Promised Land - C

Rated R, 106 minutes

Well-acted "Promised Land" too predictable, lacks power

Matt Damon

The drama "Promised Land" has a sturdy pedigree. It's a relevant story of oil drilling directed by Gus Van Sant ("Good Will Hunting"), starring Matt Damon and John Kraskinki (the pair also penned the screenplay), with a solid supporting cast including Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook and Oscar-winner Frances McDormand. Unfortunately and rather surprisingly, the well-acted "Promise Land" adds up to a mediocre, overly calculated film that lacks an emotional force. Damon is Steve Butler, an ace corporate salesman for a large energy company who is sent along with his partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), to close a key rural Pennsylvania town in his company's expansion plans. With the town in economic decline of recent years, they see this as an easy win, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. Yet this becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (John Krasinski), as well as the interest of a local woman (Rosemarie DeWitt). With such talent in front of and behind the camera, you'd think that the earnest, well-intentioned "Promised Land" would hit it out of the ballpark, which it obviously tries to do. The chief flaw is Damon and Krasinki's preachy, predictable script, with a set up so obvious there's really no reason to sit through the rest of the movie, and while a gifted director like Van Sant tries to instill some poignancy in it, even he falters in doing so. The likable cast tries, but the most memorable is not Damon or the bland Krasinski, but Holbrook and McDormand, both of whom shine in supporting roles, especially McDormand, who steals every scene she's in (and while Holbrook is great, anyone else notice how weird and glassy his eyes look?). Filmed on location on the beautiful countrysides of Pennsylvania, the issue of fracking is indeed a relevant one, but it needs a better, more powerful movie than "Promised Land," which doesn't deliver that at all.

Wes's Grade: C