Downsizing
Matt Damon realises his life would be better were he to shrink himself in this social satire co-written and directed by two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter Alexander Payne (Nebraska).
Downsizing imagines what might happen if, as a solution to over-population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall and propose a 200-year global transition from big to small. People soon realise how much further money goes in a miniaturised world, and with the promise of a better life, everyman Paul Safranek (Damon) and wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in Omaha in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures.
- Director:
- Alexander Payne ('Nebraska', 'Sideways', 'About Schmidt')
- Writer:
- Alexander PayneJim Taylor
- Cast:
- Matt DamonKristen WiigChristoph WaltzJason SudeikisMargo MartindaleAlec BaldwinNeil Patrick HarrisJoaquim De Almeida
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Liam Maguren
flicksOscar winner Alexander Payne’s eco-comedy has a great sci-fi concept that provokes immediate thoughts about waste management, the current state of climate change, and the human race’s own (in)ability to change. The first half hour of Downsizing does a sterling job building this near-future world where shrinking the population is not only possible, it’s beneficial to the environment AND your bank account. After that, however, the story becomes more and more like Matt Damon’s character – confused and aimless.
Large ambitions, small success rate
Downsizing holds an amazing and interesting premise that could be used to great effect in making a thoroughly enjoyable film. Unfortunately it fails to deliver with the entire idea being wasted. The small people are treated in such a way that they could pass off as normal people for most of the film, there are no cool or fun scenes with large objects or any...
Surprisingly charming
Another film that I feel has gotten a bad rap, possibly because it doesn't fit squarely into a genre. A quirky (sci-fi) dramedy with an absurd yet oddly believable premise that surprises! Initially it seems like a typical mopey middle-age crisis drama ... but the introduction of new interesting characters and experiences soon takes us in unexpected...
What was this?
I saw this movie at a Flicks.co.nz preview screening. I came out feeling 'well, that was different and quite weird'. For a good portion of the film, the fact that the characters are tiny is irrelevant. If you like a film where you have to think about what you're seeing and find the nuances of meaning behind the story-line, you might like this. For those...
Unexpected plot twist lose the plot
This started out as an intriguing sci-fi idea mixed with some laugh out loud comedy but somewhere along the way turned into a statement piece about the economy and the environment and the state of mankind. The comedic moments remained although were more crude and some scenes could have been cut entirely with no loss of story. The last part of the movie is...
Very enjoyable, feel-good movie :)
My husband and I went to see Downsizing last night and really enjoyed it. Yes, it switched direction halfway through - thank goodness! That's what made this movie so quirky and interesting to watch (besides the fabulous actors throughout - Christoph Waltz - where have you been?!). This movie was heartwarming and charming. I'm so glad we ignored the reviews...
A lighthearted film that does not take itself seriously
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. A very light hearted, highly amusing and entertaining movie. if you are after something plausible and deep than you will be disappointed. whilst it did cover serious topics, it did so in a very light hearted way. Time went quickly, and I walked out with a smile on my face.
Variety
pressThe most whimsically outlandish film of Payne's career, though that doesn't mean it's made with anything less than his usual highly thought-out and controlled master-craftsman bravura.
Vanity Fair
pressGoes soft and strangely condescending on us, coming within perilous distance of white-saviour tradition as Damon becomes the change he'd like to see in the new world.
Time Out
pressLost up its own minuscule navel, Downsizing is a film that gets around to a toothless variation on "size doesn't matter," but Payne ought to know that's the most boring idea imaginable, big or small.
The Times
pressA sci-fi comedy satire that purports to be about environmentalism and the end of the American consumer dream, but is actually about something much more intimate, and simultaneously more expansive.
Stuff
pressThe film meanders rather than drives to a conclusion – a loose parody of a doomsday drama I guess – before ending on an uncertain note of redemption.
Hollywood Reporter
pressCaptivating, funny and possessed of a surprise-filled zig-zag structure that makes it impossible to anticipate where it's headed, this is a deeply humane film that, like the best Hollywood classics, feels both entirely of its moment and timeless.
Flicks, Liam Maguren
flicksOscar winner Alexander Payne’s eco-comedy has a great sci-fi concept that provokes immediate thoughts about waste management, the current state of climate change, and the human race’s own (in)ability to change. The first half hour of Downsizing does a sterling job building this near-future world where shrinking the population is not only possible, it’s beneficial to the environment AND your bank account. After that, however, the story becomes more and more like Matt Damon’s character – confused and aimless.
Variety
pressThe most whimsically outlandish film of Payne's career, though that doesn't mean it's made with anything less than his usual highly thought-out and controlled master-craftsman bravura.
Vanity Fair
pressGoes soft and strangely condescending on us, coming within perilous distance of white-saviour tradition as Damon becomes the change he'd like to see in the new world.
Time Out
pressLost up its own minuscule navel, Downsizing is a film that gets around to a toothless variation on "size doesn't matter," but Payne ought to know that's the most boring idea imaginable, big or small.
The Times
pressA sci-fi comedy satire that purports to be about environmentalism and the end of the American consumer dream, but is actually about something much more intimate, and simultaneously more expansive.
Stuff
pressThe film meanders rather than drives to a conclusion – a loose parody of a doomsday drama I guess – before ending on an uncertain note of redemption.
Hollywood Reporter
pressCaptivating, funny and possessed of a surprise-filled zig-zag structure that makes it impossible to anticipate where it's headed, this is a deeply humane film that, like the best Hollywood classics, feels both entirely of its moment and timeless.
Large ambitions, small success rate
Downsizing holds an amazing and interesting premise that could be used to great effect in making a thoroughly enjoyable film. Unfortunately it fails to deliver with the entire idea being wasted. The small people are treated in such a way that they could pass off as normal people for most of the film, there are no cool or fun scenes with large objects or...
Surprisingly charming
Another film that I feel has gotten a bad rap, possibly because it doesn't fit squarely into a genre. A quirky (sci-fi) dramedy with an absurd yet oddly believable premise that surprises! Initially it seems like a typical mopey middle-age crisis drama ... but the introduction of new interesting characters and experiences soon takes us in unexpected...
What was this?
I saw this movie at a Flicks.co.nz preview screening. I came out feeling 'well, that was different and quite weird'. For a good portion of the film, the fact that the characters are tiny is irrelevant. If you like a film where you have to think about what you're seeing and find the nuances of meaning behind the story-line, you might like this. For...
Unexpected plot twist lose the plot
This started out as an intriguing sci-fi idea mixed with some laugh out loud comedy but somewhere along the way turned into a statement piece about the economy and the environment and the state of mankind. The comedic moments remained although were more crude and some scenes could have been cut entirely with no loss of story. The last part of the movie is...
Very enjoyable, feel-good movie :)
My husband and I went to see Downsizing last night and really enjoyed it. Yes, it switched direction halfway through - thank goodness! That's what made this movie so quirky and interesting to watch (besides the fabulous actors throughout - Christoph Waltz - where have you been?!). This movie was heartwarming and charming. I'm so glad we ignored the...
A lighthearted film that does not take itself seriously
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. A very light hearted, highly amusing and entertaining movie. if you are after something plausible and deep than you will be disappointed. whilst it did cover serious topics, it did so in a very light hearted way. Time went quickly, and I walked out with a smile on my face.
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