Promised Land

“Promised Land” stars Matt Damon, John Krasinski and Frances McDormand in this drama about corporate natural gas salespersons seeking to drill under the ground of a small Midwestern town and the conflicts and circumstances that result. Directed by Gus Van Sant based on a story by Dave Eggers and a screenplay written by Messrs. Krasinski and Damon, the film, though well intentioned, misses the mark. It is two dimensional in its presentation of the characters and somewhat confusing in its attempt to be slick and clever. To use the word “amateurish” seems a bit harsh but it’’s the only one that properly describes my reaction to it. The weakness, I fear, is in the screenplay which of course hampers how much creative input and result Mr. Van Sant can achieve. I give the film 2 stars as it comfortably falls Into the category which in my generation would have been known as “B” movie.