Downsizing

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
Downsizing Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Overlong sci-fi comedy has a heavy message, mature content.

R 2017 135 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 21 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 12 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Downsizing is a sci-fi comedy about a man (Matt Damon) who undergoes an experimental process: being shrunk down to five inches tall to help save the planet. Expect to see a little blood, some fighting and arguing, and lab mice who appear to be harmed; minor characters die. Language includes several uses of "f--k," plus "s--t," "a--hole," and more. There's brief male full-frontal nudity, as well as partial nudity, kissing, suggestions of sex, and strong sex talk. Characters drink socially and alone, a character smokes cigars, and characters take unknown pills and hallucinogenic drugs at a party (a "drug trip" is shown). An Asian character is very giving and helpful but is also portrayed in a way that veers close to stereotype. Even though the movie is from acclaimed director Alexander Payne, it's too long, not very funny, extremely preachy, and awfully downbeat.

Community Reviews

Joe M.
Joe M. Adult
February 20, 2023
age 13+

I wish they cast Mark Wahlburg!

"Downsizing" is a science fiction comedy-drama film that explores the idea of shrinking human beings to reduce their carbon footprint and the consequences that come with it. While the film is filled with a great cast, I couldn't help but feel that Matt Damon's character would have been better cast as Mark Wahlburg. Don't get me wrong; Damon's acting was decent, but the role of Paul Safranek, a man who decides to downsize himself to live a better life, required someone with a bit more grit and toughness. Wahlburg's natural charisma and ability to play tough guys would have added a new dimension to the character and made him more relatable to audiences. Moreover, Wahlburg's Bostonian accent would have been a perfect fit for the character's blue-collar background, adding a layer of authenticity to his performance. I can't help but feel that Wahlburg would have brought an extra edge to the character that Damon couldn't quite achieve. Overall, "Downsizing" is an entertaining and thought-provoking film, but with a different casting choice for the lead, it could have been even better. Mark Wahlburg would have added a new layer of depth to the character, making him more relatable to audiences and adding more authenticity to the role.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Jjmcc
Jjmcc Adult
December 30, 2020
age 13+

PG-13

The R rating must be for lots of penises on unconscious men undergoing downsizing process. Big deal. This is an excellent movie that smart teens will enjoy. Especially recommended to families who think persons are more important than humanity. Lots to talk about with the kids in that vein, and I wish CM review hadn’t deterred us from letting our 15-yr-old watch it.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 21 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In DOWNSIZING, a Norwegian scientist invents a way to shrink people down to just about 5 inches tall, thereby offering a way to lower humanity's strain on Earth's resources. Meanwhile, struggling physical therapist Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) is having trouble paying his bills. After meeting an old friend (Jason Sudeikis) who's gone through the shrinking procedure and learning that his money would go a lot further if he, too, were small, Paul and his wife, Audrey (Kristen Wiig), sign up for the program. But Audrey balks at the last second, leaving Paul alone in the tiny community called Leisure Land Estates. Paul soon meets playboy Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz), as well as Dusan's maid, illegal Vietnamese immigrant Ngoc Lan Tran (Hong Chau), and finds a connection with them. Soon he embarks on an adventure to the end of the Earth, meeting the original scientists and learning a terrible truth about the planet we live on.

Is It Any Good?

Coming from acclaimed director Alexander Payne, this sci-fi comedy is an oddity: an overlong, over-written, message-heavy misfire that's almost totally unlike anything else he's ever done. Downsizing takes forever to get started and explain the painful shrinking process -- it requires pulling out all of a person's teeth -- before going on too many detours until it finally reaches its ultimate point. Which is that humans are destroying our own planet. Normally in sci-fi or comedy, messages like that are carefully presented as subtle subtext. But this movie simply slaps our faces with it.

The screenplay almost feels as if nothing from any early drafts was ever thrown away, as if new scenes were simply tacked onto old ones. It does allow for a fun performance by Waltz and a tricky one by Hong Chau, but the movie doesn't seem as interested in characters or story as it is in messages, and it doesn't support the characters as well as it should. (Despite having a fairly large role, Wiig disappears early on and never returns.) It seems as if a fine multi-episode miniseries could have been made out of this material, or a much shorter movie, but as it is, Downsizing feels flabby and overstuffed; it could have used its own shrink ray.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Downsizing's depicts sex. What's shown, and what's discussed? How is sex talked about? Does it seem like a positive act here?

  • How does the movie depict drinking? Do people drink together or alone? Why? Do they enjoy it? Does the movie make it look enticing?

  • Is Ngoc Lan Tran a positive representation of a woman and a Vietnamese person, or does she veer into stereotype?

  • What does the movie have to say about the state of the Earth? Can we fix it?

  • Would you ever decide to "downsize"? What are the drawbacks? The benefits?

Movie Details

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