Blending science fiction, social satire, comedy, and drama, Downsizing promises a lot, even for a director as accomplished as Alexander Payne.
The film is ostensibly about a man literally shrinking to join a growing community of ‘downsized’ individuals. Really, though, the film seems to be a play on contradictions: the people who choose to go small live it up in their new world with extravagances made possible by their tiny footprints.
Certainly this or some other spin lies beneath the surface of Downsizing, meaning it’s likely to join the ranks of high-concept, allegorical science fiction. Where it lies in that ranking, though, is key, because that genre produces as many duds as it does classics.
Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor did put in the time to sort out whatever ideas they’re going for, though, spending two and half of the seven year break between Sideways and The Descendants working on this script. The delay in production means that the originally slated stars, Paul Giamatti and Reese Witherspoon, are out, replaced by Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig.
I’ve got to say, it’s hard to imagine Giamatti giving the energy Damon shows in this trailer, so it’s possible the script or the overall tone has been tweaked in the ensuing years. That’s odd considering Payne has referred to the project as a masterpiece at least once over the years, but at least now we get to see what this long-teased film really is.
Downsizing is directed by Alexander Payne and stars Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, and Kristen Wiig. It will be released in the U.S. on December 22nd, 2017 and in the U.K. on January 19th, 2018. For international release dates, click here.
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