Downsizing reviewed by Mark Kermode
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- čas přidán 25. 01. 2018
- Mark Kermode reviews Downsizing. A revolutionary new procedure that can shrink people down to five inches tall is seen as the answer to economic problems in the United States.
Please tell us what you think of the film -- or Mark’s review of the film - below. We love to include your views on the show every Friday.
www.bbc.co.uk/5live
Fridays at 2pm on BBC 5 live. - Krátké a kreslené filmy
If I was five inches tall I’d be thinking about how many insects and rodents could eat me..
oh god!
And then I'd be worrying about everyone becoming small and suddenly we're all too tiny to manage our still normal-sized resources and starve to death.
@Withnail also The Incredible Shrinking Man.
I quit watching trailers 4yrs ago, so I went in without any prior knowledge or expectations. I really liked it. Actually appreciated the unpredictability of the small unknown world.
I'm baffled as to why this film has so much hate AND how pretty much no one is talking about how Matt Damon has grown as an actor - he had a great natural, none showy screen presence, really added warmth to the film, which, in essence is about humanity and about seizing new opportunities in life. Well, atleast that's what I thought
I haven't watched the trailer prior to watching either but I can get the criticism. In the first half of the movie it seems like a comedy and a movie about differences. It then turns into 5 different movies at once, it tries to be a comedy, a political movie, a drama, etc. It's much all over the place. By the end I just felt lost and had no idea where they wanted to get with it.
@@bingoing
That's just it, though - life can be just like that.
It's a comedy, a tragedy, sometimes even horror.
Not saying I don't struggle with tonal shifts in films, I do.
Just didn't with this 1 or The Book of Henry 😊
@bingoing Where did you want the movie to get with it? Once you downsize your ideals into a simple conclusion, we can have a discussion. Until you rid the subtle nuances that life brings along, it will always be mightily convoluted.
No matter the movie’s quality, you gotta agree that the Talking Heads’ song “Once in a Lifetime” was just perfect for the trailer.
For me, right when Matt Damon goes to Christoph Waltzs party the movie came to a halt. Enjoyed it till then. 4/10 for me
Tommy Townsend Couldn't agree more.
Tommy Townsend God why remind me :(
Tommy Townsend This definitely, all the interesting points the first act introduces completely vanish and aren't taken anywhere, same as all the other plot points that pop up along the way. Not even Waltz or Chau could carry this film and by the 1 hour mark I had completely lost interest.
Tommy Townsend I walked out at that point.
Tommy Townsend Was amazing for one hour then a total failure lol. What is this?
I was constantly expecting a stray cat to get into the compound and cause carnage. And when they are sailing down the river on a little boat I imagined an eagle swooping down and carrying off the scientist mid speech.
No such luck.
Not everyone can be so creative. You should consider yourself lucky. I see a writing credit in your future.
A great concept that gets wasted with a boring story
Agree. It could have been very interesting concept. I wasted 2 hours of my life. It was terrible. I wanted my money back.
I thought so too. I gave up after a while.
I really enjoyed the first part of this film. Up until the time Matt Damon moves into Leisure Land, it felt like a Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman movie. Sadly, the last half is really sappy and sentimental and meandering and frustratingly pointless. They have a Charlie Kaufman concept, but they take it in a Cameron Crowe direction. Man was I disappointed.
It’s a mess. It’s too long and doesn’t know what it wants to be. Unfortunate waste of a good idea. I was so happy when it ended.
Downsizing was so awful. The trailer sold me on a comedy that it absolutely wasn't. The movie was preachy as all hell, and revolved around Matt Damon playing the single most boring man alive, and then the most boring short man alive. Wiig appeared and disappeared in the first 20 mins, the most interesting section of the movie, and yet there was still 115 (!) minutes left.
Bloody awful and the first time I've ever got so upset about being misled by a trailer that I wanted a refund.
sirprintalot I honestly had the exact same thought when I walked out of the cinema before the film finished...
sirprintalot Was amazing for one hour then a total failure lol
Felt the same😂 waste of time it was to watch it. I need a refund of my time!
