Matt Damon is a tough actor to summarize. He was Hollywood’s golden boy for a very long time with his films rounders and Good Will Hunting with Robin Williams and lets not forget his appearance in oceans 11 and its sequels. Damon is clearly a very talented actor but his career is all over the place. Every once in a while Damon attaches himself to big budget projects like The Martian and occasionally does much smaller films like We Bought a Zoo. Downsizing falls somewhere in the middle. Let’s take a look at the Downsizing trailer :
Downsizing has the premise and potential to be a pretty funny movie. The idea of shrinking yourself in order to find a reduced cost of living, and all the hilarity that can ensure with now enormous $20 bottles of liquor, are pretty intriguing. I like the cast and the tone but I’m not sure how I feel about Damon in comedy. He’s tried this more than once and when you take him away from Jimmy Kimmel it can often be a painful experience to watch. He seems to have decent comedic timing but the whole thing always seems a little beneath him considering his acting resume. Just look at The Brothers Grimm and you’ll see what I mean. Downsizing looks pretty funny and does actually seem to be way more interesting than some of Damon’s other films. For all intents and purposes I look at this as the spiritual successor to Honey I Shrunk The Kids.
Damon’s career reminds me of Tom Cruise. TC also struggled to acclimate to the 21st century and took a while to find his footing. I’m hoping Damon can do the same and he has a couple of other films in the works and this could be the first film in the “road to redemption” for the actor. He’s a lot more solid than most but I’m officially putting him on my “concerned” list.
