Ultimately, it comes down to the difference between narrative and advocacy, and advocacy (in most cases) isn't terribly dramatic.

| Jun 21, 2016

Damon and Krasinski's script isn't completely solid, but it follows a believably wayward path to a lovely, muted ending.

| Nov 5, 2013

Thee film-makers' sincerity so indisputable, that Promised Land never entirely spins off the rails. It's hard to swallow, but easy to digest.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 19, 2013

A gentle rather than dramatic film that, once the central argument is laid out, lacks real flair.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 19, 2013

Van Sant is no Frank Capra, so why is he trying so hard to be?

| Original Score: 1/5 | Apr 18, 2013

Not confident or bolshy enough about the subject, too aware of eco versus economic pros and cons ...

| Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 18, 2013

Northern Exposure with Jason Bourne. Which is a backhanded way of saying this is far from the challenging movie it promised to be.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 15, 2013

Gus Van Sant's fracking drama pits Matt Damon's energy executive against John Krasinski's eco-dreamboat in a battle for the minds of backwater farmers and the heart of Rosemarie DeWitt's moony schoolma'am.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 8, 2013

While Damon and Krasinski have penned likable, real characters, the story surrounding them is only sporadically compelling.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 10, 2013

[It's mostly] a well-wrought drama that feels genuine as it goes about spinning a tale worthy of our challenging times.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 4, 2013

Promised Land is more effective as an anti-fracking screed than as a drama.

| Original Score: B- | Jan 4, 2013

Promised Land doesn't offer great drama, nor does it offer the great debate on fracking that some viewers might have been hoping for. Yet, the film has lots of small moments that make it a worthy effort.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 4, 2013

This isn't a movie about easy fixes, be they personal or political; it's a film about long-term problems.

| Original Score: B | Jan 4, 2013

Far too awkward and contrived a drama to change many hearts and minds.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 4, 2013

The 50/50 split between profiteers and tree-huggers might reflect the nation as a whole, but it makes for diluted drama.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 4, 2013

Damon's performance as corporate salesman Steve Butler is one of his best.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 3, 2013

Smart, sincere, and timely, with thoughtful, intelligent performances by everyone, until it goes completely off the rails at the end.

| Original Score: B- | Jan 3, 2013

A well-intentioned look at a fraught issue, but the Damon-Krasinski screenplay ultimately opts for Hollywood oversimplification.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 3, 2013

A love triangle involving the two men and a local schoolteacher (Rosemarie DeWitt) seems more like a commercial necessity than an integral part of the story, and the small-town types are indifferently realized by director Gus Van Sant.

| Jan 3, 2013

Damon and Krasinski co-wrote the script, and they do a nice job of giving the usual confrontations a gentle and surprising spin.

| Original Score: B+ | Jan 2, 2013