No offense man, but trailers are always misleading. If you went to see the film based solely on the trailer then you got what was coming to you. And don't expect someone else to pay for your own stupidity.
my thoughts as well, this was the most boring movie I've ever been excited to see. I went to the theaters to see this and 3 people I went with fell asleep lol. p.s. we live in Omaha and that was not it lol.
Really enjoyed the first half of the movie up until he meets the cleaning lady and it tries to be like 5 different films at once and it really fell apart for me
Exactly
First and second halves of this film were like two different movies. The first was funny, interesting, and generally entertaining. The second half was forced and disjointed.
iHatebologna59 that's exactly how I felt!
i'd love if you could elaborate. Yes, they use a tonal shift but i don't really get the "forced and disjointed" second half part.
Not everyone can be so creative. You should consider yourself lucky. I see a writing credit in your future.
I just watched it and found the 'first movie' kind of boring and the 'second movie' incredible. Hong Chau was captivating.
I loved it and wasn't bored and thoroughly entertained.
You said "played by Hong Chao" so quickly
I friggin loved Downsizing, it keeps leading you to unexpected places and it makes you think a lot. I just watched and already wanna watch it again. Perhaps not a film for every one, but damn I did love it.
y u so dumb
Matt Damon had a stinker 2017. This, Suburbicon and The Great Wall. WOW
Also with him defending certain behaviors against women being so mistimed and wrong headed. Yuck.
He didn't defend the behaviours, he made some dumb #notallmen comments, and everyone piled on him. The whole thing was absurd.
It just seems fishy that the 2 people most responsible for helping his career (Weinstein and Affleck) have abused women. Seems like an enabler to me.
I think it's rather unfair to make accusations of people based on the people they've made films with. There's never been a sniff of accusations about Matt Damon, he's just good at sticking his foot in his mouth.
I'm in a minority that really likes this film. I think Mark just misinterpreted the theme. It's not about being big and small. It's about the inevitability of death, and what to do in the meantime.
BunnyMan456, yes, this movie is really a Pilgrim's Progress, with the Pilgrim on a mission of life-search and reaching various disparate "stations" in his life to finally meet the point of self-discovery and self-satisfaction.
I just got around to watching the movie now that it is available on Netflix. Because of having heard this review last year, I knew what to expect and therefore wasn't disappointed that it wasn't a comedy. It is meandering, but I was there for the ride and ended up really enjoying it.
Why would you think it was a comedy... nothing in the trailer suggests that.
@@kadiummusicTo be fair, there are certain comical moments. However, they're not the highlight moments.
This Movie is actually Good, very good at least for me. Its Perfect from start to finish. Cant believe ive waited 5 years to realize that I should watch this. 2023.
I loved the "movies!" Not a typo. It really felt like I watched more than one movie. They were good though!
Saw that coming. This is what happens when you have a premise in your head without any plot.
The Norway segment made absolutely zero sense to me. Pretty pointless and a total misfire.
It seemed like complete nonsense filler.
The movie was really good at asking questions and not so good at answering them.
One of the main theme of the movie is about stopping following the heard just because it seems like the good thing to do at the moment and instead taking a decision.
the moment he meets that irritating cleaner this movie died. got shrunk, went to a party, hung out with a cleaner, made a boring trip Norway. lol such a bad movie
mynamesmatty I really liked the start of their friendship but when it became more and the story just went nowhere it was odd
Nailed it. Watched this at tiff and I was surprised how good it started and how fast it crashed.
Not everyone can be so creative. You should consider yourself lucky. I see a writing credit in your future.
Apparently the director admitted in an interview that he lost control of the film.
Sam Spade never mind the film, I lost control of my brain... what was the film about??? Totally bonkers.. and to think I was expecting Jason Bourne to suddenly take out all the barmy Norwegian
I like Alexander Payne films but this did not work.
Simon's chair looks quite cushy. Maybe I'm just tired, but it seems like a lovely place to nod off while Mark pontificates. (Can't use "whilest" as I'm not from the UK, but I'd use it if I could).
I was going to watch this because it looked daft fun, but vue stopped all showings before it started here.
Absolutely loved it
I had three problems with this movie. It's way too long. There was absolutely no need for human shrinking as a plot device. And finally, it was boring as hell.
