Blake Lively Makes ‘The Age of Adaline’ Worthwhile

Typically, I groan at similar movies that have the same corny characteristics and ambition as The Age of Adaline, but I surprisingly like this one.

The story focuses on a young widow named Adaline Bowman who ceases aging when she got hit by lightning after a vehicular accident (yep, it’s silly at it sounds, and it’s made even sillier by giving it a faux scientific rationale that is supposed to be established by 2035).  The only one who knows her condition is her daughter, who has already aged into her elderly years.  To avoid exposure, Adaline limits her friendships, avoids being photographed, and takes on aliases and moves to a new place every decade.  Then one night, she meets Ellis Jones, who becomes infatuated with her.  She initially rebuffs his advances, but, eventually, she has a change of heart and enters into a relationship with him.  He invites her to join him at his parents’ 40^th wedding anniversary party that weekend, and she agrees.  However, upon reaching the Jones’ home, Adaline’s secret is threatened to be exposed when she discovers that Ellis’ father is actually a former flame of hers.

There are some interesting parts in the movie that there were times that I felt it was going to be something special, smart, and novel.  However, it’s not.  The Age of Adaline hardly offers anything original or profound.  And yet I was completely enchanted by the narrative.  This movie being beautifully shot is one reason why.  But the biggest reason is Blake Lively.  Harrison Ford is worth noting, too, but Ms. Lively is the stand-out here.  She displayed regal screen presence and delivered a compelling performance.  And by being invested in Blake Lively’s presence and performance, I was led to invest on the story of her character Adaline as well.

The Age of Adaline is not an exceptional story at all, and, honestly, you won’t really be missing out much if you decide to skip this.  However, if you think witnessing a great performance from Blake Lively is a good enough reason to check The Age of Adaline out, and/or you don’t have anything else better to watch or do, then, by all means, do so.