Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land introduces Steve Butler (Matt Damon), corporate everyman for a powerful natural gas conglomerate, whose latest job in small-town Western Pennsylvania is the last step on Steve’s path to a cushy executive position and a secure future. Joined by his dedicated and enthusiastic partner Sue (Frances McDormand), Steve sets out to win over an ailing farm community with the promise of millions in exchange for tracts of land to drill for natural gas. Steve and Sue’s efforts are hammered at every turn by skeptical townfolk as well as the arrival of an environmental activist (John Krasinski) seeking to completely derail their mission. The battle for the town’s heart uncovers many truths about the potential dangers of natural gas drilling and the lengths a powerful corporate entity will go to in order to win.
The cast are the real draw for the film, which displays a variety of new and old character actors at their very best. Titus Welliver (of LOST fame) and Scoot McNairy (Argo, Killing Them Softly, A.K.A. the winner of Kevin’s best new character actor of 2012) shine in their brief moments on screen as townsfolk on opposite sides of the gas debate. The legendary Hal Holbrook is exceedingly wonderful as the warm-hearted skeptic with a science background who presents an early threat to Steve’s plans for the town. Frances McDormand is similarly great as Steve’s second-in-command, her frantic and funny devotion to the task at hand providing some lighter moments. Damon is perfectly fine in the role of Steve Butler and he’s given a couple monologues to really chew on in the script he wrote with co-star Krasinski. However, it’s Krasinski’s performance that’s somewhat of a letdown. He plays, well, himself and it’s distracting when Jim from The Office has turned to Greenpeace and is playfully sparring with a determined Steve. The back and forths with Damon’s Steve spewing angry F-bombs and Krasinski brushing them off with quirky exuberance is more strange and awkward than entertaining. The moments with Steve and the various people with whom he must deal make up for these sillier conflicts though. Meanwhile, Rosemarie DeWitt‘s character participates in a forced love triangle that exemplifies the issue of jamming a romantic subplot into a film with no need for it.
Promised Land is best described as Van Sant’s least risky film, even though it’s well-made and perfectly passable. The movie is simple and straightforward and has a message – however heavy-handed it may be – but it never transcends or aspires. And while his directing capabilities are on full display here, he just feels overqualified for the task. It’s like having Kubrick direct a local Christmas pageant. The story of a hardened corporate shill who learns a lesson is tired and the movie’s most daring moment isn’t likely to blow audiences away. It’s a well-executed and saccharine little tale of rural America fighting back, but not much more. Good Will Hunting, Elephant, and Milk are on a different level and it’s difficult to understand why Van Sant took on the job of a quaint crowd-pleaser.
Linus Sandgren’s cinematography provides an inspiring escape into the dreary hills of Pennsylvania country. Having grown up in the state, I immediately recognized the familiar gray and green hues that somehow turn a relatively bare landscape into a picturesque scene. Sunlight hits on a dew-soaked lawn or dirt-plastered tractor in
just the right way. Sandgren holds steady on long establishing shots of farmland and rolling hills that demonstrate there’s more to the land than a tub of gas a mile beneath. His more intimate shots gather impassioned crowds in the small frame and give faces to the voices that both praise and condemn the actions of the natural gas regime. The film’s message is conveyed with a bit more subtlety by the camerawork than by the on-the-nose script.
The unnecessary R-rating keeps it away from families and the familiar plot means adult viewers aren’t likely to rave about the film. It could be called the epitome of a “good-but-not-great” movie, with minor ambition and a lot of talent in front of and behind the camera that’s not entirely utilized and not fully realized. The acting is almost universally enjoyable and breathes life into the characters and story we’ve seen a hundred times before. It’s doubtful the film will shine in an awards season full of monster contenders but there’s no reason why Promised Land won’t have its share of advocates and fans.
Rating: Promised Land is a safe drama with a clear message and a good amount of heart; it’s well-made and well-acted and it’s by no means a waste of your time — just don’t expect the typical Gus Van Sant magic. (6.5/10)
Recent Comments