Downsizing DVD Review
“Downsizing” is an ambitious gamble.
Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, 2017’s “Downsizing” revolves around a married couple (Paul and Audrey) who opt to embark on an experimental process that would shrink them down to size (5 inches to be exact). At their new height, they would gain access to an entire new community including the desirable Leisureland. At the last minute, Audrey decides to not go through with the downsizing procedure leaving Paul alone in this new world. Not all is lost, however, as Paul meets a Vietnamese woman (Ngoc Lan Tran) who he not only begins to fall for, but helps him see a way to help those around him.
Before he went on to direct the fantastic “The Holdovers,” Alexander Payne helmed this overlooked sci-fi comedy drama. Despite being made only 7 years ago, “Downsizing” hits different these days. It was always an ambitious and sprawling project that would have perhaps been better served as a TV series due to its scope, but nowadays it feels like a true outlier. This movie would likely never be made today. It’s rare to see an original theatrical movie like this with a sizable mid-range budget. In truth, we need more movies like this.
“Downsizing” also feels rather timely with its subject matters about class, human extinction, overpopulation, humanity, and love. There’s a lot going on here and truthfully the tone is rather odd at times with the blend of comedy and drama. Still, it’s hard not to get swept up by this clever and visual comical adventure with its deep story, impressive sets and notable F/X.
The A-list cast only strengthens the film as a whole with the likes of Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis, Laura Dern, and Udo Kier. Damon does a fine job leading the movie, but the real star here is Hong Chau. Although she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, she was shamefully snubbed of an Oscar. This was the movie that catapulted her career and it’s not hard to see why with this scene-stealing and spirited role. She did go on to earn an Oscar nom for her work in “The Whale” though.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: Widescreen. How does it look? The standard definition picture quality of this DVD re-release is a little blotchy but it’s a solid transfer nonetheless. It should be noted that this title is also available on Blu-ray.
Audio Track: Dolby Digital 5.1. How does it sound? Expect a crisp 5.1 track.
The only extras are trailers for Paramount titles.
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