It's about people that are obsessed with being good without bringing any of the nessesary sacrifices. There Lifestyles are quite the opposite. It's about People that talk always about big ideas and saving the planet and seeing the big picture but they in fact don't care about other peoples lifes at all. It's all just talking without any substance. This is not a complicated Film. It was told very straight forward.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, I think that as it seems to polarise opinion, this will become a future cult classic
I would never shrink myself unless I could shrink my dogs as well ❤
I loved it. Slow start but grows on you 😀
It came recently to Netflix in my country, should I watch it? Everyone is talking about how good it was the first hour, is it worthy to watch it because of that?
Oh yeah definitely, the first hour is great - the setup, the characters, the themes and metaphors. It just falls apart after that
A take on the Titans for the follow-up....
Great review, I agree. On the whole I did quite enjoy it for it's quirkiness and good characters, except for Matt who phoned it in. It could've been "hangover" style with the SNL crew but actually had depth. Maybe, as you say, too much depth for movie of this genre.
100% spot on review. Enjoyed the first hour or so, really intriguing concept. Went to bed at about 1hr 30, didn't keep me. After that returned to it the next day, where it turned into a Love story and never concluded with any findings or messages. First Half 8/10 - Second Half 2/10. Overall 4/10.
Empathy is hard, I get it.
Very disappointed as well. The political issues don't get explored at all or get lost in the background. The whole premise of downsizing becomes irrelevant for most of the movie and the personal stories were uninteresting. Also most of the characters were over the top and quite annoying to me... if at least it would have been funny... but it wasn't even that. Sad cause I like some of Payne's work quite a lot.
agreed
looks good
Honestly, better tv show idea than movie idea
Honey, I Srunk the Wiig.
Daniel Rowley Or not, actually...
Three Cheesecake Factories? Sign me up!
It was weird, unpredictable and unorthodox but i liked it
I was disappointed with this movie
Matt Damon had a shitty 2017, but I'm sure he's crying all the way to the bank about it.
Not sure about that. She's really having a pretty impressive post-SNL career as far as I can see. Downsizing is a rare bump for her.
Shitty? His dad died, dude.
Perfect review. Film totally went south when he became downsized. I've never walked out of a film but i was close with this. The trailer was a total ruse as well and bore no relation to the plot after the first hour.
Best review so far. I had fun. But was ready to close/end the film. But 2 too many closing scenes
Watched this for the second time tonight on blu ray. Probably best to get the obvious and most difficult aspects of the movie out of the way first...
Spoilers and possible rambling ahead...
Yes, many people felt misled and shortchanged by the trailer. There was a lightness of touch to them which promised a different movie to what people got, I guess. But...directors don't make trailers, and have no say over the creation of them. What you get in trailers is someone who has complete access to the movie, and effectively re-edits it any way they want and adds their own music as they see fit, and condenses that into 2 minutes or so. All with the sole purpose of making it appeal to as many people as possible. There is no concession to the directors vision whatsoever, their job is to get bums on seats.
And misleading trailers have been with us for years, so why people still expect the movie they saw in the trailer anyway is beyond me. A small bit of research on the internet will give people a more honest idea of what a movie is about, while still being able to avoid spoilers.
So, many bought into the concept in the trailer of a quirky, humorous two hour movie about people being small, and the hilarious consequences that would inevitably ensue. However, the question is once you get past the whole miniturisation thing, where do you go from there? Did people expect 2 hours of quirky comedy about what its like to be small, from a director like Payne?
I actually liked where Payne went with this. On second viewing, the first 30 mins or so are not that quirky or funny at all. Damon's character has to deal with his ailing mother, he and his wife are struggling to make ends meet financially, and even when it gets to the miniturisation sequence itself, the details and process of it are actually a little disturbing.
Once Damon arrives and discovers his wife changed her mind and did not join him, the film goes down a different route. Effectively, Damon has to downsize yet again as he cannot afford to live in the big house meant for him and his wife. From hereon he meets people who will have quite an impact on his life and take it in unexpected directions.
Primarily Christophe Waltz' flamboyant entrepreneur who introduces him to an alternate lifestyle and the 'new markets' of the miniature world, and most notable the excellent Hong Chau as a crippled Vietnamese dissident, struggling to make ends meet by cleaning rich peoples houses, but also dedicated to helping people less fortunate than her, using leftover food and medicine for the people in the makeshift shanty town where she resides.
