Ryan Reynolds continues his dependable relationship with
Netflix with this new family flick – The Adam Project.
The story begins with Adam, a pilot in the future, narrowly escaping capture by jumping through a wormhole. We then join the story of younger Adam in middle school, still attempting to recover from the death of his father and getting into fights in school, much to the frustration of his mother. Future Adam pops in on current Adam to bandage himself up and get some help fixing up his ship. He’s lost his wife and is bound and determined to fix the future where time travel is a thing, but a not-quite-as-great-as-you-think thing. In order to do that, he needs to have a confrontation with his father’s business partner, Maya, years ago before his father died and Maya took over the company – steering the time travel business in the wrong direction. Together, both Adams head back to meet up with their dad, save the future, and do some emotional healing.
The movie is directed by Shawn Levy who did the excellent Free Guy (which is now on Disney+, so be sure to check that out if you haven’t seen it). Levy has just been announced as the director for Deadpool 3 and if this is any indication of he and Reynolds’ partnership, I am really looking forward to it. The story is a little confusing and thrown at you just fast enough that you don’t really think about it too hard – the action is fun, the time travel effects are good enough, but the absolute winner of this movie is Reynolds, his charm, and the rest of the cast.
Ryan Reynolds continues his snarky good humor. He is a little one note, but again – if it is one note that works well and he keeps picking projects that suit that note, I do not have an issue with it. Here, he manages to add layers of heart and emotion to the snark of a man willing to go back in time to fix the hurt he feels. Walker Scobell takes on the daunting task of being young Ryan Reynolds and does a great job. He’s equal parts charming and irritating and I enjoyed him interacting with his older self as they help each other realize they have both done a terrible job dealing with their losses.
I loved the movie 13 going on 30 from 2004, so it is a true treat to see Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner as the Adam parents in this movie. Ruffalo feels very Bruce Banner (which is fine by me) as a scientist who is well aware he has created time travel. Garner plays a woman who loves her husband even though his work dominates his experience. Once he is gone, she deals with his loss as best she can. The two of them are great in their individual scenes but even better in the scenes they have together.
Zoe Saldana plays Laura, the wife that future Adam found and lost and went back to not necessarily save, but preserve her legacy. She doesn’t have much to do, but makes the most of what she has.
I don’t recall if I have ever seen Catherine Keener play the heavy before, but after this – I am thinking she should be the bad guy more often. She is perfect as the slick corporate villain putting her success and money above all else – including those that used to be her friends.
Overall, the movie is fun and sweet, fast-paced, and at just over an hour and a half - the perfect running time for a fantastic streaming family flick for a Friday night in.
7 out of 10 - Time travel doesn't have to be confusing or depressing - just push through it quickly and use it for family therapy!
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