Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

At 12:01 am on January eighth, 'nineteen hundred and eight', Adaline Marie Bowman (Blake Lively) was born in San Francisco, CA. She was a beautiful young girl who grew up, fell in love and married. She then had a daughter, Flemming (later portrayed by Ellen Burstyn). In a horrific accident during the building of the Golden Gate Bridge she lost her husband very early in her marriage and was left to raise their daughter alone. On a reality changing dark night, Adaline was driving her car to get to her daughter when something transpired which can only be detailed by the narrator (Hugh Ross) to understand how it all took place. He describes the science of it all as it occurs in "threefold" and takes on an almost other-worldly approach while happening during the first snowfall in Sonoma county. This happened quickly at the outset of the film and does explain all that is to follow which is completely necessary to Adaline's story. I took the developments at face-value to answer the many questions occurring after this phenomenal event, but for some, suspending your disbelief will aid in your enjoyment of "The Age of Adaline". After going through this, Adaline does not age any longer and remains stuck at her twenty-nine years. She is suspended in time and does not move forward. Flemming ages appropriately while she keeps her mother's secret all of these decades. Adaline is now living in the present day under another alias which she has just assumed, Jennifer Larson (Jenny) and continues working in isolating jobs. She rarely goes out for fear of being discovered; an endless life or is it? If one will not age in this setting, will eternal youth hold any advantage in a life of seclusion? After being coaxed out of her apartment to join a friend at a New Year's Eve party, she meets a man in the elevator, Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) who is a wealthy philanthropist from a well-to-do family. It is obvious that he has adored her from afar as he keeps trying to scoop Adaline into a relationship while she tries to protest. She is so used to keeping to herself that she is afraid and would rather be solitary as only Flemming could completely understand her dilemma. She becomes confused with her feelings for Ellis and how she might handle a romantic relationship if it were to progress into one. She has such a working knowledge of past happenings while exclaiming to Ellis, "I'll never understand why too few people care about history". It becomes more amazing to realize just what Adaline recalls as she has already experienced it. I found Adaline in this extremely original storyline very compelling and wouldn't want to keep describing it as this is much better for you to discover. I am not usually too interested in a story that includes some semi-science fiction although this one was a pleasant surprise. Adaline's story is intriguing and she is enchanting in it. I must mention the supporting cast with Kathy Baker as Kathy, Ellis' mother, and especially Harrison Ford as William, his father who serve to uplift the story and add necessary tension to places of urgency within the story. From an original story and screenplay by J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador Paskowitz then directed by Lee Toland Krieger comes this story of the cost of never growing old with the feelings and emotions surrounding how one would live within this state of eternal youth while the world continues on around her. It does present a quizzical theory overall and at points had me guessing how Adaline would be doing at twenty-nine during the generations she was living in. The cinematography (David Lanzenberg) shows off well-done sets representing San Francisco. The costumes for the cast kept up delightfully with the changing trends of the day, makeup to hairdos. Also the cars, lifestyles and the visuals of a historical past - especially concerning the happenings with the Golden Gate Bridge on film reels of Adaline's significant era added to the interesting features. These are shown in the first thirty minutes which is a most important time of the film. For me, this heartfelt and picturesque story concerning Adaline was a definite​ don't miss film.