unnatural and did not contribute to her role as a 107 year old. Adeline’s character presented was clearly a challenging role; however, it was almost unbearable to listen to Lively’s voice by the end of the movie. Instead of helping Adeline act older, while appearing younger, Lively’s character was distracting and was not well executed.
Similarly, the narration detracting from the story, because of all the explanation of what had happened over time. The movie jumped from one decade to another, and the narration was not concise or clear. Adeline is 107 years old by 2015, but is not exactly clear what happened in past years, despite the length of the narration.
Overall, I enjoyed the San Francisco setting of the movie and Lively’s stunning wardrobe. Otherwise, I was almost disappointed with the movie as a Blake Lively fan and also as someone who loves cheesy romantic comedies.
Photo credit: Vanity Fair
