Downsizing has a big sized message

Movie Title: Downsizing

Grade: C+

Rating: R, 2 hours 15 minutes

In a Nutshell: Alexander Payne directs this social satire that introduces some interesting environmental ideas, but ultimately reminds us that a life lived for others has the most meaning.

Tips for parents:

Paul takes the Lord’s name in vain and gets immediately scolded by Ngoc Lan Tran. She uses the “F” word a thousand times in one scene and he tries to teach her it’s a vulgar word. There is some more profanity in other scenes.
Pre-marital sex and discussions about it.
Oddly, there is a LOT of full body male nudity.
Kids will mostly be bored.

Uplifting theme:

“The door to happiness opens outward.” – poster on the wall during Paul’s high school reunion
We are meant for something better.
“The world is filled with things to see.” – Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz)
“I finally have a chance to do something that matters.” – Paul Safranek (Matt Daman)

Things I liked:

I like Matt Damon in anything. I just really like him.
Hong Chau was recently nominated for a well-deserved Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Ngoc Lan Tran.
Christoph Waltz always brings such colorful characters to the big screen. I thought he was fantastic in Big Eyes.
It was interesting to see how Downsizing was used in different ways: save the planet, punish criminals and poor people, allow the average person to live a life of luxury, reflect on the meaning of life, opportunity to begin again.
Gorgeous scenery in Norway. Parts of the movie were also filmed in beautiful Canada.

Things I didn’t like:

Some people have been very critical of Matt Damon’s bland performance, but I think that was just Paul Safranek’s character. I love Matt Damon in anything. Because Paul rarely smiles, it would have had a lot of impact if the movie had ended with him grinning from ear to ear like in the 1988 movie The Accidental Tourist (which I loved).
It’s a little slow moving.
It’s very preachy about global warming and over-population.
The trailer made the movie appear like it would be a comedy, but it’s really not. The idea of downsizing could have made for a very funny movie, but it strives to be something much deeper and comes off feeling uneven.
A lot of plot points are glossed over without much explanation.
The trailer makes it seem like Matt Daman’s boring call center job is what contributes to his wanting to leave his life in the “real” world and downsize, but he actually gets that job after he downsizes! The trailer scene with Kristen Wiig’s character working at a shoe store doesn’t even appear in the movie. It always annoys me when trailers paint a different picture from what the movie actually is or when they show lines that don’t appear in the movie.

Interesting lines:

“Not a very successful species these homo-sapiens.” – Dr. Jorgen Asbjornsen (Rolf Lassgard – This is his first film in English!)
“Lots of people are in pain, Mom, in all sorts of ways.” – Paul Safranek (Matt Daman) That’s really true. We should never judge others, because we don’t know the pain they might be going through.
“Human life on earth is unsustainable.” – TV talking head
“Friends tell friends the truth.” – Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz)
“When you know death comes soon, you look around things more close.” – Ngoc Lan Tran (Hong Chau)
“Downsizing is about hitting the reset button.” – Dave Johnson (Jason Sudeikis)
“It’s humbling, huh? Nature is such a patient sculptor, grinding a tiny bit each day, slowly, slowly for thousands of years to make such a supremely beautiful thing.” – Dr. Jorgen Asbjornsen
“Downsizing is about saving yourself.” – comedian guy is about saving yourself.” – Dave Johnson (It’s true. The more we get rid of all the stuff and things in our lives, the more free we are from the things that fill our lives with unimportant nonsense.)