Promised Land

Powerhouse performances from Matt Damon and Frances McDormand, plus their believable professional relationahip, make this movie work. Surprisingly even-handed for a message film, as it depicts a giant corporation as more coldly cynical and manipulative than outright evil. For the most part the characters seem real and not props to serve an argument. The resolution, while a bit compromising, remains personal in a good way.

From the opening few shots, you know where Matt Damon's character is going and how he is going to get there. To see if you're right (you are), you must wade through monologue after monologue about essentially the same thing. Add a silly plot twist and an unnecessary Frances McDormand and you have Van Sant's pedestrian attempt at a discussion about environment.

Gus van Sant does not make great movies, but he sure makes important ones. This story needed to be told by somebody and van Sant is the perfect fit for it with his distant but engaging style. From Elfman's music to acting everything was about subtlety. You might find the ending blunt, but it is a movie about fracking; it can only be so subtle!

A highly enjoyable film even though the subject matter is tricky. Energy independence and environmentalism. I think Gus Van Sant did a pretty good job of not completely demonizing the idea of drilling for natural gas. I loved how Rosemarie DeWitt and Matt Damon got along in the film. John Krasinski added his wit and charm to add some levity. It makes you think and it has some good twists and turns to the plot which keeps you very involved in the story.

damon and van sant have been hired by a gas-mining company to make an anti-fracking movie SO bad we'll all desert to the pro- camp. don't let them trick you!

This is the product of thinking with your emotions rather than your brain. All you need to know about this movie is that it's partly funded by a royal family in the middle east. Of course the Arabs don't want us to drill in America. If we do, they lose money. The people involved in this movie would rather send over our military to the middle east to fight for oil rather than drill at home. Everyone involved should be ashamed but they care more about feeling good about themselves than facts.

"Gus Van Sant's new film offends for how it views the struggles of the landowners at the heart of its story as subservient to their oppressor's triumph of the spirit." - Ed Gonzalez

Well done, great acting talent and some excellent scenes, but as a whole it was lacking something.

I mean.. With this team, it should've been much better and the only thing at fault is the script. It's just too cliché a real life story that we watched so many times.. It does become a waste of talent..

DIdn't finish. A bit too heavy-handed on the "look at these poor small town folk" notes.

It had it's moments but it was pretty unnecessarily cheesy. Redeeming qualities: Frances McCormick character rang true and there was one very good scene, "Fuck you money".

I only watched this movie out of sadistic curiosity because I heard it has a really ridiculous twist ending. Turns out it just has a kinda dumb third act but is actually pretty decent and likeable up to that point, so I didn't have a terrible time.

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Dear American Directors and Casting Directors ~ Simply picking a bro from the fucking West Coast, making him grow a ruggedy beard, drag them vowels, and say "ma daddy" 3 times in a sentence will not make him sound like he's from rural white America. Other, more significant elements of the film are similar in quality: rubbish.

I'm not a huge fan of the plot of this film, or it's subject matter, but there were some pretty solid performances. It's watchable. Maybe even enjoyable.

Matt Damon is perfectly cast and Frances McDormand is sublimely brilliant as usual. They save an otherwise implausible corporate conspiracy plot that carefully dodges taking any stance on fracking itself. Instead the message is farmers are good, corporations are evil. It doesn't even matter if fracking is dangerous or not...

I think you owe us another artsy one already, Gus...

Van Sant is always far less convincing when he is playing to the crowds. He never manages to find the right balance between meeting audience expectations and plying his own trade, and Promised Land is no exception. It just does not work despite a strong lead performance by Damon. It's a simplistic and middle of the road 'message' film that loses its nerve halfway through and takes the easy way out.

This is a good drama that is well acted and directed. The script is good with a nice surprise. The cast all work well together. Overall I would recommend this drama.

Entertainment: 3/4. Spirituality: 1/3. Sustainability: 2/3.

It's about more than it seems, and yet it's about less than it could be. In trying its best not to take sides on a contentious issue, it's too careful not to let us get to know the town's residents as well as it should. While the Damon and Holbrook characters are well fleshed-out, most of the rest of the town isn't, which makes it easier not to get swayed, but it makes it harder for us to care about these specific people in this specific town, which could have been a beautiful thing.

This film is only good when one analyzes the performances of the actors. Otherwise, the stupid twist and the dull ending make this film a dud.

Endlessly frustrating, "Promised Land" starts of interestingly enough building up (fracking powered) steam and fleshing out its characters, until a terrible twist and a feel-good ending at odds with the rest of the movie almost derails everything. The script by Damon/Krasinski is at its best, when the two leads go off on eloquent, Aaron Sorkin-esque tirades about sense of pride versus the need to face up to present challenges and - especially - good and bad. A missed opportunity.

Matt Damon wrote and performed the best monologue of 2012. "Fuck You Money."

Story is nonsense. It does nothing to dispel any real or imagined dangers in fracking and the twist is downright retarded. However, Damon is so good at what he does that he and a strong cast, elevate this to watchable

58.000

This has been a sponsored message by Matt Damon for President.

Rather than having a protagonist, like Thank You For Smoking, Promised Land elects to have a troubled, inept and ultimately abandoned lead in a film about as subtle as cold war agitprop. They can be forgiven for anti intellectualism or for leftist prejudice and general mean spiritedness, but it's hard to forgive how cringe inducingly cliche is all is.

Good film.

I honestly thought the film was nice, I'm not too sure its message is though - it's certainly not well delivered, because I still don't know the ins and outs of fracking after having seen this. If it were played simpler, without that ridiculous ending, it would perhaps have appeared more level and unbiased.

Earnest, almost rural, and very watchable drama that sadly takes a stand instead of letting the viewer make up his own mind. Matt Damon is perfect.

This just didn't offer anything new. I still found it to be a decent movie though. Damon is as good as he usually is and the supporting cast is as well. I have seen better work from Gus Van Sant. I'm sure this movie will eventually be long-forgotten, but I still liked it for the most part.

http://gorgview.com/promised-land

Fracking is bad because it hurts the environment and stuff says some guy giving kids a demo with baggies and dirt. I guess you could equate the audience with the puzzled kids because after that I still don't know what fracking is or why it's bad. Maybe they should have made the film with muppets. Everything is this corporate conspiracy plot to hoodwink the locals into signing over their land. It's also an unfocused mess. Be skeptical because an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund bankrolled this.

Hardly a film to feel passionate about, but it's a good drama. It shows respect for the intelligence of the audience and its characters, and although I could see the conclusion coming (not the twist ending, but the last scene) it was also the most appropriate.

1108: good job!

Berlinale 2013 & http://biletsiz.com/63berlinale

can't go wrong with Rosemarie Dewitt

The characters are well written and performed, but it ends up feeling a bit too much like a "message" movie.

Woefully adequate.

I am pretty conflicted on this one. I like it enough, but it doesn't have any of the bite one would hope for. Damon's pretty strong, though and his chemistry with both Rosemarie DeWitt and Frances McDormand is a definite plus.