I guess the last third in Norway is probably the part most people have an issue with, but again I didn't mind it. It's all part of the emotional journey Damon's character goes through, not for the first time finding himself having to make difficult decisions about his future...as he has done for most of the film.
If I have an issue with the movie, I would like to have seen Payne explore the impact of downsizing on the normal people left behind. It's hinted at in the movie that with so many people downsizing, house prices are going down because so many people are moving out and selling their houses, and similar knock-on effects.
But ultimately, regardless of what a trailer tells me what I should expect to see, what I never do is go to a theatre and expect to see my expectations fulfilled because I know better than that. A director makes a movie and it is their vision. When you sit down you watch that vision unfold in front of you, the way the director intended...not the person who put the trailer together, or the people who are paid to write lines for the poster telling you all sorts of wonderful and usually misleading things about the movie. Movies are not like buying a product in a supermarket, where you can complain because you bought a tin of beans and when you opened them they were peas instead. I will always go with the filmmakers vision of what they have put on screen, and decide if I like it or not, and trust me there are many I have not liked.
You know your movie is bad when you admit you should have scene the movie about a talking bull instead.
The last hour film it finally gets to the point and everything falls in place. Unfortunately that is very difficult for an Englishman to see.
BS, this movie is entertaining for entertaining purposes. It was intended as a comedy film (based on the ads) after the first half where the wife bails of, there was already the existential thought being introduced in the story telling. When you get to the third part, it actually makes sense (albeit in a semi-crazy way in relation to cults and how people relate to being part of a bigger thing is important), it's reminiscing of the Idiocricy film that it's premise is a comedy, but it makes you think of the reality of the idea. Trash all the artsy farts the films that is being tried these days, but a mundane film that makes you think of reality (and what may that entails) is what people needs. (Entertaining story telling with bits moral, or values, or existentialism sprinkled in to it, or just a file that makes you think). 5/5 for me for not being a critic. Fudge all the perfectionist out there, I'm drunk...
I was really looking forward to this. I have to say I was for the most part hugely disappointed by it.. The film has an inspired premise and a few good moments (most of them involving Christoph Waltz or the physical process of downsizing someone) and trades them in for basic symbolism and metaphors that the filmmakers think a lot smarter than they actually are. The Vietnamese freedom fighter character really got on my nerves and it's a bad sign where you watching a film and trying to work out if it satirising or playing into the "white saviour" trope. Particularly ironic since Matt Damon made The Great Wall which leaned very heavily on his character being a "white saviour" Light 5/10.
Disappointed with what I thought was a great idea for a story that went in a a direction that was quite jarring. A real shame it didn’t stick to what was being shown in the trailer.
Wim Wenders did a Movie called "The End Of The World" and David Cronenberg did "The End Of Violence", just saying.
No. Wim Wenders directed both of those movies. "Until the End of the World" in 1991, and "The End of Violence" in 1997. The Cronenberg film that you're thinking of had a different title.
@@adamzanzie you're right, history of violence is the Cronenberg movie! My fault!
Saw it last night and totally agree. Really like the concept and the first hour is great in showing you this alternative world but once you get there the story itself is not very engaging and basically too long.
Empathy is hard. I get it.
I would not recommend this film to anyone. I started watching it with a person who hated it so much we just left right after he got shrunk. However I was intrigued and went to watch the rest of the film on my own. I agree with everything said by kermode and most posters. The film runs off in so many directions and really is a mess. Iver the course of the movie there is the start of at least 5 films, none of which get a conclusion. However this is one of my favourite films (attacca and the bird man being the others so obviously my taste isn't likely to be something most would enjoy). The film is really saying we will all die but real and satisfying life isn't consumerism, parties or grand causes. It's about being happy with where we are right now (will change throughout your life obviously) and the people we spend our lives with.
Absolutely loved this film. It got even more interesting 2 more after the 1st hour 4 me (ironically, quite a few people left the cinema @ this point). Very simple film; everything that U need is within U & around U.......just notice it. Kinda like the Wizard of Oz.
The point they left says a lot about them. It wasn't from being bored..
