Early reviews of The Age of Adaline were so positive that it jumped right to the top of my must-see list…and it didn’t disappoint.
For several years I’ve thought of Blake Lively as a gorgeous fashion icon (and of course now an honourary Canadian, since she’s married to our own Ryan Reynolds) but since I never watched Gossip Girl, I only knew her acting from her supporting movie roles in The Town and Savages.
This movie gives her a chance to shine, which she certainly does.
My term for the premise of the movie is “beautifully implausible”:
“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.” (http://www.theageofadalinemovie.com/)
If you watch Nashville like me, or Game of Thrones like millions of others, you’ll recognize Michiel Huisman, who plays Ellis in the movie, and Harrison Ford plays his father, drawing different generations of fangirls. Fanwomen?
I thought the film was sweet and moving, and Blake Lively did a beautiful job as a woman who’s been alive for almost a century without ever looking a day over 29 (it must have been odd to pretend to be Ellen Burstyn’s mother). The only plot element I had trouble wrapping my mind around was the idea of being alive for a hundred years and being attracted to men decades and decades younger. I mean, even if you look the same age, that still seems a little…perplexing to me. (Perhaps because the first students I taught are now 29, I personally find even one decade younger than me icky. And of course I still look 29, so.) However, Adaline couldn’t exactly find love with anyone her biological age, so I really shouldn’t be so hard on the poor woman.
By the end of the movie, I even came to the conclusion that I should be grateful for every grey hair I get to experience. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to immediately colour them, but I have a better appreciation for the natural process of aging, and the gift of growing old with someone.
