Film: Promised Land (2012)
Cast includes: Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), Frances McDormand (Fargo), Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married), John Krasinski (The Office), Hal Holbrook (Men of Honor)
Director: Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk)
Writers: John Krasinski (Brief Interview with Hideous Men), Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)
Genre: Drama (90 minutes)
“You’ve closed more towns than the team behind you, by triple digits… yet your price points are half what they’re paying.” So Steve explains what natural gas leases mean to him. “I grew up in a farming community. When the Caterpillar plant moved out, that whole farming town fantasy was just shattered. We had nothing… it’s not about the money. It’s about survival.” Steve feels he’s helping small towns survive by closing natural gas deals. The interview for the Global management job seems to have gone well. But now it’s on to McKinley, where Steve and Sue hope to close another deal for Global. First thing they do is to get outfitted at Rob’s Guns, Groceries, Guitars & Gas. It’s a good idea to try and blend in. “You’re the natural gas people!” says Rob. “Bout time y’all showed up.” Many in town are barely hanging on, so maybe it won’t be a hard sell. Steve and Sue split up and start selling… “Even before the drilling, money is injected immediately into the community.” These guys really are pros.
Hopefully, they won’t run into any environmental groups… but so far, “it’s too easy.” At Buddy’s, Steve meets Alice. (Too bad he’s not going to be around very long.) But at the town meeting, he encounters the first sign of trouble… Frank, the local science teacher. Frank wants his neighbors to know that “it’s not that simple.” “If you’re against natural gas, you have to be for coal and oil,” Steve counters. “This clean alternative is dirty business,” says Frank. (Maybe Steve will be around a while.) The town’s going to put it to a vote in 3 weeks. And now there seems to be an environmentalist around town… Dustin. Where did he come from? At Buddy’s open-mike night, Dustin talks about fracking… “Google it,” he says. He talks about his town and the dead cows. Before you know it, there are “Global, Go Home” signs all over town. This easy-sell is getting a lot harder, and Steve’s glib sales pitch is turning sour. Steve’s also irked by the fact that Alice seems to have turned against him. “None of what that guy said is true,” Steve declares. “I’m not the bad guy.”
So who is the bad guy? We’re expecting an answer. The story has a good set up, but the film doesn’t really follow through. Had they made this film 5 years ago, we might have found it informative. But today, most of us know what fracking is and have an opinion about it one way or the other. Yet the moviemakers choose to avoid taking a position… and in the process are probably disappointing both sides. The issues are well developed in the beginning, but the film ends with a thud. We come away feeling that the story didn’t go anywhere. All they’ve managed to convey is that it’s complicated. Thanks. We already knew that much.
2 popped kernels
Steve really thinks he’s saving small towns by closing natural gas extraction deals
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R
Audience: Young adults & Grown-ups
Distribution: Mainstream wide release
Mood: Neutral
Tempo: Cruises comfortably
Visual Style: Nicely varnished realism
Character Development: Engaging
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Thought provoking