Too many brilliant ideas that don't really come to fruition. The Vietnamese character holds the heart of the film. Without her, the second half of the film would have been about a tiny, gormless, lost bloke wondering around in circles!
anjula mutanda ... r u serious? Norwegian hippies digging holes in the mountain to bury themselves.. Toy boat in fjord pulling 6 litres of vodka... Jason Bourne looking totally clueless...miniature stereotype Vietnamese and Mexicans .... there is nothing to like about this nonsense, niet, zilch. 2 hrs of my life wasted...painful to watch
I liked this movie until the wife leaves him and it decided to turn into three different movies. Would have worked better as a TV show.
Who is the old guy in the wheelchair?
ste fox Simon Mayo
Albert Nash
Spot on as always, Chau and Waltz carry the film
This is a movie I will overlook.
So much shade being thrown at this film in the comments
I enjoyed the movie. it stayed with me up until now. For me it was more about the Vietnamese Lady and her ability to bring about change. Focusing on things like keeping one's word, authenticity, responsibility and realization. Shrinking people down making them small highlighted how inescapable small mindedness can be lol
I liked the film
yes it could've been done better but until that happens i'll be watching it again.
Bartholamew Blunderbuss The Vietnamese woman was a new version of the Magic Negro. It's not a bad film, but it's more what could have been than the ordinary 'discovering yourself' film it turned out to be.
I was so disappointed in this film. Had high hopes but it just fell flat.
First problem: we know Damon is going to do it. He's going to downsize. So why blow 45 minutes of film with the couple debating it and visiting the small town? The movie should have began with them already agreeing to do it. (Although there is an interesting scene with people discussing taxes in a bar.)
Second problem: Once it's done not much happens. Damon's character goes into a depressing funk. He has a boring date. Goes to a party but doesn't seem to enjoy it. And so on. Class divisions among the downsized people becomes an issue then is cast aside. Then a twist with a trip to Scandinavia and a hidden downsized commune. Ugh.
Such great potential then wasted.
I think this has 'cult' written all over it - I loved it
Need subtitles can't understand a thing he's saying
It was a bit long, but I think it could have flowed a bit better if he wasn't immediately dissatisfied with being shrunk. Heard non stop for ages about how amazing being a small would be but he was miserable straight away so we never got to see how great it could be. Bunch of stuff could have been cut.
The whole idea presented was that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. If you noticed, one of the wall decorations even said, with affirmation, that the grass is indeed greener on the other side.
This movie may be considered masterpiece in a generation or so.
I just saw the film so it's fresh in my mind and have been viewing all the negative reviews. People have varying opinions. I'm someone whose tried to understand things a bit when it comes to climate change as well as philosophy, psychology, economics etc. I think the film really kicks of with Paul meeting Noc, he meets someone who is more purpose driven than he is who is also a caregiver and cares about helping those in need without expectation of reward. There's quite a bit of depth to explore or reflect upon with much of the dialoge from many of the characters. The major scientist and his predictions of certain disaster. Ever hear of the myth of scientific objectivity? The severity and nature of climate change is an extremely difficult phenomenon to fully quantify. The biggest takeaway from this film for me was to focus in on the important things in life and to follow your passion and purpose instead of being weak and pulled around by the whims of others.
The whims of others could be easily summed up by acknowledging the mental well-being of your offspring who is transitioning. Is your offspring still important to you at this point, or naw?
So, I'm still confused about the whims of others. Is it family values, or is it petty political factionalism? These concepts can be difficult to fully analyze as older generations.
Downsizing was objectively garbage.
They didn't even need to be small.
Great movie if you want to see alot of wangs and not laugh at all
I just saw it and this is exactly how it felt...
It really didn't have a point to make about any of the subjects it approached...
By the way there has been real proposals about downsizing (genetically modifying the human race so it takes less volume, consume less food and energy ^^).
All in all it missed a bit of the true introspection movies like "Stranger than fiction" managed to touch.
Hated this movie more than most.
Dreadful Film
I honestly think Downsizing is one of the worse movies ever, the main point is here, its taking himself soooooo serious and is at the sametime sooooo pointless, unlogic, stupid, and flat!
also the conversations, the story, oh my god the story was sooooo bad. a lot more of things to say about that disaster.
