Matt Damon
John Krasinski
Frances McDormand

Dave Eggers

106 mins.
Drama
December 28, 2012

Rated R for language. (MPAA)

OK, I’ll admit it: “Promised Land” surprised me. I didn’t expect it to be so disarmingly good. It’s a thoroughly well-crafted and well-executed film directed by Gus Van Sant and co-written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, who also star in the film. Dave Eggers (writer of the novel, “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”) conceived the story.

This is an earnest film, and it certainly strains credulity, at times; but that didn’t bother me because of Van Sant’s confident storytelling abilities and because of the actors themselves. There’s a place for earnest filmmaking, as long as it doesn’t obviously manipulate. The manipulations need to be subtle.

At its beginning, this film establishes a surprisingly warm tone. This isn’t what one would expect from a statement film. That tone shifts toward the end, but that’s to be expected. Plus, it doesn’t shift abruptly or severely. Van Sant allows the film to glide by and relies (wisely) on his actors to sell the characters. These aren’t showy performances; everyone seems genuine and honest. There’s a nice, gentle rhythm to the proceedings.

Unexpectedly, neither side (or none of the sides) is demonized for most of the film. There’s a huge twist at the end that does the demonizing in one fell swoop. (I won’t give that away.) But, until then, this film did a good job of presenting the merits of each side without commenting on them. As a viewer, I was allowed to think for myself. I was treated like an adult.

Does this film go into all of the complexities of fracking? No, but this is a fictional film, remember? So we’re not here for a lesson.

The choice of Damon and Frances McDormand as representatives of a big natural gas company is an interesting and successful one. They humanize those characters in distinct ways. Their characterizations help to keep this film from taking clear sides from the beginning.

This film’s formula really works. Some have balked at the ending, but I won’t do so. Was it perfect? No. But the moments leading up to it were good enough for me to excuse any awkwardness or predictability during the film’s late moments. They earned those clichéd moments as much as anyone could … or should.

Overall, “Promised Land” won’t blow you away, but it may catch you off guard. You might catch yourself thinking about what they’re saying without feeling forced into it. This was a pleasure to watch.

Verdict: Very Good

About: (Source: promisedland)

In Promised Land, Matt Damon stars as Steve Butler, a corporate salesman whose journey from farm boy to big-time player takes an unexpected detour when he lands in a small town, where he grapples with a surprising array of both open hearts and closed doors. Gus Van Sant helms the film from an original screenplay written by John Krasinski & Matt Damon, from a story by Dave Eggers.

Steve has been dispatched to the rural town of McKinley with his sales partner, Sue Thomason (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand). The town has been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, and the two consummate sales executives see McKinley’s citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer – for drilling rights to their properties – as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job and a short stay for the duo becomes complicated – professionally by calls for community-wide consideration of the offer by respected schoolteacher Frank Yates (Academy Award nominee Hal Holbrook) and personally by Steve’s encounter with Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt). When Dustin Noble (John Krasinski), a slick environmental activist, arrives, suddenly the stakes, both personal and professional, rise to the boiling point.