Shaky reviews for Matt Damon's 'Promised Land'

New film focuses on a small Pennsylvania town dealing with the hotly controversial issue of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas.

Fri, Dec 28 2012 at 2:24 PM

Related Topics:

Celebs, Fracking, Movies

Promised Land

Perhaps the natural gas industry doesn't have as much to fear from Matt Damon's "Promised Land" as previously thought.

The film, which has been feared for its anti-fracking message ever since it was announced earlier this year, has been receiving mixed reviews - with even Mother Jones lamenting it as a missed opportunity to make an impact.

"If Matt Damon & Co. really wanted to make a movie that would scare American audiences off of fracking for good, they should have just made a movie dramatizing fracking's potential threat to America's beer," writes Asawin Suebsaeng. "Instead, what we get is a quaint love story wrapped in a conspiracy movie, draped in a toothless political polemic, festooned with mawkish aimlessness."

Ouch. In a new interview with Playboy, Damon says the intent was never to create a hardcore environmental film.

"We went to the studio saying, “Who f***ing wants to go see an anti-fracking movie?” and were all in agreement. When we were working on the script, it was about wind farms, but we changed it to fracking—a good issue because the stakes are so high. That s**t is real. They’re debating about letting it happen in New York now. To us, the movie was really about American identity. We loved the characters because they felt like real people making the kinds of compromises you have to just to live your life."

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is currently skirting just below 50% in favorable reviews - a lowly number that does not generally fortell success at the box office. I'll be curious to see how it does this weekend with audiences (although those in attendance at early screenings have passed even harsher judgment - with only a 39% rating.)

If you've seen the film, let us know what you thought in the comments.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

Previous Post
No, Kate Winslet is not headed for space

Next Post
Kelly Osbourne's weight loss secret: Vegan chef boyfriend

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comment: 1

Mark Brownstein Jan 04 2013 at 3:19 PM

I think the movie does a fairly decent job of presenting all sides of the shale gas development debate. The central question the movie poses is whether a community has the right to regulate or prohibit industrial development in its borders. It’s a tricky legal question currently playing out around the country, and there’s no simple answer. But one thing is certain: the natural gas industry must be forthcoming and honest about the risks that unconventional oil and gas development create, proactive

.... More

in taking the steps necessary to minimize those risks, and willing to collect and publicly disclose the data necessary to enable communities to evaluate for themselves whether their health and environment are being fully protected. No one should have to trade their health or quality of life for cheap energy, and that’s why my colleagues and I at Environmental Defense Fund are fighting for tough rules and strict oversight. More details can be found at http://www.edf.org/risks