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor will never match the writing of their earlier film Jurassic Park ///
its godawful dont bother ^
time2boogy thanks I was going to skip it but I'll give it a shot.
film79 if you like being bored for 2 hrs go for it 😂
time2boogy Too late for me, I just finished watching it. 130min of my life I will never get back.😿
Is he just deleting these reviews and reuploading? Or are these first time reviews? Find it hard to believe they didnt get to these movies when they released
Downsizing has only just come out in the U.K., as has Coco and Last Flag Flying. Trust me, us Brits have been waiting a good few months for some of these films to premier!! It's been frustrating.
1) This channel takes segments from their radio show on Friday afternoons, and scatters them. Mark, to my knowledge, doesn't run it.
2) This film was only released in the UK on the 24th January
3) Why did you comment this three times loool?
I actually enjoyed it.
Downsizing makes me genuinely distressed me
So many economic problems
If you knew the world was literally ending would you not make life a little better for those in the slums for a short time?
It would just lead to facism if most places need large people for manual labour and once the large people had compete Control over the cities resources and the ability to kill the all is a short period or five gives a small group all the bargaining power
honey, i shrunk my paycheck.................see you in the 5$ bin Matt
I adored this film, couldn't recommend it highly enough
An interesting idea that was at times well done, ruined when they tried to shoehorn a strange preachy message about how immigrants are badly treated by rich Americans, ironically in a film made for profit by rich Americans.
Matt Damon is to film what ColdPlay are to music. Safe, unchallenging, harmless, boring and slightly annoying
That's ridiculous! He's done some great films
Sounds dire. Some armpit spotted another modern yuckspeak word that everyone hates and asked some plank to write a film script about it... I despair for Hollywood.
This movie should 've been titled something else! It is not about the concept of downsizing. Whatever the real point of this story was,....Well...it was very poorly executed.
The trailer was misleading as well.
It just didn't come off for me. I thought there was going to be tension with the big world because the small people were effectively living a rich life at the expense of big people. Having poor immigrant types in the small world didn't make a great deal of sense. Also, the film was over long and not funny 1/5.
I liked the downsizing film , the Vietnam woman was so cute lol
I just wanted to hug her
Great premise with a promising first hour then ruined with a nonsensical, boring & pointless second half
Could anyone explain me why ACTUALLY you are richer in the mini world that in the normal world? Because it makes no sense to me...
Using less materials and supplies. Paying less. Simples.
No, not simple... Because, of course making a miniature air system, a miniature car does not require MUCH MORE work and skills than making a big one, same for making mini pieces of jewellery, same for everything and thus it should cost more money to make! Because I haven't seen any factory in the movie, the only kinda blue-collar workers were maids... AND you cannot reduce the size of objects, it was made clear in the movie!
Because don't think about it and you'll enjoy it more.
Yea a lot of things didn't add up or werent explained. So stupid
JoyAsylum I agree but most people say the exact opposite, that the world of the movie was so nicely built, and I don't get it because so much of it didn't make sense!
many inconsistancies also; the guy holding a shoulder mounted movie camera, christ the technology isnt explained let alone mentioned. fyi; the tech for a shoulder mounted camera at that size would require electrons to be blackholes!
No not really
Awful movie. Some nice character performances. Emphasis on "nice".
I was excited to watch this with my 4 year old. At the beginning of the movie he was excited because of the small people. By the middle of the movie he had to ask me if they were small or normal size over and over again. By the end of the movie he was in his room playing with his toys. This pretty much sums up exactly how I felt watching this. 2/10 movie, obvious liberal propaganda.
File this movie alongside Sliding Doors under the heading of "great idea, lousy movie"
Slim Charles great username!
Warning: this film contains references to Jesus and Christianity peddling. I wish this was put on the Film Advisory list of content so I know to avoid the sugary sweet all American pie hypocritcal sermonising crap that comes with it.
although this movie was weird, you've got to love the Chinese woman.... I've never laughed so hard.... 5/10 for me
the character was vietnamese though ;)
Cameron Clark98 She ruined the film
She was annoying. Helped turned the film into a obnoxious rom-com adventure (complete contrast from the first half of the movie).
Review is too baggy, Mark.