‘Age of Adaline’ DVD Review: Romantically Intriguing

Age of Adeline tells a story that spans a century, following the ageless Adeline (Blake Lively) as she finds herself not only keeping her immortality a secret, but also keeping herself from living life to its fullest. Ellis (Game of Thrones’ Michiel Huisman), is enamored with Adeline only to find her distant, but intriguing. We then find out that Elli’s father William (Harrison Ford), was once in the same love with Adeline nearly fifty years ago.

Age of Adeline is quick to explain how Adeline became ageless — we are told in the first scene. And once we know why Adeline is the way she is, we are eased into her life and find ourselves no longer seeking immortality. Immortality is long and lonely for Adeline, who, in modern day, has a 70-year-old daughter — played by Ellen Burstyn, Adeline’s daughter is the most humanizing aspect of the film.

Whatever one might think about Blake Lively’s talents as an actress, she is perfectly cast as Adeline. She is stunning in the film, but what I liked about this particular aspect of the film was that her beauty didn’t define her character. There wasn’t that weird ‘elderly woman stuck in a young woman’s body’ vibe. Adeline’s demeanor is parallel with that of and older and more mature woman, yet we are still shown her beauty through wardrobe, which was tasteful and not overly stylized.

I will say that it bothered me that not one person of color appeared in the film, despite the fact that it spans an entire century. Even in what would be present day, there were only white faces on screen. It’s as if Age of Adeline was made a century ago instead of in 2015. Putting aside the lack of on screen diversity, the film is enjoyable. I especially liked Adeline and Elli’s relationship. It didn’t come off as a puppy dog love story. Adeline never used her age as a crutch against the unknowing; it’s just a secret that needs keeping. Furthermore, Age of Adeline refuses to become some love triangle, which movies tend to use in an effort to be more interesting only to end up being messy and unrealistic.

All in all, Age of Adeline is a sweet film. It is one of the few romance films I have watched in the last few years and I would definitely watch it again and recommend to anyone, especially those who love a little romance.