The Age of Adalineis one ofBlake Lively’s best movies, and it perfectly set her up for a later role.The Age of Adalineis a romantic drama with a fantasy element and is about a 29-year-old woman named Adaline, who mysteriously stops aging after being involved in a car accident. To avoid people finding out her secret, Adaline must constantly reinvent herself, changing her identity every decade.The Age of Adalinehas been controversial as it routinely depicts a mucholder woman in romantic relationships with younger men, though Adaline does not look her age.
WhileThe Age of Adalinehas been more popular with audiences than with critics, even the less-positive reviews have praised the performances of the lead actors, especially Blake Lively (Adaline) and Harrison Ford. All the characters inThe Age of Adalineare complex as all are dealing with an extremely unusual situation that is not reflected in real life. This would be a challenge for any actor, and while the movie could have been over-the-top, the actors sell the premise well. Theunconventional movie love storymay have divided viewers, but it brought out the best in its cast.
The Age Of Adaline Is Trending On Netflix & Has One Of Blake Lively’s Best Movie Performances From Her Career
The Age Of Adaline’s Main Romance Has Been Controversial
Blake Lively has acted in a wide range of genres throughout her career, but since her lead role inGossip Girl, she has excelled at drama.The Age of Adalinesees Adaline falling in love with the son of her past lover, who now appears old enough to be her father. A storyline like this could read like a time travel comedy, but Lively portrays the loneliness of her role extremely well. The challenge of playing a character who watches her own daughter grow older than her is impressive, makingThe Age of Adalineone of Lively’s best performances.
Hollywood movies have often treated age-gap relationships as normal when a male partner is older than a female partner. That said, eventhe most touching paranormal romance filmsare often placed under scrutiny (and for good reason) for portraying relationships between characters with decades-long age gaps.The Age of Adalineis technically a paranormal romance, as Adaline appears to be immortal, and her main relationship has been understandably controversial. Adaline is around 80 years older than Ellis Jones, she is hiding her true age from him, and she previously dated his father.
The Age Of Adaline Is Much Better Than Its Mixed Reviews & Underwhelming Box Office Suggest
Why The Age Of Adaline Has Been So Poorly Received
WhileThe Age of Adalinehas had a 67% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it did not perform well at the box office and critics awarded it a 55% score, saying thatThe Age of Adalinelacks depth. That said, Lively’s skill is undeniable when she is shown playing different versions of the same woman across multiple decades. Harrison Ford also believably portrays complicated feelings of love, confusion, and grief when seeing Adaline. Despite its silly-sounding premise,The Age of Adalineis a well-acted and character-driven story, and much better than its reviews suggest.
The Age of Adalinewas nominated for eight awards, four of which were for Blake Lively’s performance.
The Age of Adalineearned $65.7 million against a budget of $25 million, and should have been a greater successthan it was. Part of the problem may be the movie’s release date.The Age of Adalineis primarily a romance, yet instead of scheduling it for release around Valentine’s Day, it was released in April. The marketing campaign also focused on fashion, and while Lively’s outfits were striking, this tactic did little to persuade critics thatThe Age of Adalinewas not shallow. A campaign discussing the movie’s themes of love and immortality may have been a better idea.
Blake Lively’s The Age Of Adaline Role Paved The Way For Her Success With A Simple Favor
The Ending Of The Age Of Adaline Is Extremely Unusual For Any Hollywood Movie
The Age of Adalinepaved the way for Blake Lively’s character inA Simple Favor, andLively shows a wide dramatic range in both movies. Lively shows the subtle ways that Adaline changes through spending decades looking 29, while she plays twins inA Simple Favor. As the twins often impersonate each other, this gave Lively an even bigger challenge.Lively brought the complexity fromThe Age of AdalinetoA Simple Favorand was critically praised for her role. The movie was a much greater success, withA Simple Favor 2now in the works.
Box office
Rotten Tomatoes critics' score
Rotten Tomatoes audience score
2015
$25 million
$65.7 million
55%
67%
2018
$20 million
$97.6 million
84%
73%
The ending ofThe Age of Adalineis optimistic and extremely unusual in Hollywood. After the unconventional love story is resolved and Adaline finds love with Ellis, she is in another car accident, which appears to restart her aging process. Adaline finds a gray hair, and when Ellis asks if she is okay, Adaline responds that she is “perfect.“Most Hollywood movies treat the normal aging of women as undesirable at best and horror movie material at worst, so seeing a woman not only begin to age but be happy about it makesThe Age of Adalinetruly unique.
The Age of Adaline
Cast
The Age of Adaline tells the story of Adaline Bowman, who stops aging and becomes a recluse after suffering a car accident, but sees her world turn upside down when she meets a charming man. Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, and Harrison Ford star in the 2015 romance.
