Rent Downsizing (2017)

Wasted opportunity - Downsizing review by TH

WARNING SPOILERS: The idea of the film actually was very good although done in different guises before but there was certainly potential for this to be a good movie and could have gone down the road of being either humorous (Wiig and Sudeikis appearing suggested this but strangely only briefly!?!) or the more likely darker side but what we got was neither, instead we had a environmentally green film with tones about 'big people' being wasteful, carbon emitting and helping an over populated planet etc etc.

The first half hour or so keeps is an intriguing watch to see what happens to 'downsize' the mindset particularly financially, the process and the post reaction but there after the films wheels just fall off. Paul Safraneks (Damon) wife Aubrey changes her mind at the last second not to downsize leaving Paul at Leisureland (small people world) on his own, divorce follows and he tries to rebuild his life thereafter the film becomes a mess with not much direction as he becomes involved with his larger than life upstairs neighbour (Waltz) and his oriental cleaning maid who is an immigrant refugee and a sole survivor in a TV box (yes I know) that orders Paul to help poor small people. The rest of the film rather trudges to the end and gets overwhelmed by ecological and human impact issues, I'm sure the director made this film on the premise to make you think after. But all that clouded my mind after I ejected the disc was weren't they lucky with the sea conditions in the Fjord considering they were in a boat a few feet long! (if you watch it you'll know what I mean as well as many other things, weather? birds? debris on the water)?

Sadly disappointing...

Highly entertaning, enjoyable, profound comedy - Downsizing review by PV

I loved this movie. True, it was over-long and lost it a bit in the 3rd act.

But it genuinely amused me and made me think, and surprised me in its plot twists and characters.

I especially liked the way the writers/actors got the foreign accents absolutely correct - films and TV and esp the BBC always get this SO wrong.

I also think this film addresses a hugely important issue: over-population.

Almost 10 years ago I wrote a radio drama about a man who wanted to solve overpopulation by making himself shrink. It wasn't made BUT a radio play featuring a man who makes himself shrink was on BBC Radio 4 a year later. The BBC and its readers will happily steal ideas of scripts they read - and you can't copyright an idea!

The idea is not original anyway - Jonathan Swift was writing about little people almost 300 years ago in Gulliver's Travels.

Far better than those dumb action movie Mat Damon got famous for.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Matt Damon has down sized - Downsizing review by RR

What the hell was matt Damon doing, this film is a load of r......ish. Nice concept but badly filmed

Messy but interesting - Downsizing review by JB

Alexander Payne has a great track-record as a smart, incisive, witty and sensitive filmmaker - 'Election', 'Sideways' and 'Nebraska' all being particularly strong examples of his work. 'Downsizing' is all these things, but it lacks the cohesion and sense of purpose of Payne's earlier work. The film divides in two rather ill-matched halves. The first section of the story is essentially a satire on home ownership and the post credit crunch pressures on the middle classes. This part of the narrative feels tightly focused, but in the second half of the narrative the film almost entirely forgets this part of the story and veers off into a much more shapeless examination of a huge range of themes - the emptiness of first world lives, immigration and political oppression, class division and exploitation, the moral failings of modern (perhaps especially Trump's) America and much more. As a result none of the ideas feel really resolved because (despite the running time) the film simply doesn't have time to develop all these issues satisfactorily.

Still, this is well worth a watch, there are plenty of smart jokes and as always Paine has a keen visual sense. Performances are also excellent on the whole, especially those of Hong and the always reliable Waltz. Check it out, but if you're a big Payne fan then adjust expectations - this is not a master work.

Entertaining - Downsizing review by DB

Very interesting and entertaining film. The concept is a good one that hints at bigger questions but doesn't really look to answer them. The film is about unlikely relationships and the impact of humans on our planet and environment. The film is funny, touching and emotional with some great ideas. It is not really open to a sequel but I wanted to see more of the in film universe after the film had finished.

An accomplished, entertaining and enjoyable film with a great cast and a very interesting concept.

Boring - Downsizing review by CB

Wasted over 2 hrs of my life watching this rubbish would not recommend this film to anyone would rather watch paint dry

Watchable oddity - Downsizing review by Alphaville

Matt Damon gets miniaturised to live in a community of small persons and so save planetary resources. The concept is full of holes but initially draws you along, wanting to know what happens next (as long as you avoid the trailer and spoiler reviews). The problem is that nothing much happens next and there’s little else except special effects to maintain interest during the 130-minute run time. Instead of exploring the concept dramatically or philosophically, co-writer/director Alexander Payne commits the cardinal cinematic sin of being simply mundane.

Still, the seamless effects make it watchable and the fascinating DVD extras, arguably better than the film itself, explain how they were achieved. Afterwards, re-watch The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) to see what this film could have been.