The Age of Adaline Parent Guide

In our world we fight for longevity. We prioritize the ability to live a long time and dedicate much of our scientific knowledge toward life extension. But if we were given the opportunity to live forever, would we embrace it? And how would you feel if you were the only individual with such a gift?

Born in the early 20^th Century, Adaline (Blake Lively) lead a reasonably normal existence until a car accident (shown with some detail) at the age of 29 left her near death. Lying in a pool of water, her hypothermic body is suddenly resuscitated by a bolt of lightening. What she doesn’t understand about her miraculous recovery is the freak incident has altered her physically, leaving her unable to age any further.

Decades pass, and in the present day our heroine is well over 100, but doesn’t look a day over 29. She has accepted a life of solitude, especially after she is forced to run from curious FBI agents in the 1950s. Now she follows a strict regiment of acquiring counterfeit identification every ten years and relocating to a new city. The only person on Earth who knows her secret is her aging daughter Flemming (Ellen Burstyn), whom Adaline yearns to stay close to and care for. However, the best plans are often shattered by love – and Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) is the man who walks into Adaline’s immortal life and causes her to reconsider how she will spend her eternity.

Obviously, to enjoy this film, you must first accept the nonsense science used to explain the phenomenon. Once you’re past that gate, there are many enlightening moments within this simple, yet unique, concept. We can’t help but feel empathy for Adaline while she endures the passing of years, as well as her friends and family. Yet we also recognize the amazing opportunity this young woman has had to absorb information and experience history.

Fans of the romance genre are the most likely to find this movie worth the price of admission. Fortunately, there are few content concerns for parents to consider. These include some brief scenes that imply unmarried couples have engaged in sexual relations (kissing is shown, as well as the characters waking up in bed together). And the aforementioned accident, along with the depiction of another crash (both shown from an in-car perspective) may be frightening for children.

Beautifully filmed and highly engaging, The Age of Adaline quietly offers a lesson on our often insatiable desire to hold on to mortality for as long as possible. It’s a warm story that left me reconsidering the blessings of aging while living in a society where eternal youth is continually worshipped.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.