After 15 years, Gus Van Sant and Matt Damon are filming a movie with a screenplay by Damon and another Hollywood actor. No, not the sequel to GOOD WILL HUNTING.
PROMISED LAND is based on a story by Dave Eggers and was adapted by Damon and John Krasinski. Van Sant directs the film which also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Francis McDormand, Titus Welliver, and Hal Holbrook.
Plot: Matt Damon plays Steve Butler, an ace corporate salesman who is sent along with his partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), to close a key rural town in his company’s expansion plans. With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (John Krasinski), as well as the interest of a local woman (Rosemarie DeWitt). Promised Land explores America at the crossroads where big business and the strength of small-town community converge.
The movie looks a lot lighter than what I would have expected from Van Sant or Damon, but I cannot argue with their past working relationship. Damon was originally going to make PROMISED LAND his directorial debut, but scheduling conflicts prevented that.
PROMISED LAND will open in limited release on December 28th,