Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Michael Ledo This is a soft hitting environmental film. Steve Butler (Matt Damon) represents Global which wants to buy the gas drilling rights to a town. He is from a farming community, but can't drive a stick shift. He is also ill informed of the dangers of fracking. His partner is Sue (Frances McDormand) a working mom who tries to parent from Skype. In the town of Miller's Falls, they meet resistance from Frank (Hal Holbrook) the local science teacher and an environmental activist (John Krasinski).Rob (Titus Welliver) who owns Rob's Guns and Groceries is sweet on Sue while flirty school teacher Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt) sparks Matt's love interest. The film uses stock cardboard characters to create a nice feel good tale. There is a twist at the end that wasn't too much of a shock. The farmer's have to decide if they want to sell the rights and risk losing their land to environmental poisoning, or wait and lose the land due to poverty as government subsidies dwindle and market prices fall. It is a gamble either way.The film is not a documentary. It does inform the viewer what fracking is and why it poses danger, but doesn't drive it home to the point of turn off.Parental Guide: f-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Nick Holland Promised Land is directed by Gus Van Sant, written by Matt Damon, and stars Matt Damon. The story is about a worker for the natural gas fracking company, "Global," and his attempts to try and persuade a small, poor, farming town to buy into this fracking technology. He is conflicted in his endeavors by an environmentalist, a local school teacher, and his feeling for a local woman. This was originally going to be Matt Damon's directorial debut, but he ended up giving the job to Van Sant, due to them working together in the ever so successful movie, Good Will Hunting. This film has ups and downs, but is altogether pretty good.To start with the positives, the directing is very nice. Gus Van Sant did very well, yet again, and made the movie look very clean. Although there were no scenes of "action," suspenseful scenes were filmed well, with minimal cuts and some nice, wide shots. The cinematography was also very good. Some of the wide takes of the farmland look truly beautiful. A lot of far off camera angles of Damon's car driving on backroads look very nice, and gives off the simplistic tone to the small town.The other main positive is the acting. Matt Damon, as always, does well. His co stars, John Krasinski, and Frances McDormand do really well also. The combination of the actors really adds a lot to the film. However, there are quite a few negatives. It's not a bad movie, but it isn't exactly great.The biggest negative is the love triangle that happens in the movie. This may be a spoiler for some, so spoiler alert. Damon's character, Steve, takes interest in a character named Alice. They both seem to have good chemistry, and get along well, but Alice all of a sudden jumps to another character's side, and takes interest in him. She then finds out a certain thing, and immediately flips back to Steve's side. This confused the heck out of me. Yes, some people can change their mind, but so quickly, and without reason? It really dragged the film down.The other main problem is the plot. The plot can keep up, but I only counted a few moments in which I actually cared. There was even a point where I was questioning is Steve was the good guy. Many, many things confused me, and I'm not easily confused. The plot dragged on at spots, and I got somewhat bored. I watched the whole thing, and the story would always pick back up, but only after a certain while.Overall, Promised Land was a decent movie. I'll probably watch it again every once in awhile, but it's really not great. I think Promised Land deserves a B-, or a 7 out of 10.

Kevin MacLellan A movie made by Middle East interests does not bode well for honesty. The movie is a total misrepresentation of fracking processes and does not even attempt to portray the truth. Promised Land is supported by zealous environmentalists who either should know better and do not accept anyother truth or the people who support such trash as this movie and Gasland are all dupes to a persuasive anti fracking group. The Middle East wants all of NA to rely on their oil forever. Shame of Matt Damon but then I guess ethics can be bought for a price. Avoid Promised Land. It is poor entertainment and it is very poor science. Take time to learn about fracking, you may be surprised with the truth.

Anssi Vartiainen Promised Land, from the prolific director Gus Van Sant, is not his best movie ever, but it showcases his talent for atmospheric storytelling, excellent pacing and crafting memorable settings and scenes. Helped along by a talented cast, most notably Matt Damon, the film ends up being a thought-provoking little drama about an issue with heavy moral and political undertones. A serious film, but not without lighter tones.So what works? The characters, in my opinion. The three main characters, played by Matt Damon, Frances McDormand and John Krasinski, are all unique and interesting individuals, and they showcase excellently the need for layers in good characters. Throughout the movie all three give the impression that they have their own stories outside the happenings of the movie. Stories, which are only hinted at. This creates interest and attachment. All three work off each other beautifully and carry the movie until the very end. Add in a strong supporting cast and I have no complaints whatsoever.Furthermore, the directing is strong. I like Van Sant's way of telling the story without rush or hurry. And yet he doesn't drag his feet either. Rather it's Goldilocks, so to speak.And then, what doesn't work? Well, the only real problem is the writing. This movie is about fracking, the process of pulling natural gas from the ground, but in the process, potentially, ruining the ground itself. As you can probably guess, this is a rather touchy subject and people have complained about the film's unwillingness to pick a side. Personally I can admire its attempt to acknowledge both sides of the debate, but the way this fence-sitting is realized is a bit heavy-handed. The ending solution especially is more than a bit jarring. It has its merits, but I can see why people complain.Still, for the most part even the writing does a credible job, the characters are all interesting, the film looks great and the storytelling is topnotch. Easily recommended if you're looking for a more serious movie experience.