Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘The Age of Adaline’: Blake Lively Leaves Her Teen-Queen Past Behind

Ellen Burstyn (L) and Blake Lively in "The Age of Adaline." (Lionsgate)

“The Age of Adaline” is a strange hybrid of a movie. There’s a hint of Nicholas Sparks, but it isn’t at all sappy or set in North Carolina, and no one dies a tragic, premature death (and no, that’s not a spoiler). It’s not quite sci-fi, and there is no time travel but there is time defiance. There is humor but nothing you’ll ever find in a standard issue rom-com.

The drama is sometimes heavy but never to the point of being overreaching or strained. There is only a tad of traditional mystery, and its small serving goes a long way. By the nature of its plot, “The Age of Adaline” could be classified as a chick flick, and any man asked by a woman to watch it would be a fool not to accept.

It’s that kind of movie.

Convincing Exposition

Languishing in production limbo for close to five years, “Adaline” is what some might consider to be high-concept fluff, which is only half-right. Unlike the majority of sci-fi films, “Adaline” adheres strictly to its own set of established rules and never once strays from them. That alone makes it a worthy view for fans of that genre. Some audience members might have issues with the spare “voice-of-God” narration that includes scientific sounding words and phrases that are actually just impressive gibberish but, thanks to convincing voice performer Hugh Ross, all of it is pretty, um, convincing.

Michiel Huisman and Blake Lively in "The Age of Adaline." (Lionsgate)

The age of Adaline (Blake Lively) in “The Age of Adaline” is 29, and she has been 29 years old since the Prohibition era. Given the amount of money spent annually on hair color, Botox, and other assorted age-defying chemicals, there are many women (and men, for that matter) the world over who would happily trade places with Adaline. In the perfectly executed first act, director Lee Toland Krieger (“The Vicious Kind,” “Celeste and Jesse Forever”) and a committee of screenwriters make it clear that retaining the same youthful looks for eight decades comes with considerable drawbacks.

Forever Young as a Curse

How long could anyone that never ages, particularly a beautiful woman, stay in the same place for very long without raising suspicion? Starting in her late 40s, Adaline began changing her name and relocating every 10 years or so. This cloaked lifestyle has led to her keeping personal relationships, and romantic couplings in particular, to a bare minimum, if not at all. The only person who knows her secret is her daughter Flemming (Ellen Burstyn), who now looks like her grandmother.

The second act finds Adaline back in her hometown of San Francisco working at a library where her only friend is a blind piano player. At a New Year’s Eve party, the day before she turns 106, Adaline locks eyes with Ellis (Michiel Huisman, “Game of Thrones”), a beyond-wealthy philanthropist who is determined to get her attention. His pursuit borders on obsession, and this approach makes the already cautious Adaline become harder (but not impossible) to get. She makes him earn her trust, yet even then she never completely drops her guard. The final act takes place at the home of Ellis’s parents (Harrison Ford as William and Kathy Baker as Kathy), where the full breadth of Adaline’s past comes to a head.

Try Not to Watch the Trailer

If you’ve already seen the lengthy trailer and think that the studio might have revealed a major spoiler, you’d be partially correct, yet the filmmakers are able to throw us off and keep us guessing for the remainder of the running time. Unless you are clairvoyant, you will not be able to figure out the ending.

Going from offbeat art house to high-end mainstream with lush production values that would have been at home in the 1950s, Krieger approaches the material in much the same manner as Adaline lives her life. He and the writers never reveal more than they have to, and about the only possible thing that one could find any fault with is the omnipresent backing score.

Blake Lively in "The Age of Adaline." (Lionsgate)

The superlative, effortless acting from everyone with a speaking part also goes far in keeping the story grounded and (for a sci-fi fantasy) eminently believable. For Lively, who achieved breakthrough fame in the “Gossip Girl” TV series and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” franchise while playing two very different teen archetypes, the role of Adaline signals her arrival as an A-list leading lady. In juggling aloof and aware, cool and warm, her rendering of Adaline is pitch perfect.

In the wake of “Adaline,” Lively’s output has been something of a mixed bag. Her turn in the action thriller “The Shallows” was a surprise smash hit, the Woody Allen-directed “Café Society” was great but few people saw it, as was the case with the pitch-black dark comedy “A Simple Favor” where she played a villain. “All I See Is You” and “The Rhythm Section” were total misfires and died quick box office deaths.

Ford Is on Top of His Game

As for Ford, he has never been better. Not an actor generally recognized for his dramatic range, Ford displays levels of nuance and vulnerability previously unseen and often without the aid of dialogue. If he were ever worthy for a second Academy Award nomination for acting (following “Witness”), it should have been for this performance.

Scene from "The Age of Adaline." (Lionsgate)

Audiences and critics always complain that Hollywood is incapable (or unwilling) of doing anything original and, 99 percent of the time, they’re right. “The Age of Adaline” falls into that ultra-rare one percent territory. It is as smart and innovative as it is moving and unforgettable.

‘The Age of Adaline’ Director: Lee Toland Krieger Stars: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Harrison Ford, Kathy Baker, Ellen Burstyn Running Time: 1 hour, 53 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 Release Date: April 24, 2015 Rating: 4 out of 5