Alexander Payne directs Matt Damon, Hong Chau and Christoph Waltz in this comedy parable about an average all American who shrinks himself to improve his lifestyle.

Is there any good director quite as hit and miss as Payne? He is either wonderful (see Election or The Descendants) or woeful (I refer you to About Schmidt or this). Downsizing lacks humour and form. The satire is obvious, the ultimate point and journey erratic. The only time the Friday night multiplex audience laughed was when the Vietnamese refugee love interest (easily a more intriguing character than Damon’s sad sack) said variations on the word “fuck” in a thick accent. I couldn’t join them on that but was glad they wrenched some pleasure out of this misfire.

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