Downsizing (2017)

Size matters (but not the way you think it does) in Alexander Payne’s R rated dramedy Downsizing (2017). Although the film was a box office flop, the National Board of Review put it on their Top Ten list. The sci-fi dramedy explores the concept of miniaturization to solve over-population. People who opt to be shrunk are able to live lavish lifestyles due to the minimal amount of resources they require. Mansion? Done. Fancy car? Done. As such, Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to “get small” and move to a tiny experimental community. There’s just one problem: Audrey backs out of the procedure. How big of her! Needless to say, comical complications ensue as Paul tries to rebuild his life. Along the way, he (and we) encounter a Vietnamese activist (Hong Chau) who was shrunk against her will; Serbian playboy Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz) and his friend Joris Konrad (Udo Kier); and Paul’s pal (Jason Sudeikis) who encouraged him to try the experiment on for size. The movie also includes cameos by James Van Der Beek, Laura Dern, Neil Patrick Harris, and Mr. Damon’s ass! Just 33 minutes into the flick, Matt takes a crack at nudity when he hops onto a table in a hospital gown, and at the 45-minute mark he walks out of the shower in the buff! Both bits afford us views of his bare buns. How cheeky! Matt’s character may be downsizing, but all of us watching are upsizing in our pants!