RBR: Promised Land

While there are some subjects that just scream "this needs to be made into a movie", I highly doubt that the debate on frakking is one of them. And yet, here we are with a movie about just that. Matt Damon stars as a rising star at a natural gas company who's job it is to convince people in small farming communities to sell the rights for their land to be mined for gas. When he and his partner (played by Frances McDormand) visit a small Pennsylvania town they are met by a colorful cast of townsfolk and a bit more opposition than they are used to when presenting the issue. To further complicate matters, a young environmentalist, played by John Krasinski (The Office) comes into town to further the anti-frakking cause. Directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), the film has its heart in the right place but struggles to maintain a compelling narrative. I knew exactly what the end result would be. However, I will give the film some credit for including a twist that I did not see coming that helps the story come to its inevitable conclusion. This is a movie that is difficult to hate, but it is also one that is difficult to get excited about unless you are really interested in the debate over this controversial extraction method. I liked most of the performances here, although I felt as if the film did not do its female characters much service here. Both McDormand and Rosemarie DeWitt, as a local girl that both Damon and Krasinski vie for, come off unfavorably based on the decisions that they make in the film. There are certainly far worse films that you could consider renting instead of this one, but outside of its unique subject matter, there's not a lot here that really warrants a recommendation. Rating: ***