The Incredible Shrinking Matt Damon: Teaser for Alexander Payne’s ‘Downsizing’ Debuts

Director and screenwriter Alexander Payne knows how to make people laugh and cringe at the same time. He’s made a career out of uncomfortable situations (see Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, and Nebraska).

Payne’s latest film, Downsizing, follows Matt Damon’s Paul Safranek and Kristin Wiig’s Audrey Safranek as they attempt to lessen their environmental impact (and increase their spending power) by shrinking themselves down to size. The premise promises a satirical examination of the “plight” of the white upper-class, as they grapple with the guilt of overconsumption and the allure of privilege.

Although a bit of a detour from Payne’s typically grounded past work, Downsizing, from the little we’ve seen in the teaser, appears to fuse Black Mirror with Payne’s trademark dark humor and cutting wit. The film co-stars Brigette Lundy-Paine, Christoph Waltz, Laura Dern, Jason Sudeikis, Hong Chau, and Neil Patrick HarrisThe Hollywood Reporter praised Downsizing after its Venice premiere.

Downsizing hits theaters Dec. 22.

Watch the teaser below.

Sean Arenas: Sean Arenas is a writer and musician from Los Angeles, CA. Besides mxdwn Movies, he writes for Playboy and Razorcake, a nonprofit, bimonthly music magazine, where he has contributed over 200 record, book, and film reviews. He has also published his first short story in Cabildo Quarterly, a Massachusetts-based literary journal. Sean's favorite directors are Terry Gilliam, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Chan-Wook Park, John Carpenter, and Takashi Miike.
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