Downsizing (2017)

A social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.

Director:

Alexander Payne

Writers:

Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Stars:

Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Damon	...	Paul Safranek
Christoph Waltz	...	Dusan Mirkovic
Hong Chau	...	Ngoc Lan Tran
Kristen Wiig	...	Audrey Safranek
Rolf Lassgård	...	Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen
Ingjerd Egeberg	...	Anne-Helene Asbjørnsen
Udo Kier	...	Konrad
Søren Pilmark	...	Dr. Andreas Jacobsen
Jason Sudeikis	...	Dave Johnson
Maribeth Monroe	...	Carol Johnson
Jayne Houdyshell	...	Paul's Mother
Phil Reeves	...	Audrey's Dad Larry
James Van Der Beek	...	Anesthesiologist
Alison J. Palmer	...	Anesthesiologist's Wife
Tim Driscoll	...	Good Friend Tim (as Timothy Edmund Driscoll)

Storyline

A new world of possibilities awaits, thanks to a revolutionary medical procedure known as Downsizing. Billed as environmentally-friendly, many people choose to downsize for economic benefits. When the kindly occupational therapist, Paul, undergoes the new procedure, finding himself in this brand-new existence, he must choose between a sheltered life or making an impact in his own small way. Can he help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time?

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Plot Keywords:

lying woman | flaky woman | lying wife | divorce | miniaturization | 

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Taglines:

We are meant for something bigger.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including sexual references, some graphic nudity and drug use.

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alexander Payne had originally wanted Paul Giamatti to play the Matt Damon role.

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Goofs

An Olive Garden employee mentions "Baked Potato Soup." Olive Garden does not carry/make Baked Potato Soup (their Zuppa Toscana soup has some potatoes in it, but this is not the same thing).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Andreas Jacobsen: [in Danish to technician who has rushed into his office] Yes, Jørgen?
Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen: [in Norwegian] We have it... Andreas, we have it... It works!
[the embrace]

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Crazy Credits

The first half of the end credits feature the camera zooming out from the chest outward of Leonardo da Vinci's famous drawing Vitruvian Man.

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Connections

Referenced in Golic and Wingo: Episode #1.44 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Volveras Contigo
Written by Mo Fini
Performed by Cándido Fabré (as Candido Fabre) y Su Banda
Courtesy of Tumi (Music) LTD

User Reviews

Much better than the ratings suggest imo

After watching this film and then seeing the low rating for it I was really surprised, did I see the same movie ? this could have been a silly film about being small in a big world a bad borrowers concept maybe? I saw an interesting and emotional drama about an under achieved man , Paul (Matt Damon) looking for a better life, he is betrayed by the one person he wanted an improved life with. There is a message about mankind here too , our planet is overpopulated and we need to find a solution, the downsizing concept actually makes a lot of sense. As usual in the real world good ideas can be abused in the wrong hands or turned against humanity. Big or small there will always be a class system, winners and losers . Ok the film is far from perfect and loses its way a bit in the second half with the under explored imminent catastrophe angle. The quirkiness highlights come in the Vietnamese girl , Ngoc Lan Tran (Hong Chou) who takes over Pauls disappointing new life and his neighbour Dusan (Christoph Waltz) who adds a new spark, together they give Paul new purpose, a chance to make up for unfulfilled aspirations, at the end of the day what do we all want out of life ?

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

USA Norway

Language:

English Spanish Norwegian French Korean Greek Vietnamese

Release Date:

22 December 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Downsizing

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,954,287, 24 December 2017

Gross USA:

$24,449,754

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$55,003,890

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Ad Hominem Enterprises, Gran Via Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1