list.co.uk/fi lm Reviews | FILM
DRAMA PROMISED LAND (15) 106min ●●●●● COMEDY 21 AND OVER (15) 93mins ●●●●●
Director Gus Van Sant is no stranger to tackling challenging subject matter, be it school shootings (Elephant), gay rights (Milk) or prostitution (My Own Private Idaho). His latest effort takes on the controversial gas-mining process fracking, with a little help from stars/writers John Krasinski and Matt Damon (whose script arose from a story by Dave Eggers). Smalltown-boy-turned-corporate-stooge Steve (Damon) and his partner in
crime Sue (Frances McDormand) arrive in a small Pennsylvania town to purchase drilling rights from the largely poor farming community. They successfully charm the pants off everyone they meet with only a few questioning their wisdom, namely science teacher Frank (Hal Holbrook) and green activist Dustin (Krasinski). Considering its unglamorous subject matter, Promised Land is surprisingly witty and charming, and McDormand is superb. Yet some characters are thinly drawn (Rosemarie DeWitt’s love interest Alice especially) and Damon’s Steve is just plain baffling. His wavering morality rankles: can his inner turmoil really ring true when he actively chooses to sell people short?
Promised Land is an earnest, fundamentally likeable film which forces us to question what we’re told rather than calling us to arms. Nevertheless, it’s hard to shake a niggling feeling that by shying away from an in-depth investigation of the issue, Van Sant and co have missed a real opportunity. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 19 Apr.
Having hit the jackpot with their script for The Hangover, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore attempt to repeat their success with 21 and Over. Sadly, the duo’s directorial debut proves to be a gamble that doesn’t pay off. The night before his big medical school interview, promising student Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) is coerced into celebrating his 21st birthday by best friends Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin). What ensues is a night of drunken debauchery that involves several outlandish scrapes once Chang becomes so intoxicated that he passes out.
The film attempts to replicate many of the elements that made The Hangover fun but it lacks the charm of the hit comedy and by placing the emphasis on edgy and vulgar humour often ends up just feeling offensive. For every gag that hits, there are three or four that don’t.
The central trio also lack the presence that made The Hangover so memorable. Astin emerges as the best of the bunch, given his character’s slightly more level-headed tendencies, but Teller conforms to the loud, obnoxious best friend stereotype while Chon spends too much of the movie passed out to register. Come the inevitably touchy-feely climax, the whole endeavour feels lazy and conformist with little to recommend it. (Rob Carnevale) ■ General release from Fri 3 May.
DRAMA MUD (12A) 130min ●●●●●
Jeff Nichols’ third film, Mud, arrives with much expectation. His second, Take Shelter, was a marvellous study of the inner turmoil of Michael Shannon’s blue-collar worker, a man haunted by apocalyptic visions. By comparison, Mud feels more prosaic. Heavily inspired by Mark Twain, this part adolescent yarn, part
yearning love story is seen through the eyes of two Arkansas teenagers, 14-year-old Ellis (The Tree of Life’s Tye Sheridan) and his friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland). The story revolves around Mud (Matthew McConaughey), a tanned and tattoo-clad escaped con hiding out on the Mississippi banks in a boat that, somehow, is improbably wedged in the branches of a tree. When the boys encounter Mud, he spies an opportunity to
recruit them as messengers with the aim of delivering a missive to the love of his life, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Ultimately, it’s an awakening for the boys – Ellis in particular – to a wider world, with disillusionment and disenchantment the order of the day. Mud’s languid pacing meanders more than the film’s iconic river, while its careful sense of place reminds you of the early films of David Gordon Green and, of course, the work of Terrence Malick. It’s a frustrating film at times, somewhat lacking Take Shelter’s fierce originality and, at an overlong 130 minutes, crawls towards a conclusion that isn’t entirely satisfying.
What it does boast are impressive performances. Benefitting from McConaughey on a hot streak (after Killer Joe and Magic Mike), Nichols also draws fine naturalistic turns from his two spirited teenagers. There are small but vital contributions from Sam Shepard and Nichols regular Michael Shannon, while Witherspoon brings understated poignancy to her role. By Nichols’ already high standards, this feels a minor work, but it’s been made with love. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 10 May. See Nichols profile, page 53.
18 Apr–16 May 2013 THE LIST 63