I must admit that when I first saw the trailer for The Age of Adaline, I did not think it worth my time going to see it in theaters. Generally speaking, romance movies are not my thing, and the premise of the movie seemed somewhat cheesy. However, at one of the past Medallion meetings, I said that I had yet to pick a movie for my next movie review and discovered that nearly every student and faculty member present really wanted to see it. So when the weekend came around, I went with my mother and grandmother for a girl’s night out, all the while trying to keep an open mind about what I thought was going to be just another version of the same predictable romance used again and again by Hollywood.

The Age of Adaline tells the story of Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively), a “young” woman who has remained 29 years of age since the early 20^th century. After living a long and lonely life on the move, Adaline meets the charismatic Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman), who reminds her what it’s like to love again. When an encounter with someone from her past threatens to reveal her secret, Adaline is faced with a difficult decision—to return to her life on the run or to stay and risk what the truth will bring.

When entering the theater, I had a pretty good idea of how the movie would progress. The gorgeous female lead would be introduced and her tragic backstory presented. Then, the handsome male lead would arrive and, despite all attempts not to fall for him, the female lead would eventually fall for the male and his endless charm. The male, of course, fell for her because she’s “not like other girls” (you know you’ve heard that line at least once in your life). A dramatic incident (or incidents) would occur that would threaten the couple’s relationship, but in the end everything would work out just fine and they would live happily ever after. Such is the plot of nearly every romance movie in existence, from Nicholas Spark’s novel adaptations to Disney Channel television only movies. I was hoping for more but knew in my heart that I wasn’t going to get it because these movies continue to be successful. Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised when I was able to predict everything that happened in the movie a minimum of ten minutes before it happened.

An additional criticism I have regards the male lead character Ellis. While watching the movie, one doesn’t really notice some of his questionable behavior. Because of his good looks and charisma, manipulative or stalker-ish actions go uncriticized. Luckily for Adaline, Ellis doesn’t have ill intentions as it isn’t that type of movie. However, when removed from the screen context, Ellis’s behavior sends up red flags, including (SPOILERS) manipulating her into going on a date with him by “jokingly” threatening to withhold donations to her place of work and then going through that place of work (at which he is conveniently on the board) to get her address and show up at her doorstep.

While the visuals were lovely and the actors beautiful and very talented, I didn’t find The Age of Adaline to be anything special. For me, it was just another romantic movie. If that’s a genre you enjoy, you may find yourself with a completely different take on the movie (after all, IMDb users give the film an average of 7.4 out of 10 stars).

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1.5 out of 5)