Downsizing – Film Review

Downsizing is a science fiction comedy-drama film starring Matt Damon. The film follows Matt Damon’s character Paul Safranek who is an overstretched man in an overstretched world. Struggling to make ends meet, Paul suggests to his wife Audrey played by Kristen Wiig that they should join the movement known as ‘downsizing’.

‘Downsizing’ in the film is the procedure of shrinking humans to 13cms tall to help reduce consumption and save the environment. While the idea of ‘downsizing’ in the film has ecological merits, the trend of ‘downsizing’ in the film is more about people living better lives as money goes further in the miniaturized world.

Despite the idea of ‘downsizing’, the film has very little to do with the science-fiction concept and is more of a drama showing Matt Damon in a mini mid-life crisis. If you strip away the shrinking idea, you just have a film about a man who is lost, thinks small and never really finds himself. The film drags and there are many scenes that could have been shortened. The only saving grace of this film would be Christoph Waltz who plays Dusan, Paul’s noisy upstairs apartment neighbour. Without Waltz, the film would be more boring than it already is. The many random cameos in this film don’t help it either. To call Downsizing a comedy-drama would also be an exaggerated and inaccurate description. I didn’t really laugh and neither did the audience.

I expected Downsizing to have a lot to say. I expected there to be some inspiring important message at the end. But Downsizing doesn’t really say much of anything. While Downsizing has a clever premise, the execution was terrible. Disappointment would be a kind understatement. Time waster would be a more accurate description. And I like Matt Damon. Shame.