It’s the near future and the planet is overcrowded, over-heated and more or less done with the human race.
Then a Norwegian scientist makes a discovery that could save us all. His revolutionary “downsizing” process can literally reduce our carbon footprints.
The catch is that the rest of us is reduced too. “The greatest discovery since the Moon landings” is a device that permanently shrinks the average person to five inches.
The main action takes place after three per cent or so of the world’s population has signed up for the procedure, with resorts springing up to cater for smaller citizens promising a life of luxury at reduced prices. And it’s the money, rather than the future of the planet, that interests Paul and Audrey Safranek (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig), average Americans who are bored with their very average lives.
Paul meets a recently reduced school friend (Jason Sudeikis) and is captivated by stories of the dome-covered Leisureland (bugs and birds are a problem) – a sprawling artificial city with mansions that cost the same as dolls’ houses and luxury shops that sell diamond necklaces for less than $10.
When Paul and Audrey learn that their $152,000 equity will swell to $12.5million once they are inside the resort, they see a quick way to reverse their fortunes.
Sci-fi is very unusual territory for director Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways, Nebraska) but he’s on home turf with Paul, another dreamer whose life is at a crossroads.
For the intriguing first half, the blend of genres works beautifully. Payne’s usual deadpan tone makes the fantasy elements seem even more outlandish. As we watch the couple mull over their decision, the sci-fi set-up builds quietly.
So when we see the new recruits having their fillings removed, we know this is to prevent their heads exploding.
We know that hair doesn’t shrink either, which is why Paul gets a cheaper version of the Prince William buzz cut. Sadly, the tone doesn’t work quite so well after Payne has reduced the scale.
I was expecting the fantastic voyage to gather pace once we entered the doors of Leisureland. As a fan of 1950s sci-fi , I was also secretly hoping to see Matt Damon fend off a giant creature – a roaring kitten or perhaps a ravenous earwig. But once Paul has moved into the resort, Payne slowly lets the sci-fi slide.
He meets Serbian playboy Dusan (Christoph Waltz), who makes his money on the black market, buying one luxury Cuban cigar and cutting it up into thousands of little ones for his tiny punters.
This seems like another chance for Payne to mine his fantasy world but Dusan’s role never develops beyond comic relief.
Then he befriends Ngoc Lan Tran (Hong Chau), a former Vietnamese activist who was shrunk against her will by her government.
Through her, Paul sees the cracks in this miniature utopia and finds a way to anchor his weightless existence. Decent-but-dull Paul and the fire-cracker Vietnamese cleaner make an intriguing double act but their slow-burn romance would work equally well in a regular city.
There are good things in this small package but the two genres never quite fit together.
It’s a film caught between two relatively giant stools.
Downsizing: (15, 135 mins)
Director: Alexandra Payne
Stars: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau